Pennsylvania College of Technology’s career-awareness television series -- titled “degrees that work.” -- has been honored with a Silver Telly (the annual Telly Awards’ highest honor) for an episode on welding.
A co-production of Penn College and WVIA-TV, “degrees that work.” highlights career fields identified by state and federal labor officials as important for future employment growth.
The welding episode, the second in the series, highlights the variety of careers available from the viewpoints of artistic welder Mike Patterson, an alumnus of Williamsport Area Community College (a Penn College forerunner), adjunct faculty member and entrepreneur; and Jennifer Brinkley-Cruz, a 2005 Penn College alumna and manufacturing specialist for Toyota. The episode chronicles Patterson crafting a life-sized Great Blue Heron weathervane for a Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen show, and follows Brinkley-Cruz on the floor at the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Ky., where she oversees 40 robotic welding cells.
The basics of welding are demonstrated by David R. Cotner, instructor of welding at the college, and Martin D. Denault, a welding and fabrication engineering technology student who graduated in May 2008. The episode also features interviews with industry representatives at the Fabtech International and American Welding Society Welding Show in Chicago.
The Penn College production crew developing the episode consisted of Christopher J. Leigh, video production coordinator, who was producer/director/editor/camera, and Thomas F. Speicher, video production developer, who was producer/writer/editor/camera/narrator. Kevin Jones of WVIA provided graphics support.
Tom Currá, WVIA-TV senior vice president, and Elaine J. Lambert, director of college information and community relations at Penn College, serve as executive producers for the series. Lambert developed the series concept with Jennifer A. McLean, director of counseling, career and disability services.
The Telly Awards recognize the best in local, regional and cable-television productions and video/film productions for the Web. Only 7-10 percent of the 13,000-plus entries receive the Silver Telly designation, the highest honor presented. Entries do not compete against one another; rather, they compete against a high standard of excellence.
The judges -- top advertising and video-production professionals who are past winners of a Silver Telly and who have been chosen for membership based on their professional accomplishments -- rate each entry on a 100-point scale. Generally, entries with a score of 90 or higher are awarded a Silver Telly statuette. Past Silver Telly winners include ESPN, PBS, The Weather Channel, Warner Bros., The Golf Channel and NBA Entertainment.
For more about Penn College’s “degrees that work.” TV series, visit online.
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