@NMSU
NMSU Grants instructor wins Emmy Award
Roll out the red carpet, and clear the paparazzi: Here comes Doug and Kim Bocaz-Larson, Emmy winners.
On Oct. 24, the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized the pair at an awards ceremony in Phoenix. Doug, an associate professor in the Creative Media program at NMSU Grants, and his wife Kim won the Emmy in the field of advanced (online) media, Documentary/Historical/Cultural category, for their online documentary "Saving Lives in World War II."
Doug produced the project, Kim served as associate producer and Brandon Vallo, a part-time faculty member and former student at NMSU Grants, acted as cinematographer.
"This is nice validation for our Creative Media program," said Felicia Casados, NMSU Grants president.
The film documents the wartime experiences of Grants resident Judson Hemperley, who served as a medic in World War II. Hemperley had spent time with Kim Bocaz-Larson, regaling her with anecdotes from his time in service, and she wanted to share the stories with a larger audience. Enter Poco Loco Productions, Doug's full-service media training program that works with NMSU Grants to help students develop their skills in producing digital media.
The full seven-and-a-half minute documentary was not complete by the deadline for nomination submissions, but the shorter version made the cut. "I actually like the extended version better," said Doug.
The full version is available for viewing on the NMSU Grants YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/nmsugrants. The winning version may be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqWkXvFeKtE.
The film is just one episode of NMSU Grants' War Veteran's YouTube channel, which is operated and maintained by Doug, Brandon and their students. The channel, www.warveterans.tv, has been featured on iTunes.
While Doug and Kim are listed as the official nominees, Doug is quick to point out that the winning film, as well as others from NMSU-Grants' War Veteran's YouTube channel, involved students as well.
"The students were involved during the editing. They gave feedback on the rough cuts," he said. "Students have helped film other episodes in the series. They are very excited about the nomination. It makes them feel honored to be part of the program, I think."
"Saving Lives in World War II" has been featured on YouTube and was a top five finalist in the American Neighbor YouTube contest, sponsored by the Republican National Committee as a way "for people to share stories of how they or others they know are giving something back in small towns and big cities across our gret nation," according to Maria Cino, who was president and CEO of the RNC's 2008 convention.
"People tend to think that a little college like Grants doesn't have top-notch programs," Grants said. "But I'm hoping we can change that by creating a great program here that produces quality, award-winning work."
Written by Mark Cramer.