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Brigham Young University and four ElevenNEWS at Noon students won a grand total of five Gracie Awards in the student-level competition this year. The Gracies focus on recognizing exemplary programming created for women, by women and about women. Since 1975, these awards have been presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation to honor programming and individuals in radio, television, cable and web-based media. The numerous winners in this year’s competition highlight the caliber of students and quality instruction that can be found at BYU. “My education at BYU has allowed me to go beyond the classroom; the hands on opportunities to work in the lab and with professors have taught me so much,” said Rebecca Woahn, a senior in the journalism emphasis and Gracie winner. “I graduate in August and as I've been interviewing for internships and jobs, people are always impressed by the experiences that we have as undergraduates here at BYU.” For Lauren Butterfield, it has not only been receiving the Gracie Award that will forever be memorable, but also the experiences that she has had along the way. “I received the award for a story very close to my heart,” said Butterfield. “The story was about my 5-year old friend who not only fought cancer twice, but has beaten it both times. She is an inspiration and hero to me and it means so much that through her, I won a Gracie, which is all about the empowerment of women. I feel very blessed.” Below is a list of the Gracie Awards presented to BYU this year: CoogTube Outstanding Sports Program Brigham Young University Aubree Jones Outstanding Reporter/Correspondent Brigham Young University Lauren Butterfield Lifesaving Bond — Outstanding Soft News Feature Brigham Young University/KBYU Rebecca Woahn Outstanding On-Air Talent: Sports Program Brigham Young University/KBYU Tawny Zambrano Outstanding Director — News Brigham Young University/KBYU Each winner will receive their award at a ceremony in New York City in late June.

BYU female broadcasters win three of nine student awards, continue winning tradition Three Brigham Young University broadcasting students have carried on an award-winning tradition, recently receiving national recognition as student winners in the Gracie Awards. Julianne Horsley, Mary Blanchard and Danielle Ycmat Jansson won three of the nine available awards for students. Other student winners were from schools such as Fordham, Hofstra and George Washington universities. BYU was the only school to have three or more winners. The Gracie Awards highlight outstanding work in television programming created for women, by women and about women. Past professional winners include Tina Fey, Katie Couric and Barbara Walters. The three BYU students now join the ranks of those big names, along with the many BYU winners that have come before them. BYU’s student journalists have a history of doing well in the Gracie Awards. “From the beginning of the program, our professors expect us to be professionals,” Horsley said. “They hold us to the same standards as they would at your first job. It was really hard, but I’m glad they did.” Horsley won the Gracie for best anchor, Blanchard for best sports host and Jansson for best news producer. The students said the hands-on experience they received in the newsroom was specifically beneficial in preparing them for work in the industry. Blanchard said her experiences and watching past students win Gracie Awards helped her produce high-quality work. “Past students kind of set a precedent that you don’t want to be anything less than the best,” she said. Kristine Pratt is one of those past students and won a Gracie Award for Outstanding Director just after she graduated in 2010. She’s now a news producer at KSL 5 in Salt Lake City. “I certainly consider my Gracie Award to be one of my greatest accomplishments, and it gave me, as a college graduate, an extra push to launch into the job world with confidence,” Pratt said. Chad Curtis, BYU’s broadcast news manager, echoed Pratt’s sentiment about the impact of these awards. “It’s empowering for our female students to enter their work in a nationwide competition that emphasizes the professional contributions of women in the media,” Curtis said. “It is then extra gratifying to have their work honored by the Gracies’ judges as being worthy of praise.” Horsley is now working in marketing and communications for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City. Blanchard and Jansson will both complete internships this summer and graduate in August, before looking at entering the world of professional broadcasting. About the Gracie Awards: Established in 1975, the Gracie Awards is an annual competition that recognizes the highest quality programming for women, by women and about women in the media and entertainment industry. The Gracie Awards are presented by the Alliance in Media Foundation, which supports education, charity, public service and scholarships that benefit women in the media. Source: BYU News

The famous saying about the grass being greener on the other side also applies to food. A Taco Bell commercial written by a BYU advertising student captures how easy and tempting it is to steal somebody else’s tasty-looking food. The Taco Bell commercial, written by BYU advertising student Camille Trent, followed her script titled “Girlfriend.” The commercial focuses on a selfish, food-loving girlfriend who steals delicious food from her boyfriend. Taco Bell’s goal with the commercial is to convince customers that its menu item called “loaded grillers” is cheap enough for people to buy their own. At the end of the commercial the angry boyfriend hands his girlfriend her own loaded griller, achieving his goal of not having to share and making her happy. So how does a student get an opportunity to make scripts for big advertising companies? One way is by joining BYU’s Ad Lab. The ad lab provides students such as Trent valuable hands-on experience working closely with advertising agencies. “The ad lab is a great program at BYU,” said Trent. “We have a lot of alumni who have gone on to big advertising agencies.” Trent, like many who have gone before her, wrote scripts and created ad ideas that companies used in upcoming commercials. The BYU Ad Lab, which works closely with an adverting agency called DRAFTFCB, provided Trent with the opportunity of a lifetime. DRAFTFCB, which does advertising for Taco Bell, asked BYU Ad Lab students to create an ad that specifically fit what Taco Bell was looking for in its commercial theme, survivor of the selfish. It took many hours of brainstorming and writing 4—5 scripts for Trent to finally receive inspiration. “I brainstormed ideas with my husband, Brandon, and he gave me the idea that I needed to think of the perfect scenario,” Trent said. “He told me that I always steal food from him rather than getting my own, and that’s where the idea came from.” DRAFTFCB loved Trent’s idea and decided to use her script in Taco Bell’s commercial. Since the commercial aired this week, Trent has received a lot of positive feedback from peers, friends and family. “I put in up on Facebook a couple days ago, and there (are) now as many likes on the video as there (were) when I got engaged and married,” Trent said. “I got a ton of comments on the video, and it’s been a cool experience hearing feedback from people who aren’t at BYU.” Source: The Digital Universe