Memorable Ferris State Athletics Piece Earns National Gold Distinction As Nation's Best Digital Video
Click Here For Official Release
Click Here For Virtual Awards Ceremony
Click Here For Award-Winning Video
Big Rapids, Mich. - A video produced by the Ferris State University Athletics Communications staff has been tabbed as the nation's best, receiving a prestigious "Gold" Award in the 2020-21 National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) annual awards competition.
The video, which was produced in March of 2020 and highlighted the cancellation of the NCAA Division II Tournament involving the Bulldogs' women's basketball squad, earned first place in Group 3 of NACMA's "Best Of" awards showcase for digital video segment. The award was announced recently during the organization's Virtual Awards Ceremony.
Initiated in 2003, the NACMA "Best Of" Awards program honors outstanding achievement in marketing and promotions. Awards are presented in 16 categories, which each category divided into three groups upon school size and conference affiliations to promote fairness.
The digital video segment was produced by the FSU Athletics Communications Office under the direction of Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Rob Bentley along with Athletics Communications Associate Harrison Watt by then student intern Conner Pyrc, who shot and edited the production. Since the video was posted, Pyrc has went on to become the associate director for creative video for West Virginia University football.
The video was produced and then widely shared and distributed by FSU Athletics upon hearing the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs' women's basketball team was in Springfield, Mo., and learned of the cancellation yet still went out on the floor as a team one final time and practiced together. The piece highlights the incredible story of togetherness in challenging circumstances.
The Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament berth a year ago was to have been the school's first appearance in women's basketball in eight years. The piece shared the team's story with Bulldog fans across the world and the touching story took place right as the world came to a halt, for a brief second at least bringing joy to some fans. It featured student-athletes along with former head coach Kendra Faustin, who was planning to announce her resignation at the end of the season for another career opportunity, therefore missing out on coaching a final game, but not a lasting memory with her team.
The video drew heavy social media traction and was showcased on multiple platforms, including twitter, Facebook and instagram along with the Bulldogs' official website at FerrisStateBulldogs.com and on YouTube. It also drew reposts from several highly-acclaimed sources such as ESPN, ESPNW and other national outlets.
This year's NACMA Award is the latest honor for the athletics communications department, which has also received recognition in years past in various other categories including social media, video, publication and poster design in both the NACMA competition along with the annual College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) awards program.
The complete video can be found at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lle_a1XCAbM&t=4s
NACMA provides the tools, training and network for collegiate sports marketers to successfully generate revenue, manage brands and develop fans. For more information about NACMA, please visit www.nacma.com. NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 affiliates that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.