Montclair School of Communication and Media Students Win FOLIO Awards for Fourth Straight Year

Montclair State University School of Communication and Media (SCM) student journalists won three Folio Awards at a ceremony on Friday, June 7 that recognized their outstanding storytelling efforts in the Newscast, Arts and Culture, and Talk Show categories. 

The Folio Awards are “the gold standard for the best in news and social media,” and this is the fourth straight year Montclair SCM students received recognition for their work. 

Eight SCM students and Professor Vernard Gantt represented 17 other students from three teams at the ceremony at the Garden City Hotel on Long Island.The teams won in the following categories:

Best Newscast (Student)
Montclair News Lab
Air date: Oct. 24, 2023
Honorees: Isabella Alvarez, Producer; Nino DeNino, Producer; Tyler Granata, Senior Producer;  Peter Guziejewski, Senior Producer; Kelly Meagher, Senior Producer; Tais Suazo, Producer.

Arts & Culture News (Student)
#FOCUS Fashion.This 30-minute magazine style news show was shot on campus and in New York City. Students reported on fashion trends, and how our clothing and accessory choices may signify diversity, inclusion and cultural interests.
Air date: May 5, 2023
Honorees: Celeste Battle, Producer; Emma Caughlan, Producer; Ashleigh Corby, Senior Producer; Emmi Denovellis, Producer; Emily Dolan, Editor; Julia Egan, Senior Producer; Peter Guziejewski, Editor; Grace Keane, Producer; Frank Konze, Producer; Katie Lawrence, Producer; Hayley Meyewski, Producer; Brooke Mitchell, Producer; Bernice Ndegwa, Producer; Sam Ondrush, Producer; Grace Rowland, Producer;  Sofia Russo, Producer; Tia Singleton, Producer. 

Best Talk Show (Student)
#FOCUS Food: Our Stories. This show brought together people from diverse backgrounds for a discussion of culture, food and identity over a delicious meal.
Air Date: Nov. 20, 2023
Honoress: Ashleigh Corby and Izzy Conklin, Senior Producers; Terry Dickerson, Producer; Michelle Ruiz, Director; Peter Guziejewski, Editor. 

“#FOCUS: Fashion was the first project I had the chance to Senior Produce and was one that set a trajectory for my post-grad career in broadcast news,” said Ashleigh Corby, who received her BA in Journalism and Digital Media as part of the Class of 2024. “Working with 14 other producers and several field crews to tell stories that were meaningful to our team taught me how to lead a team of my peers while having fun. This Fair Media Council Folio Award speaks volumes to the quality work and time our team put in and the journalism program and faculty who’ve helped us.” 

“#FOCUS Food: Our Stories highlighted the importance of continuing to learn more about the nuances of identity and culture in America,” said Terry Dickerson, a Journalism and Digital Media major from the Class of 2024. “The power of this show was the result of a team that understood and valued handling everyone’s stories with care and empathy. I am so grateful to have hosted this show and to have collaborated with the best creatives that the School of Communication and Media has to offer.”

Professor Mark Effron who runs the Montclair News Lab course with Professor Gantt and oversees the #FOCUS projects said, “Year after year, our students work hard on their multimedia reporting, editing and production skills, so for them to receive this recognition for their diverse storytelling efforts is a huge honor. I am also excited that all of these great programs were streamed on our student-run streaming service, Hawk Plus,  where each of these award-winning programs are still available to watch for free, on-demand.”

Last year, students won FOLIO Awards for Best Newscast – Student and for Coronavirus Pandemic Coverage – Student. In 2022, Montclair SCM teams won for a “Montclair Drag” special and “Best Newscast,” and in 2021 for FOCUS: Democracy and 2020 coverage of the Pandemic. 

The Folio Awards recognizes quality news on the hyperlocal Long Island, New York City regional and National levels, and is considered among the industry-leading awards. The Fair Media Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for quality news and works to create a media-savvy society.

About the School of Communication and Media: The School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,800. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA devoted to strategic communication, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper,  Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs continue to receive  national recognition annually, including recent honors from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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Media Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701 or greenk@montclair.edu