BYU AdLab and Animation Students Take Home a Win After Months of Hard Work
The Television Academy Foundation announced the winners of the 42nd College Television Awards or “Student Emmy’s” earlier this week and BYU students once again claimed the top spot in the best animation series and the best commercial.
This year’s animated short story was Cenote, a heartwarming story about an axolotl named Axel who becomes trapped in a cenote (underwater sinkhole) by mythical magic. Axel is helped by a human named Memo who helps him return to his family. BYU animation student Andrew Pettit served as the film’s producer with fellow students Daniel Villanueva Avalos as director/writer and Samantha Barroso as director.
BYU AdLab students swept the “Best Commercial” category. The winning commercial, eBay – Dear Vanessa, was inspired by the experience of the director and writer Andrew Rhee’s parents, who immigrated to the United States. The commercial details an elderly immigrant who purchases a second-hand VHS player to play old family recordings. He writes a thank you letter to the seller for helping him relive the memories of journeying to America and raising his family.
In total, 13 BYU students were nominated for awards from The Television Academy Foundation, the most nominations received by any university.
Read the full Y News article by Tyler Stahle here.