Southeastern Channel students win national videography awards
A pair of Southeastern students at the Southeastern Channel have received second place national honors for their videography work by the Society of Professional Journalists in its 2019 national Mark of Excellence Awards competition.
     Students Amanda Kitch of Covington, left, and Dylan Domangue of Houma won National Finalist recognition for placing in the top two in the nation for “Broadcast Feature Videography” and “Broadcast Sports Videography,” respectively.
     “I feel honored for my collegiate work to be recognized on a national level,” Kitch said. “I’ve always produced my work to meet my own personal standards, so it’s special to know that my work has been recognized at a national level with those competitive standards, too.”
     “The Society of Professional Journalists is well known and respected, and I know there were plenty of nominations for sports videography,” Domangue said. “Being a top two national finalist is a dream come true, and it’s an award I’m extremely proud of.”
     Kitch and Domangue became eligible for the national awards after placing first in their categories at the Region 12 Mark of Excellence competition against students from all universities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. The Southeastern Channel led all universities in the region with nine awards, including four first-place awards.
     Kitch was honored in “Broadcast Feature Videography” for the feature story, “Mosquito Control,” that she produced for the student newscast “Northshore News.” She won a first-place regional Mark of Excellence award for the story, as well as first place in “Broadcast News Videography” for her story “Krentel Homicide.” In the SPJ regionals, Kitch won second place in “Television News Feature Reporting” for her “Mosquito Control” story.
     A 2019 Southeastern graduate, Kitch is currently a television news reporter for WAFB-TV Ch. 4 (CBS) in Baton Rouge.
     “Shooting for ‘Northshore News’ gave me a necessary element that all students need – practice,” Kitch said. “I was able to get my hands dirty and busy with a camera out in the field to learn how to do it in the real world.”
     Domangue, a senior, was honored in the “Broadcast Sports Videography” category for his story about the 2018 Southeastern vs. LSU basketball game in Baton Rouge produced for the Southeastern Channel’s national award-winning sportscast, “The Big Game.”
     “This award in particular is special to me because there is nothing else in the world I would rather do than film a game and be close up to the action,” Domangue said. “My biggest strength in filming a sport is actually knowing and understanding the game. This knowledge allows me to anticipate what will happen and make it easier to film the game in live action.”
     The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best of collegiate journalism from a calendar year. SPJ industry professionals, who were directed to choose entries they felt were the best in student journalism, judged the Mark of Excellence Awards. If no entry met the level of excellence, no award was given.
     “We’re extremely excited that Amanda and Dylan have been recognized on a national level for their stellar videography,” said Southeastern Channel general manager Rick Settoon. “Both are national winners for their reporting and on-camera performance as well, and this versatility, technical and creative prowess will help them climb the television industry ladder very quickly. It shows that the Southeastern Channel equips students with a preeminent and unique skill set both in-front-of and behind the camera to give them a distinct edge in the television and film marketplace.”
     In its 17 years of existence, the Southeastern Channel has won over 400 national, international and regional awards, including 17 awards and 63 nominations from the Emmys. The channel can be seen on Charter Spectrum 199 in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Livingston and St. Helena parishes along with its live 24/7 webcast and video on-demand at www.thesoutheasternchannel.com. The Southeastern Channel can also be seen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and is now available on Roku and AppleTV.