Television Students to Receive Award for ‘Spotlight’

The Alliance for Community Media will honor five University of La Verne students and their professor in August for the “Best of Spotlight 2015” video magazine program.

The organization recently named students Dylan Heflin, Amanda Perello, Bianca Zapata, Alexandra Wiersma and Sydney Marshall, as well as Professor of Communications Don Pollock, winners of a 2016 Hometown Media Award in the student category. The award ceremony takes place at the national Alliance for Community Media conference in Boston on August 19, Pollock said.

“I’m very proud of the students for their hard work in researching the stories, shooting and editing, writing and making necessary fixes and changes before they hit air,” he said.

Spotlight, a show produced by advanced television students, highlights people, places and events in La Verne, San Dimas and surrounding areas. It is broadcast on LVTV-3, a station that provides programming produced mainly by Communications Department students.

The winning Spotlight episode focused on the Los Angeles County Fair, local arts and culture and unique businesses in the area.

For the fair, Heflin filmed Esmeralda’s Traveling Circus. Wiersma and Marshall featured Wahfles Café and Bianca Zapata featured Miknao Dance Studio. Both businesses are in La Verne. Perello and Tang produced a segment on the Claremont Chef’s Academy.

Pollock teaches his students to produce professional work that is good enough to be on television.

“At this level, we are looking for students to move from seeing themselves as student filmmakers and becoming professional filmmakers,” he said.