University of La Verne Alumni Win Telly Award

Photo: From left, Daniel Farias, Monica Oroz, Ricky Rocha, Amanda Perello, and Alex Wiersma

When Daniel Farias ’16 saw news about the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, he wondered what would happen if a similar situation occurred on a college campus.

That sparked the idea for his 20-minute film “Snapshot,” which earned him and his crew a Telly Award in June. The Tellys – honoring the best in television, cable, digital, streaming, and non-broadcast productions – receive more than 13,000 entries annually from around the world.

“Everyone worked very hard on this and I’m so happy our department and the university helped us get the resources we needed to do this movie,” Farias said. “It shows that La Verne really does it right.”

Farias wrote, directed, and filmed the movie, while alumna Alex Wiersma ’16 and Monica Oroz ’16 produced. Ricky Rocha ’16 served as sound designer and Amanda Perello ’16 as editor. All students received bachelor’s degrees in broadcasting.

The movie features an Iraq War veteran who is applying for college when a hostage situation unfolds on campus. The man’s military training kicks in and he protects students from harm. Professor of Communications Don Pollock called “Snapshot” an ambitious film that pushed the students to expand their creativity and skills.

“A lot of times, students work within their wheelhouse,” he said. “They make films about the world they know and what matters to them. This film reached beyond that in terms of broader scope and appeal,” Pollock said.

Farias now works as a production assistant for the Fox sports division in San Diego.

“A lot went into this in terms of coordination and writing,” he said. “We put a small budget idea into a bigger movie.”

Pollock said he is proud of the students’ achievement.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” Pollock said. “The Tellys are very prestigious, so any chance you have to win, it’s a feather in the cap for the students and for the university.”