Many of the skills and knowledge SC&I students gain in their Journalism and Media Studies classes are applicable to real-world projects, as proven recently by four ambitious and talented JMS students - Thiffany Fernandes JMS’22, Audrey Ko JMS’22, Nneka Okoye JMS’23, and Bradley Kramer JMS’22  - who recently won a Telly Award for their field production “Overlooked.” Their film, the students said, explores the modern social issues they wanted to bring awareness to through their documentary. 

The students worked on the film to complete an assignment for the JMS course Media Field Production, taught by Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Journalism and Media Studies Neal Bennett. They then submitted it to the Telly Awards.

Describing the course that led to such an impressive outcome for these students, Bennet said, “I try to simulate real work environments and challenges for learning. Students learn in various ways, so it’s important to get to know each student and develop lessons that benefit each individual.” Bennett also recently won a Telly Award for his work on the “Faces and Voices of Rutgers” project, which aired on Big 10 Network.

According to the Telly Awards website, “The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, for all screens. Receiving over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies and publishers from around the world. The Telly Awards recognizes work that has been created on the behalf of a client, for a specific brand and/or company (including your own) or self-directed as a creative endeavor.”

Past Telly Award winners include “AOL Studios, BET Networks, Bloomberg, CBS Interactive, Comcast, Conde Nast, DigiDojo, Discovery Communications, ESPN, FleishmanHillard, Fox, HBO, Hearst, HOBO, HuffPost, Indigo Films, IW Group, Microsoft, MLB, NBC, Ogilvy and Mather, Refinery29, SapientNitro, Story House, Team Coco Digital, The Guardian, The History Channel, Time Warner, Tiny Hero, Trailer Park, Viacom, VML, WSJ." 

To learn more about the award-winning student production Overlooked, SC&I spoke with Thiffany, who contributed as the producer, director, writer and editor, about the process of creating the film, how SC&I prepared her for this opportunity, and more!

SC&I: Congrats on graduating from SC&I! Introduce yourself! What are your current and/or future plans?

TF: Hi! My name is Thiffany Fernandes and I just graduated from SCI as a journalism and media studies major with a minor in music. Currently I’m working on applying for jobs that will continue to allow me to be creative in creating content like I did to submit to The Telly Awards. Hopefully, in the future I’ll be able to create my own shows and movies. All those notes on my phone filled with ideas have to go somewhere, right?

SC&I: Congratulations on the Telly award! Talk about Overlooked. What is it about? What was it like collaborating with the other students on this project? Were there any challenges that came with it?

TF: Thanks so much! It’s interesting because I’ve always wanted to bring awareness to the public about what it’s like to be a housecleaner, by highlighting their personal stories, but I just never knew how. After Professor Neal Bennet told my class about the project? And the chance to submit it to the Telly Awards? it all clicked. “Overlooked” is a mini documentary featuring two housecleaners talking about their journeys – not only about their work but their difficulties with racism, discrimination, and sexism. They also discuss the good parts of their jobs too. 

Collaborating with my classmates turned out to be an awesome experience. Everyone wanted to help bring my visions to life and would say things like, “we’re here to help you.” Having that support was everything and it made this become Our project. Challenges we faced were finding interviewers, location, distance and, of course, timing since we only had about less than a month before the deadline.

SC&I: What was Prof. Bennett’s class Media Field Production like? Were there any other JMS classes/professors that particularly helped you?

TF: Professor Bennett’s class was eye opening. I didn’t realize that for journalism majors there are career options outside of the news field. Journalists can work in television and movie production, etc. which has always been a dream of mine. Luckily, I’ve had wonderful professors throughout my four years, but Professor Bennet is the only professor who gave me a chance to actually step out into the field and create things I never thought I could.

SC&I: What advice would you give to other JMS/SC&I students?

TF: My advice for any college student is that college isn’t just to get an education. College is the place to network and gain experience which you’ll need just to get an internship. So make sure you talk to all your teachers, every student and friend you can, and make sure you go the extra mile. 

Learn more about the Journalism and Media Studies major at the School of Communication and Information on the website. 

Photos: Thiffany Fernandes JMS’22 holds her Telly Award

Photos courtesy of Thiffany Fernandes JMS’22