Published: November 04, 2009 12:23 pm      

Television show produced by Berry students wins first place

ROME — “The Conference Room,” a comedy produced by Viking Fusion, Berry College’s student-operated multimedia Web site, has been crowned Best Comedy in a national contest sponsored by College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI). The award was presented during the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas.

“The Conference Room” focuses on three young producers who are trying to develop a television show that never seems to get off the ground. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of producing a show, such as demographics, publicity and budgets. The 15-minute episodes can be viewed online at http://vikingfusion.berry.edu/entertainment/the-conference-room/.

“We’re very happy,” said Alex Middleton, one of three student producers who also star in the show. “It hasn’t really sunk in that we won a national award, but it’s pretty awesome and it’s definitely a cool feeling to know that we won.”

Joining Middleton as producers and on-air talent are Steven Walker and Thomas Yungerberg. All three are thrilled by the recognition.

“It makes me realize if you put a lot of effort into something, really care about it and try really hard, you will see the benefits and sometimes on a national level, which still blows my mind,” Yungerberg said.

Though Middleton, Walker and Yungerberg were unable to attend the presentation due to their involvement with a forensics tournament being held on the Berry campus, camera operator Cameron Carter was there to accept the award on their behalf.

“It was shocking,” Carter stated. “I really was not expecting it. The guys were happy just being finalists, but this truly reflects just how hard these three guys work on their show.”

CBI received more than 440 submissions in a variety of categories from colleges and universities of all sizes across the nation.

“This award really speaks volumes about these students’ achievements since they are competing against some of the largest and well known schools in the country,” said Mark Hannah, Viking Fusion advisor. “Comedy is not an easy thing to do, and these young men have really shown that they know their craft.”

Looking ahead, Walker hopes to maintain the show’s original identity, noting, “We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and hope that people still like it.”

Viking Fusion is a multimedia Web site operated by students representing Berry College’s Department of Communication. In existence since January 2009, Viking Fusion features news and sports stories, photo galleries, short films, TV shows, poetry, and prose. Students of all majors are encouraged to submit work for the site.

College Broadcasters Inc. represents students involved in radio, television, webcasting and other related media ventures; ensures a commitment to education and the student pursuit of excellence through active involvement in electronic media; promotes cooperative efforts between the association and other national, regional and state media organizations; facilitates the discussion of issues related to student-operated electronic media; and other community oriented programs. CBI can be found online at http://askcbi.com.