The Western New York Student ADDY Awards ceremony, hosted by the Advertising Club of Buffalo on Friday, March 7, was located at the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo.
Hamilton and Bush, two graduate students in the Integrated Marketing Communications program, submitted projects and won silver ADDYs. Hamilton received two, and Bush received one.
Hamilton created an advertisement campaign for the Southern Tier Child Advocacy Center’s (CAC) Step Up for Kids 5K run/walk event
“I knew that my ads had to grab the readers’ attention and be shocking in order to have an impact,” Hamilton said. “Everyone knows that child abuse happens, but no one thinks it’s happening right in front of them to children in their own community. As you read (my) ads, you start out thinking they’re just a cute little blurb about a child, and then you’re hit in the gut with the fact that the child you’re reading about is being abused.”
Hamilton said her ads are an attempt to show people child abuse isn’t as infrequent as it may seem.
“The CAC saw and treated 289 children in 2013. That’s more than the entire kindergarten classes of East View Elementary, Allegany Elementary and Washington West Elementary combined,” Hamilton said. “These ads are an attempt to get people living in the community to realize that child abuse is happening, and it’s happening to the children they see around town, or the children that play on the soccer team with their kid. Maybe it’s a child in your kid’s class that’s being abused.”
Bush’s project was a documentary about the roots of the Underground Railroad in the Southern Tier. Bush said he enjoyed it, but it wasn’t an easy process.
“Working on a project involving subject matter as important as the Underground Railroad is a huge undertaking and responsibility,” Bush said. “It requires patience, fact-checking, digging, more fact-checking and meeting some truly extraordinary people along the way. It seems like you discover new information every day that changes the focus of your piece, but you must have the integrity to realize that you cannot stray past deadline. That’s the hardest part of being a documentarian.”
Bush said while he was working he couldn’t help but question if anyone would appreciate his project.
“Every time I find myself cutting and splicing my way through hours of content until odd hours in the morning, eyes burning and stomach growling, I always end up asking myself, ‘Will people actually appreciate this?’” Bush said. “Keeping an audience interested over any substantial amount of time is a task, especially while weaving multiple story arcs into one intricate, momentum-filled piece. ”
Bush said he received the confirmation he was hoping for — people appreciated his work.
“Recognition in the ever populated creative-content world is hard to come by, with more talented, driven and enabled creatives in the field than ever before,” Bush said. “Receiving an ADDY means you’ve done something right, and it gives you strength and validation to work even harder on your next endeavor.”
Hamilton said she was honored to just be able to attend the ceremony.
“Going to the ADDYs was an incredible experience. I was surrounded by people who do what I want to do and are extremely creative, innovative, and risk takers,” Hamilton said. “Being awarded in the same ceremony as companies such as Crowley Webb (an ad agency) and Gelia (a communications company) was such an honor, and it was exciting to see all of the ads they created.”
Hamilton and Bush’s work will move on to be judged in the district competition, and if it wins there, it will advance to the national level.
Pauline Hoffmann, dean of the Russel J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said she was pleased with the outcome of the awards.
“We weren’t quite sure what to expect and were thrilled when we found out that two of our JMC students won silver ADDY awards,” Hoffmann said. “This certainly speaks to the extraordinary work of our faculty as well as the talent of our students. I am so proud of what they’ve accomplished and am excited that St. Bonaventure’s JMC program is being recognized in this way.”
Hoffmann said Hamilton and Bush deserved the recognition.
“Danny and Alyssa should be proud of their work,” Hoffmann said. “We certainly are.”
gordonhr13@bonaventure.edu
