FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2008

Contact: Candace J. Semien
Communications Coordinator
(225)771-2242 ext. 303
www.suagcenter.com

International awards go to SU System documentary, alumni
~Avery Johnson piece wins Telly, Communicator awards~

BATON ROUGE—A Southern University System documentary spotlighting the life of former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson recently received two international awards for distinction in creative work. The documentary, “Avery Johnson: From New Orleans to the NBA,” received the 2008 Bronze Telly Award and the 2008 Silver Communicator Award.

This winning documentary was directed, produced and edited by video production specialists Dexter Newman and Fred Moss earlier this year. Newman is a specialist at Southern’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center and Moss at the Shreveport campus. Newman also serves on the Baton Rouge Film Commission.

“Avery Johnson: From New Orleans to the NBA,” chronicle the life of the Louisiana native who was a recent commencement speaker at his alma mater, Southern University and A&M College.

More than 13,500 entries from around the world competed for the Telly Award, while 9,000 entries went to the International Academy of the Visual Arts for the Communicators Award. The Telly Award judging panel included more than 40 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly. They evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work - entries do not compete against each other - rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit. The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for professionals in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

R.S. Owens, the producer of the Oscar and Emmy awards, created the Telly and the new Communicator statuettes, which are highly respected in the visual arts industry. For information about the Telly Awards, visit www.tellyawards.com. Information on the Communicator Awards is available at www.communicatorawards.com.

Newman and Moss are also alumni of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge.

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