Wait ‘til You See This
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A flashy rap music video – celebrating the virtues of eating fruit.
That’s not the image that typically pops to mind when you hear the words “government programming.” But it’s a perfect example of the kind of game-changing video production that led to County News Center just getting the year’s top award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).
In other words, the County has the best local government video operation in the U.S.
The First Place for Overall Excellence was a first for County News Center TV (formerly known as County Television Network, or CTN), and one of nine awards total that the County received from NATOA at its annual gathering.
The multimedia team has long emphasized strong storytelling that keeps the focus on people: both those the County serves and the employees who serve them. Combine that with top-notch technical skills and innovative use of graphics and you have a product that stands out even in today’s busy media world.
“Every good story is a people story. We know if we want to get the County’s story out there, our videos need to be every bit as compelling as things people are seeing on the news or YouTube,” said Michael Russo, Multimedia Manager for the County Communications Office.
The following lists the categories for each of the County’s winning entries.
- Overall Excellence – First Place “County of San Diego – County News Center TV”
- Special Audience – First Place "Six Dimensions of Health" (rap video featuring a foster youth and a mental health worker)
- Public Health – First Place "Live Well, San Diego -- Year 2"
- Profile of a City/County Dept. – First Place "Department of Environmental Health"
- Documentary – Profile – First Place "Medical Examiner Sketch Artist"
- Government Access Station Web Site – Second Place "CountyNewsCenter.com"
- Magazine Format Series – Second Place "County Chronicles"
- Use of Social Media – Third Place "County of San Diego"
- Library – Honorable Mention "Hot. Right. Now."