June 2, 2026
Ferris State TDMP students earn national and regional awards through NATAS, Michigan Association of Broadcasters, and BEA
Over half a dozen students from Ferris State University’s Television and Digital Media Production program have been honored with national and regional awards for their excellent film and video productions created over the past year.
The awards were spread between the 2026 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College/University Student Production Awards, the 2026 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Student Broadcast Awards, and the 2026 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts.
Natalie Morrow, Aimee Reynoso Cupido, Aiden O’Brien, Jackson Sonefeld, Torin Rohen, Zachary Wallace, Adam Jewell, and Tyler Hawley were among the Bulldogs who received the honors.
“For more than 10 years now, I've been gathering up the best student work from my own courses and from my colleagues' courses and submitting them to regional and national awards competitions,” said Joshua Pardon, Ferris State professor and internship coordinator for TDMP. “I think it's an important initiative for our students to earn recognition and honors outside the classroom for the work that they do in the classroom. It is just such a fantastic thing for our students and can help boost their career prospects as well.”
O’Brien and Reynoso Cupido collaborated to develop “Mollie: Survival to Success”, which tells the story of a Big Rapids woman who was born prematurely and overcame great odds. The pair of Bulldogs won the NATAS Non-Fiction – Short Form category, as O’Brien also received the Photographer award, for their short film.
Barker and Wallace took first place in the Public Affairs/Community Service category for the “Big Rapids Life: Mecosta Recycles” informational video, while Rohen’s “Tech Bro Rap” won the Music Video category – both honored by NATAS.
Students were also recognized during the MAB Student Broadcast Awards.
The “TDMP 50th Anniversary Film” won first place in the MAB’s Documentary category, as it was produced this past fall by Hawley, Mein, and Sonefeld. “Big Rapids Life: Mecosta Recycles” received an additional nod, as it finished Honorable Mention in the Current Events Story category.
Ferris State also went beyond state recognition, as the Bulldogs raked in two Award of Excellence honors at the nationwide BEA Festival of Media Arts.
Adam Jewell and Natalie Morrow earned the award in the Spots category for their “Big Rapids Mancino’s Commercial”, while Liz Brown and Kyle Kossen were recognized for “Ferris Sports Update 11-19-2025” in the Video Sports News Program category.
“The recognition also raises the profile of our degree program and the university," Pardon said. "Our students work hard to improve each semester under the guidance of our faculty. So, it makes sense that most of the award-winning work comes from the 300 and 400-level TDMP courses.”
A full list of recent and previous award-winning projects created by Ferris State TDMP students can be found at this link.