For the second year in a row, WSU's Cable 8 Productions had a winning project in the annual College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) Production Contest. Zak McKee's music video "Endeavor – Cacophony" earned the 2007 award for Best Technical Production.
CBI, the national association representing students involved in radio, television, and Webcasting, supports student excellence through active involvement in electronic media. This year's winners were announced at the October 2007 National College Media Conference held in Washington, D.C.
McKee said in a recent e-mail, "This video was the most fun I have had on a project to date! Working with the band and the crew, with no budget to back us, led to some pretty amazing days.... We blew the circuits at the live performance mid-set, worked through the sunrise for the elevator sequence, and spent a hideous amount of hours editing, but it was all worth it, and I think we all would do it again.... Winning this award is a great acknowledgement to the skill level of everyone who had a hand in the production!"
Graduating from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication in May 2007 with a bachelor's degree in communication and a minor in film studies, McKee is back in Seattle, his hometown, working on freelance projects and making plans to attend graduate school.
"Now that I am in the 'real world,' my college experience comes up frequently," he said. "For each new project or interview, I always find myself unable to fully express how incredible my time as WSU was."
Two other Cable 8 projects were nominated for CBI awards in 2007, including the long-running television series "VU Out from the Underground," directed by McKee, and the one-time TV series "Little Town, Season 1, Episode 1," directed by Steve Stensager (B.A. '07, communication).
In 2006, Cable 8 Productions received an award for Best Student Website for the work of Rose Buster (senior, fine arts) and Emily Arruda (B.A. '07, communication). Rachel Padget and Cristina Romento (both B.A. '07, communication) earned honorable mention for their news story "Teaching a Woman to Fish."
Cable 8 Productions is a student-run cable television station where team members write, produce, and direct original programming. Founded in 1986, Cable 8 gives WSU's future broadcasters practical hands-on production, news, managerial, and operations experience running a local cable TV station. Cable 8 serves the Pullman, Washington, and Moscow, Idaho, communities.
For more information, visit www.cable8.org.
The Chronicle, College of Liberal Arts, Washington State University