Two WCSU Students Earn Recognition for News Reporting

Press release

DANBURY, Connecticut — Two Western Connecticut State University media students took home coveted awards in the highly competitive National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS)/New England Collegiate Student Production Awards held recently in Boston, Massachusetts.

Undergraduate Media Arts Production majors Buster Comaskey, of New Milford, and Brandon LaRose, of Uncasville, brought home College/University-Feature News Report Honorable Mention awards for their news report, “AI Invasion,” which aired during the university’s live-streamed “Election Connection” broadcast on Nov. 5, 2024.

Both Comaskey and LaRose also captured several awards on campus last May for submissions to the annual Media Arts Film Festival.

Dr. JC Barone, NATAS member and judge, and WCSU Professor of Communication and Media Arts, said that submitting work to competitive awards and festivals is essential for film students. “It acknowledges, values and promotes outstanding work, encourages and incentivizes students to take creative risks, and incorporates important professional practice.”

Previous WCSU awards from NATAS/New England include first place in the Commercial and Video Short Form categories, and Honorable Mention in the Video Essay and Sci-Fi Fiction Short categories in 2022. Additionally, WCSU students took first place in the General Assignment Serious News category in 2020 for “Election Connection’s” live news and election coverage, as well as for news packages and commercials.

WCSU’s “Election Connection” productions also have earned recognitions from professional organizations in the communications field, including first-place honors in the category of Studio Multi-Camera Production and Radio Newscast at the national Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts. Additional recognitions include Telly Awards for Live Coverage and a Communicator Award of Distinction from the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

“I'm so proud of our students and the continuing excellent work they do with ‘Election Connection,’ Barone said. “This is our 10th prestigious award. Previous awards include multiple first place and second place nationally for our live election coverage. We started this project in 2011, and in our 15th year we’ll be covering the 2025 state and local races, including the Danbury mayoral debate, next November.”