WCS TV and Film Programs Take the Spotlight

Published September 14, 2017

Four Williamson County high school TV and Film production programs are proving they have star quality by being nominated for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) National Student Production Awards.

Students from Brentwood High, Franklin High, Ravenwood High and Summit High schools were nominated for various categories within the competition.

Ravenwood High student William Putty’s VFXREEL was nominated for an award in the Animation/Graphics/Special Effects category. His teacher was Shane Shoemake.

Summit High student Morgan Haymer’s video of Noah McLaughlin’s Courage Award was nominated for the Short Form – Non-Fiction category. His teacher was Patrick Nichols.

Brentwood High’s WBHS 9 was nominated for best newscast. Brentwood High was also nominated for best public service announcement for its PSA about gun safety. The students who worked on the newcast were Rachel Ault, Morgan Yoder, Stephanie Steele, Reed Smith, Ryan Tyler, Katie Hart, Jack Burke and Matthew Willoughby. The students who worked on the PSA were Christian Gilliam, JJ Blanton, Katie Hart, Morgan Yoder and Ryan Tyler.

“It’s unbelievable that we’ve been nominated for best newscast in the nation two years in a row,” said Brentwood High TV and film instructor Ronnie Adcock. “We put a lot of emphasis on news, and it’s paid off. I’m also proud of our PSA team. The gun safety project was very well-shot and edited. Most of the students who worked on these videos are now in college and studying communications.”

Franklin High received the most nominations, with the majority being for its production Supertramp, which received nominations in the Writer, Photographer, Director and Long Form – Fiction categories. Their teacher was Keri Thompson.

“It is extremely rewarding to be recognized for something that I, and many others, put so much time and effort into,” said 2017 FHS graduate Jacob Ferguson, who was nominated in five categories. “From having at least 30 shots requiring visual effects from my friend Bryson Sams to its somewhat-accidental half-hour runtime- this was easily the hardest project I’ve ever done.”

The other Franklin High students involved in the project were Bryson Sams, Porter Edwards, Dante Cameron, Ryan Coke, Brandon Kelly, Jack Durham and Cole Winton.

Ferguson’s promotion of Annie also received a nomination in the Arts and Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on Tuesday, October 3 beginning at noon Pacific Daylight Time. The link to the livestream of the event will be available before the ceremony on the National Student Production Awards page of the NATAS website.

The complete list of nominees and categories is available here.