BEA2026

Does workforce training’s focus on job placement undermine teaching critical thinking, problem-solving, and general education? This panel explores the role of colleges in balancing industry-driven demands with broader academic goals. Panelists from higher education and industry will discuss how institutions can meet workforce needs while preserving long-term educational value in an evolving landscape.

Moderator: Brian Lane Shelton, Harper College
Panelists: Teresa (Terry) Filipowicz, Pima Community College
Aaron Atkins, Weber State University
Amanda Abens, Pima Community College
Jo Frohwein, Iowa Valley Community College
Cristina Clapp, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
Alex Hlavaty, Studio Network Solutions

San Bernardino Valley College is launching the Valley Sports Network (VSN)—a student-run, faculty-guided initiative blending journalism and live sports media. This session explores how an academic program can create a professional-grade sports brand from the ground up. Attendees will see how VSN integrates traditional reporting with real-time sports coverage through:

Mini-Documentaries spotlighting SBVC’s football program and the student-athletes who power it.
Broadcast Segments for the college’s half-hour news show, bringing game highlights and in-depth features to a wider audience.
Social & App-Based Interstitials designed for TikTok, Instagram, and the KVCR app—short-form storytelling for the next generation of sports fans.
The power of faculty led projects powered by student staff.

Panelists will share production workflows, cross-disciplinary training methods, and strategies for mentoring students in a converged newsroom environment. Whether you teach broadcast journalism, manage a campus station, or want to bridge sports and storytelling, you’ll learn how to launch a sustainable, scalable sports network that prepares students for the rapidly evolving sports media industry.

Moderator: Kevin Lyons, San Bernardino Valley College
Panelists: Nicholas Ronald Van Luven, San Bernardino Valley College
Juan Francisco Brambila, San Bernardino Valley College

This panel features the first, second, and third place winners of the annual Two-Year College/High School innovative assignment contest. Come in and steal some great assignment ideas!
Moderator: Tom McDonnell, Metropolitan Community College
Frank Barnhart, Columbus State Community College
Brian Wheeler, Pikes Peak State Community College

This session will focus on incorporating high-tech tools into your curriculum. Tech tools featured include Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality.
Moderator: Andy Curran, University of Cincinnati-Clermont College
Panelists: Amanda Czuprynski, Morgan Community College

Paul Hemenway, Lamar University

Don Hancock, University of Cincinnati

In an era when Two-Year college marketing departments have moved away from marketing individual programs and toward marketing the institution as a whole, how can I make my program stand out? This panel will share some strategies for success in marketing your program to prospective students.
Moderator: Kaitilyn Furister, Aims Community College

The is an open discussion for all who attend to talk about the ups and downs of running college media outlets at a two-year college. Topics of discussion depend on what participants bring to the conversation. the more, the merrier!
Moderator: Brian Lane Shelton, Harper College
Panelists: Kaitilyn Furister, Aims Community College

This is an open forum discussion for high school teachers and other interested individuals to discuss teaching and learning in the high school setting. Possible topics could include professional development, lesson-planning, budget constraints, classroom management, and more.
Moderator: Donna J. Koskela, Pinkerton Academy

During the ceremony, recipients will be recognized with a specialized screening of their winning project and a cash award of $1,000 from the Diana King Memorial Endowment.

The 2026 Best of Festival winners were selected from a pool of over 2,250 entries, representing over 300 colleges and universities in the following competitions: audio, documentary, film & video, interactive multimedia, news, scriptwriting, sports and two-year colleges.

2026 Best of Festival Winners

Audio Competition - Faculty
The Traveling Radio Show Goes to the CSU!; Jeff Jacoby, San Francisco State University (Long-Form Production Category)

Audio Competition - Student 
Deliver U.S.; Krystal Guerra, Texas Christian University (Narrative Audio Category)

Documentary Competition - Faculty 
Chicken Ghetto; Sangsun Choi & Paul Lee, Kennesaw State University (Short-Form Category)

Documentary Competition - Student 
Hunter; Jack Hanning, Carter Moore, Nick Reed & Rylie West, University of Tennessee (Documentary Feature Category)

Film & Video Competition - Faculty
Kid Super Pilot; Christian Washington, Huntington University Arizona (Narrative Video Category)

Film & Video Competition - Student
Southern Apocrypha; Eli Murray, Ethan Hickey, Jordan Moore & Amy Csaki, Middle Tennessee State University (Narrative – Mini Narrative Category)
Komets Blackout Night Promo; Bryce Garrett, Huntington University (Promotional Category)

Interactive Multimedia Competition - Faculty
Eyes of Freedom Immersive; Pat Clark, University of Colorado Boulder (Interactive Reality Category)

Interactive Multimedia Competition – Student
As Tough As Ice; Murphy McFarlane, Syracuse University (Multimedia Storytelling Category)

News Competition - Faculty
From Denver to Mecca: A CNN producer’s personal pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site; Kareem El Damanhoury, Muhammad Darwish, Angelica Pursley & Matog Saleh, University of Denver (Television Feature News Reporting Category)

News Competition - Student
40 Feet In the Air; Boone Kilpatrick, Syracuse University (Radio Reporting Category)

The New Florida Follies; Alex Land, University of Florida (Television Reporting Category)

Centre County Report: April 4, 2025; Allie Wenskoski, Sarah Schultz, Francie Ebert, Hannah Neurohr, Owen Gelber &
Denys Khrulov, Penn State University (Television Newscast Category)

Scriptwriting Competition - Faculty
All These Lonesome Graveyards; Nathan Patton, Missouri State University (Original Television Series Pilot Category)  
Scriptwriting Competition - Student Bandit; Cooper Johnson, Missouri State University (Original Television Series Pilot Category)

Sports Competition - Faculty
Authentic ACC: Syracuse Spring Football; Jordan Kligerman, Austin Beehner, Mike Lang & Richard Wiesmann, Syracuse University (Long Form Sports Video Category)

Sports Competition - Student
Ball State Sports Link: My Black Is; Nate Locker & Amadou Diallo, Ball State University (Promotional Video/Tease/PSA Category)

Student Two-Year Colleges Competition
25 Years of Harper Radio; Zoe Meshenberg, Harper College (Non-Narrative Audio Category)

Graduate Student Competition
Piloting the Past into the Future; Rio Harper, Dian Ling, Nicole Cummings & Nathan Olszewski, Syracuse University (Documentary)

This session will be targeted at high school media teachers who want more industry-focused training rather than the garden variety training their districts offer around classroom management and similar teaching topics. High school teachers will discuss their own experiences in gaining industry-level professional development.
Moderator: Donna J Koskela, Pinkerton Academy
Panelists: Frank Z. Pappas, Liberty High School
Justin Andersen, CSDtv Canyons School District
Bobby Gutierrez, Kennesaw State University (former HS CTE teacher)

Programs of every size have an important voice in BEA join us to discuss the new board structure, scholarships, unique opportunities, needs, and ideas driving two-year and small programs.

Join the Two-Year/Scholastic Division meeting in Las Vegas to connect with colleagues, exchange new ideas, and help shape exciting initiatives for the coming year. These meetings are a welcoming space to build community, spark collaboration, and make your voice part of the conversation. Whether you’re a returning member or attending for the first time, this is a valuable opportunity to network with peers, share insights, and play an active role in your division’s future. We’d love to see you there.


Chair: Tom McDonnell, Metropolitan Community College
Vice Chair: Brian Shelton, Harper College

As the title suggests, this panel will offer some advice on how to teach media production effectively while keeping your budget under control. It can be done, especially if you can prioritize what's really essential to good teaching and learning.
Moderator: Robert jon Maass, Metropolitan Community College
Panelists: Lisa White, Borough of Manhattan Community College

While Joe Rogan and Marc Maron are often credited as trailblazers in podcasting, the groundwork for long-form, unfiltered audio conversations was laid earlier. In 2006, Howard Stern made the groundbreaking move from terrestrial radio to a new platform, Satellite, embracing a format that allowed for extended interviews and candid discussions on a wide range of topics. This transition not only transformed his own career but also reshaped the audio entertainment landscape—paving the way for the podcast era as we know it today. This panel will explore Stern’s pivotal role in redefining how audiences consume spoken-word content and why every podcaster owes part of their craft to his innovations.
Moderator: Lucas Cuny, San Bernardino Valley College
Panelists: Kevin Lyons, San Bernardino Valley College
Natalie McNair, San Bernardino Valley College