The University’s Orange Television Network (OTN) was named Best Student Station in the New York Festivals 2017 World’s Best TV & Films competition.
OTN General Manager Andrew Robinson ’77 received the award in late April in Las Vegas at the 2017 New York Festivals International Television & Film Gala, held in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters annual convention and the Broadcast Educators Association annual conference.
“This award is representative of the creative and prolific talent of the students,” Robinson says. “OTN is blessed to represent such a dedicated group of storytellers.”
Launched in 2005, the Orange Television Network is a student-oriented television network that can be viewed on campus on channel 14.1 on the Spectrum cable system and everywhere via the OTN website. Robinson oversees all OTN operations, while his student managers supervise a staff of more than 25 students in production, promotion and programming.
Popular OTN content includes productions from student production groups CitrusTV, Loud and Clear, Ottonomous Productions, Z89 and Humor Whore. Students in the Newhouse School and the College of Visual and Performing Arts also provide content, with some productions having earned College Emmy Awards. OTN staff productions include “Review Crew,” “Live From Studio B,” “More Than Meets The Eye,” “44” and “OTN Women’s Sports Update.”
Former Syracuse students who have been involved with OTN have gone on to careers with NBC News, Discovery, National Geographic Channel, Nickelodeon and Sirius XM Radio, as well as many Hollywood and New York City television production and programming entities.
The New York Festivals competition honors programming in all lengths and forms from more than 50 countries. Dedicated to both the television and film industries, the competition’s categories mirror today’s global trends and encourage the next generation of storytellers and talent: Animation, Comedy, Corporate, Drama, Documentary, Feature Films, Movie Trailers, Music Videos, News, Promos, Reality TV Drama, Sports, Telenovelas, Webisodes, Best Performance by an Actor/Actress, Special Event, Innovation, Technical Production Team, CSR, Best Screenplay, Video Art and Best Host. For more information, visit www.newyorkfestivals.com/.
