Zoo Filez Series Produced By North Carolina Zoo Wins Gold Award

By Rod Hackney

Asheboro, NC - A syndicated television series produced by the North Carolina Zoo has been named a Gold Winner in the 2008 International Ava Awards competition recognizing outstanding achievement in video production.

“The Zoo FileZ” was selected for the honor among 2,200 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries in the competition. Entries included film, analog and digital productions viewed in a wide variety of mediums from movie screens to televisions to computers. Competitors included video and film production companies, web developers, advertising agencies, PR firms, corporate and government communication departments, producers, directors, editors and shooters.

Slated to begin its eleventh season in the spring, “The Zoo FileZ” is a series of two-minute video features that focus on the N.C. Zoo’s animal and plant collections, staff members, educational programs, veterinary care, field conservation efforts and other programs. The series is written and hosted by Zoo Public Relations Manager Rod Hackney with Terry Shiels of Shiels Productions in Charlotte serving as director of photography and co-producer.

“The Zoo FileZ” airs weekly from April through October on 10 broadcast stations and two cable system in cities across North Carolina. The series has previously been recognized with several national awards for outstanding video production, including the prestigious Mercury Award as well as the Videographer and the Communicator Awards.

The Ava Awards are sponsored and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). The international organization consists of several thousand production, marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, and freelance professionals. AMCP administers recognition programs; provides judges and rewards outstanding achievement and service to the profession.

Judges for the competition were industry professionals who looked for companies and individuals whose talent “exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry,” according to an AMCP news release on the competition. Winners were selected from more than 160 categories in three divisions; Television Productions, Video/Film Productions and Web Productions.

The North Carolina Zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor.