Producers from Four Village Studios in Floral Park were awarded Nor’easter awards at an Alliance for Community Media ceremony on Monday, Dec. 8.
Bill Corbett Jr., Lawrence King, and Wes Houston combined for four awards from the Northeast Region of the media alliance. The winning pieces are titled “Wes Houston Presents…,” “FPFD: Red Alert” and “Inspiring Stories,” the last of which brought home two awards.
“Without our extraordinary volunteer students, none of our awards would be possible,” said James Greene, the studio’s operations manager. “It’s through their participation that the highest of the studio’s potential is fulfilled.”
King brought home a first-place award for an episode of “FPFD: Red Alert” that documented the non-profit Operation Wounded Warrior. The program won in the community impact category and told the story of the non-profit and its work supporting wounded service members.
“I think over time, it’s good for the public to see that there’s more to the fire department than just responding to alarms,” said King. “There are a lot of activities behind the scenes that go on.”
Corbett and Houston both won second place. Corbett’s program was part of the profile talk show category and documented the life of Krista Giannak, a business owner, writer and skier who lives with blindness.
“There’s so much negativity out there,” said Corbett, who has spent 15 years with the studio. “I started the show to say, ‘let’s tell some good stories, or inspiring stories.’”
“It’s really a community studio,” he said. “It gives these younger people, from high school or college, (a chance) to become staff and learn the equipment, and how to make production. It definitely gives them a leg up on the competition when they’re out looking for a job.”
Corbett added that he is grateful to Greene and the rest of the studio team as well as the villages the studio serves.
Houston’s show, in the music and performance category, features songs from the 25-year production veteran and friends, in honor of the harmonica player George Christ.
Corbett’s second award was in the diversity empowerment category. The episode featured the founders of the Tumbleweed Foundation, which supports individuals who have experienced trauma and raises awareness about Treacher Collins Syndrome.
Four Village Studio is student-driven and produces television programs in the villages of Bellerose, Floral Park, South Floral Park, and Stewart Manor. The studio recently aired a program featuring Floral Park mayor Kevin Fitzgerald.
The studio will re-broadcast all of the winning episodes early in January with details available on its webpage.
