University of Miami Athletic Department Wins Video Award

June 12, 2009

Coral Gables, Fla. – University of Miami Coordinator of Video Stewart Cramer and Michael O’Leary, a 2009 University of Miami MBA graduate, were selected as the winners of the Special Feature: Colleges, Conferences and Governing Bodies at the First Annual Global Media Awards for College Sports. The announcement was made by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and the Sports Video Group (SVG) at an awards banquet held in Atlanta on June 10.

The awards were created to celebrate excellence across the entire spectrum of college sports video production, including work by colleges and universities, national and regional sports networks and technology innovators.

The winning production created by Cramer and O’Leary was titled “The Climb” and profiled members of University of Miami diving team and their path from being student-athletes to Olympic competitors.All photography, writing and editing were done in the athletic department. Ashton Smith, one of Hollywood’s leading voice actors volunteered his narration to the project.

“Michael and I have many people to thank for our success with this project,” Cramer said. “The University of Miami has really embraced video production for all of our sports. The passion and pride of the student-athletes and coaches are what make this piece special.”

The duo also produced two other pieces, “Mosaic” and “It Begins Here”, which were finalists in other categories. “Mosaic”, a commercial about the athletic department’s Olympic sports, was nominated in the Outstanding Promotional Video or Campaign: Colleges, Conferences and Governing Bodies. “It Begins Here”, a retrospective of UM’s athletic facilities, was nominated in the Outstanding Promotional Video or Campaign category as well as for the College Sports Video of the Year.

In December, “Mosaic” won a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award as the Outstanding Commercial.