The video “A 30-Year Anniversary Nearly 100 Years in the Making: The Community Arts Center” won a bronze Telly Award in the 45th annual competition.
The Pennsylvania College of Technology entry earned its Telly in the Non-Broadcast – Arts & Culture category. Penn College owns and operates the Community Arts Center, a cultural cornerstone for the region, located on West Fourth Street in downtown Williamsport.
Established in 1979, The Telly Awards honor video and television across all screens. The 2024 Telly Awards received more than 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.
Entrants are evaluated by The Telly Awards Judging Council, an industry body of more than 200 leading experts from advertising agencies, production companies and major television networks reflective of the multiscreen industry. According to the Tellys, “The winners represent the most innovative stories being told across all screens.”
The 12-minute Penn College video chronicles the unique history of the Arts Center, which can be traced to its opening in 1928 as the Capitol Theatre. Following a $13.5 million renovation led by the college, the Capitol Theatre was reborn in 1993 as the Community Arts Center, a treasured performing arts and cultural venue serving all of northcentral Pennsylvania.
Tom Speicher, writer/video producer at Penn College, conducted the interviews and produced and edited the video, which included drone footage shot by Christopher J. Leigh, a video producer at the college. The video premiered in May 2023 at a gala celebrating the 30th anniversary of the CAC.
Using a mixture of archival footage, interviews with key individuals in the CAC’s creation and community leaders, as well as excerpts from present-day performances, the video illustrates the venue’s economic and artistic impact for the region and its promise for long-term sustainability.
Since its inception in 1993, the CAC has attracted about 2 million patrons for high-quality professional performances by nearly 2,000 artists from around the world.
Visit the Community Arts Center site for more information.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education and a special mission affiliate of Penn State.