Telly Award

From Forest Productions & Photography Inc., in Buffalo:

A 360-degree virtual reality tour video produced for the Recruitment Publications Department at Genesee Community College in Batavia is a Bronze Winner in the 2018 Telly Awards. 

Forest Productions and Photography in Buffalo, owned and operated by husband and wife team Michael and Christina Mandolfo, won the award in the Online category for "Craft Virtual Reality / 360."

“We are, of course, extremely honored to receive this award,” says photographer/videographer Michael Mandolfo. “We’re grateful for the forward thinking of GCC staff members that continually allow us to explore creative options and new technology to promote this exceptional college.”

Internationally known, the Telly Awards are the premier awards honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, the Telly Awards receive more than 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

Entries are judged by the Telly Awards Judging Council, an industry body of 200+ working industry experts who have previously won the Telly Awards’ highest accolades and, as such, have demonstrable expertise in the categories they review.

Throughout 2017-2018 the Telly Awards refashioned its categories to honor the type of work being made by leading producers, including branded content, social video and animation, as well as working with industry experts to identify important industry categories where technology plays an impactful role in the ways stories are now being told: virtual reality, interactive and 360 video.

“Many colleges have impersonal virtual tours,” says Tanya Lane-Martin, associate dean for Student Support Services at GCC. “I wanted something unique and fun so I called Michael and Christina, as GCC has been overwhelmingly appreciative of Michael and Christina’s artistic and creative ideas for many years. They did not disappoint; the video has been very well received.”

This is the ninth Telly Award Forest Productions and Photography has received. Previously, the company has been awarded Telly Awards for its work for Fisher-Price.

To view the 360 Virtual GCC Tour video, click here.

About Forest Productions & Photography

With more than 35 years of experience in photography and more than 24 years experience in video production, the unique partnership created between husband and wife team Michael and Christina Mandolfo has consistently produced outstanding visual work that combines the client's conceptual focus with the creative sensibility necessary to create truly custom imagery. Continuing to produce top-quality work and treating each client with the same care and respect they share with their own family remains Michael and Christina's mission.

About Genesee Community College

Genesee Community College (GCC) is a student-centered collegiate community that annually serves more than 6,000 students with 70 academic degrees and certificates, and seven campus locations in Western New York. GCC is proud of its technological prowess that includes 80+ smart classrooms, 37 computer labs, seven distance learning labs and 18 science labs.

In addition to state-of-the-art onsite facilities, GCC also provides a robust online learning community. Both the onsite and online learning modalities boast a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio giving students plenty of hands-on, one-to-one teaching and learning opportunities. Genesee Community College is a committed to providing the educational experiences which promote intellectual and social growth, workforce and economic development and global citizenship. Additional information about Genesee Community College is available at www.genesee.edu.