The Nicholson School Film and Mass Media program was well represented at the recent Broadcast Education Association national convention, April 17-21, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Written by: Rick Brunson | Published May 6, 2026
Senior Instructor Rick Brunson showcased his creative works on three panels and won a Best in Competition Award in the Faculty Audio Competition of The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Festival of the Media Arts. His winning Short-Form Production entry was a feature story he reported last year about immigration for Central Florida Public Media (WMFE-FM 90.7) while he was on professional development leave at the radio station, working full time as a reporter. His work with the Florida Prison Education Project’s “The Unheard Society’’ podcast was also spotlighted.
Associate Professor Dr. Bridget Rubenking presented her mass media research on three panels and poster sessions and led BEA’s Research Division meeting.
Nicholson students also made a splash. Media Production Management major Julia Weinstein was the recipient of BEA’s Bob Freeman Scholarship for her leadership in media studies. She was also selected to be a convention MMJ (multimedia journalist (MMJ) and filed social media reports from the conference floor throughout the convention.
“The BEA experience was great,’’ Weinstein says. “I learned a lot. I got to meet a whole bunch of different people and connect with other students who are interested in similar things. Getting to network and meet so many people in the industry, I learned a lot about content creation and just visiting all the different booths that NAB and BEA bring in. That really honed in my knowledge about the industry.’’
Claire Macchiarola with her first place award at the BEA Festival of Media Arts.
Broadcast Journalism students Claire Macchiarola and Bryan Gonzalez won a first-place award in the BEA Festival of the Media Arts Student Audio Competition, Education Category, for an audio story they produced last year as part of a class project in adjunct instructor Brendan Byrne’s Electronic Journalism I (RTV 3301) course. Their story, about a local hospice chaplain who provides end-of-life care, aired on Central Florida Public Media as part of “Sounds of Central Florida,’’ a partnership with the Nicholson School.
Macchiarola was also selected as an RAB Scholar for her radio work, which came with a stipend to attend the convention and entitled her to participation in multiple workshops with radio industry leaders at the conference, developing her professional skills for career preparation and learning about the latest gear and technologies in audio storytelling. She also presented on a best practices panel for student journalists.
BEA is the educational arm of the National Association of Broadcasters, which holds its giant trade show and convention at the same time in the Las Vegas Convention Center.