USC Dornsife Office of Communication Garners Awards
In a room teeming with journalism luminaries, the USC Dornsife Office of Communication held its own on Dec. 4 as the Los Angeles Press Club presented the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism (NAEJ) Awards. The team, led by Interim Assistant Dean for Communication Mira Zimet, received several prestigious accolades for writing and design appearing in USC Dornsife Magazine.
At the 9th annual NAEJ ceremony, which took place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, Senior Communications Specialist Michelle Boston received first prize in the Celebrity Feature-Print Under 1,000 Words category for her profile of Edoardo Ponti, “The Craftsman.”
The press club judges noted that “Michelle Boston drew a wonderful portrait of the quiet Edoardo Ponti, son of Sophia Loren and the late Carlo Ponti, and his artistic journey that took him from poetry to film, which he approaches as a craft.”
Boston also placed third in the Celebrity Feature-Print Over 1,000 Words for “The Art of Style.” Senior Writer Susan Bell placed third in the Obituary/In Appreciation category for her piece “David Bowie: Life and Death of an Icon,” and Executive Director of Publications and Operations Dan Knapp and Senior Graphic Designer Letty Avila won third prize for Page Layout-Print for “As Seen on TV?” (USC Dornsife Magazine, Fall/Winter 2015 issue, pages 38-49).
Boston was also a finalist for 2016 Journalist of the Year, as well as a nominee in the Celebrity Feature category for “When the Phone Rings, Bust a Move.” Senior Web Content Specialist and Writer Laura Paisley and Boston were nominated in the General News-Print category for “Good Judgment” and “Unapologetically Glamorous,” respectively.
M.G. Lord, assistant professor (teaching) of English at USC Dornsife, placed second for Book/Cultural Critic-Online for The New York Times and third for Critic-Print for The New York Times Book Review.
The evening’s other major honorees include author, comedian and talk-show host Chelsea Handler, receiving The Luminary Award for Career Achievement; songwriter Diane Warren, receiving The Visionary Award for Humanitarian Work; and actress and singer Angela Lansbury, receiving The Legend Award for Lifetime Achievement and Contributions to Society.