UCO Mass Communications Students Win at National Broadcast Awards
March 18, 2025
Two University of Central Oklahoma Department of Mass Communication student-led projects received Awards of Excellence at the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) 2025 Festival of Media Arts, a national competition recognizing outstanding work in media production and storytelling.
“This is a remarkable achievement given the challenges they navigate, competing against flagship state universities and well-funded private programs,” said Michael Breslin, Ph.D., chair of UCO’s Department of Mass Communication.
The winning projects were:
- “Modus Operandi” – written, directed, produced, filmed and edited by Alex Dawson, a junior photographic arts major from Edmond, Oklahoma, starring Nicholas Borghini, a junior professional media major from Altus, Oklahoma.
- Doritos Super Bowl Commercial – directed by Kaleb Gonzales, a fall 2024 graduate in professional media from Altus, Oklahoma; with Maddison Simon, a senior professional media major from Edmond, Oklahoma, as first assistant director; Zoe Gfeller, a senior strategic communications major from Edmond, Oklahoma, as unit production manager; Dawson as camera operator; Victor Lopez, a sophomore strategic communications major from Tulsa, Oklahoma, as gaffer; and, Borghini as sound mixer.
“I’m incredibly proud of our students for receiving these awards,” said Milos Ajdinovic, assistant professor of Mass Communication at UCO.
“This recognition reflects the growing strength of our production program and the talent of our students.”
The UCO Department of Mass Communications is a part of UCO’s College of Liberal Arts and focuses on empowering students with the experiences needed to gain thriving careers. UCO offers four Bachelor of Arts degrees, including professional media, strategic communications-advertising and public relations, photographic arts and interpersonal communication.
Additionally, Central offers a Master of Arts in strategic communications – leadership in communications, which emphasizes the strong leadership skills necessary for career advancement in the ever-growing communications industry. The fully online program can be completed in as little as two years, with the option for a capstone project or thesis.
For more information, contact Breslin at 405-974-5111 or mbreslin@uco.edu.
For more information about the UCO Department of Mass Communication, visit mcom.uco.edu.
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Cutline: UCO Mass Communication students have received Awards of Excellence at the Broadcast Education Association’s 2025 Festival of Media Arts. Pictured, left to right, Victor Lopez, a sophomore strategic communications major from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nicholas Borghini, a junior professional media major from Altus, Oklahoma; Zoe Gfeller, a senior strategic communications major from Edmond, Oklahoma; Kaleb Gonzales, a fall 2024 graduate in professional media from Altus, Oklahoma; Maddison Simon, a senior professional media major from Edmond, Oklahoma; and, and Alex Dawson a junior photographic arts major from Edmond, Oklahoma.
