Independent production team alongside ABC, CBS, Netflix and others as awardees
Hollow, an interactive documentary that explores the issues and future of small-town America, has been awarded a 2013 Peabody Award, announced April 2.
The award, which began in the 1940s as “The Pulitzer Prize for Radio,” recognizes stories that matter.“For our dedicated and small team to win, this award is a huge honor,” said and director and producer Elaine McMillion Sheldon (BSJ, 2009). “We never thought we would see Hollow next to ‘House of Cards’ on an awards list! It’s so exciting that the voices of this Appalachian community are being recognized as ‘stories that matter.’”
Hollow, which launched June 2013, tells the story of 30 residents living in McDowell County, W.Va. The southern West Virginia community experienced a boom in the 1950s then a bust in the latter part of the 20th century due to the coal mining industry. The interactive documentary merges cinematic techniques with web-based storytelling to encourage a dialogue about the issues that small-town America faces.
“We hope this recognition will keep residents motivated and working toward their shared goals and hopefully draw more attention
from our state and national leaders,” Sheldon said.
Hollow was recently honored by the World Press Photo Multimedia Awards and named third prize in its interactive documentary contest. The project was selected for the 2013 New York Film Festival, 2014 SXSW Interactive Awards, as well as The 2013 DocLab Showcase at the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, placing in the top three out of 15 selections. It has been screened locally, nationally and internationally more than 40 times, including a recent screening in Bristol, England. The FWA has named Hollow “Site of the Day,” and the project has also received the Adobe Creative Edge Award from The FWA. Hollow was a CSS Winner and a platinum winner of AVA Digital Awards for creative web video and original music.
The project has been featured in The Huffington Post, LA Times, New York Times, The Atlantic, Filmmaker Magazine, IndieWire, Variety and PBS MediaShift.”Everyone who contributed to the project, from the residents to the technologists, should be honored,” Sheldon said. “It’s rare to see an independent project, not affiliated with a network or corporation, win this type of award. We would love to see this award
encourage a dialogue on a national scale about the future of small towns in our country.”
The Hollow team includes Sheldon, Jeff Soyk (interactive designer and architect), Tricia Fulks (associate producer), Robert Hall (senior technologist), Russell Goldenburg (interactive developer), Billy Wirasnik (sound designer and editor), Sarah Ginsburg (video editor), Kerrin Sheldon (video editor), Lee Strauss (composer), Michelle Miller (community outreach), Nathaniel Hansen (project manager), Jason Headley (copywriter), Eric Lovell (cartographer), Megan Bowers Sutherland (videographer) and Rheanna O’Neil Bellomo (production assistant).
Future screenings of the film will be held at Shepherd University (Shepherdstown, W.Va.) on April 11; Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, W.Va.) on April 15; Nyon, Switzerland from April 27 to 29; and Vermont College of Fine Arts (Montpelier, Vt.) from April 30