West Virginia University Reed College of Media Professor Joel Beeson is receiving international recognition for his work in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) storytelling.
His ground-breaking reporting project, Fractured Tour: An Immersive VR Tour of Selma’s Divides, was singled out of 1,500 entries to win the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) “Best of Festival” award. Only 18 winners received this prestigious honor at the BEA Festival of Media Arts.
“Fractured Tour” won first place in the Faculty Interactive Multimedia competition. The project is a product of collaboration between Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication, a historically black urban institution, and the Reed College of Media. Morgan State student Emily Pelland was the assistant producer for the piece.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for this honor and excited about what this means for the College of Media’s partnership with MSU,” said Beeson. “It shows that together we can tackle some very important issues using technology in a meaningful way.”
The BEA Festival of Media Arts is an international refereed exhibition of faculty creative activities and a national showcase for student work. The Festival seeks to enhance and extend creative activities, teaching and professional standards in broadcasting and other forms of electronically mediated communication.
Best of Festival winners will be honored at the 14th Annual BEA Best of Festival King Foundation Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas on Monday, April 18, 2016, as part of BEA’s annual convention.
View the official release online.