Martin Hall Agency (MHA), a faculty-led, student-run advertising and public
relations agency operating in West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media,
received eight awards at the West Virginia Public Relations Society of America’s
(WV PRSA) 2023 Crystal Awards ceremony Aug. 15 in Charleston.
MHA received six Crystal Awards, the highest honor a public relations campaign can
receive, from WV PRSA – four in the Campaigns category and two in the Tactics category.
Additionally, they received two Awards of Merit in the Tactics category. Emma Magruder
(BSJ, 2022) and Cheyenne Oakes (BSJ, 2023), both of whom are now graduate students
in the College’s
Integrated Marketing Communications program, represented the agency at the
ceremony alongside Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) Program Chair
Geah Pressgrove.
Bob Britten, a teaching associate professor in the WVU Reed College of Media, was
awarded the Dr. Sandy Utt Excellence in Teaching Award from the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). He received the award earlier
this month during the Innovation in Teaching panel at the AEJMC conference in Washington,
D.C.
Each year, AEJMC recognizes instructors in the visual communication field for their
innovation, excellence and contributions. Britten is the second recipient to receive
the award after it was renamed in August 2022 for Utt, a long-time active AEJMC
member and Reed College of Media alumna, who donated a portion of her retirement
funds to the competition.
YNST (You’re Not Seeing Things) Magazine is a print and digital media company
founded in 2023 by a group of WVU Reed College of Media alumni “to amplify the
unseen creative voices of Appalachia’s arts and culture.” They feature stories
and work about and from the region’s authors, designers, photographers and artists.
Founders include Adam Payne (BSJ, 2021; MS Digital Marketing Communications, 2022),
Kasey Lettrich (BSJ, 2022), Annika Godwin (BSJ, 2022), Olivia Gianettino (BSJ,
2022) and Savanna Shriver (BSJ, 2021).
YNST Executive Team: Joseph Lucey, Olivia Gianettino, Adam Payne, Kasey Lettrich,
Annika Godwin and Savanna Shriver
