Advertising students, alumnus win awards for radio creative

AUSTIN, Texas — May 22, 2008 — Two University of Texas at Austin advertising students won a Radio-Mercury Award for their work writing and producing a radio commercial. The Radio-Mercury grand prize was awarded for a radio commercial created by a Department of Advertising alumnus.

Advertising graduate student Krystha Barrera and advertising senior Amanda Thomas — both enrolled in the Department of Advertising creative sequence — won the student category for their 40-second radio commercial “Silence” produced for the Austin Silent Film Festival. John Silva was the engineer for the commercial, which can be heard online here.

“Broken Heart,” a 40-second commercial for Mars brand Combos®, won the $100,000 grand prize. It was written by Department of Advertising alumnus Jeff Anderson (BS ’02) — who went through the creative sequence — and his copywriter partner Isaac Silverglate. Both work at TBWA\CHIAT\DAY New York. “Broken Heart” is part of the advertising campaign “What Your Mom Would Feed You — If Your Mom Were A Man.” The commercial can be heard online here.

About the Radio-Mercury Awards
The annual Radio-Mercury Awards competition draws entries from advertising agencies, production houses, radio stations and educational institutions across the country. The awards were established in 1992 to encourage and reward the development of effective and creative radio commercials. Approximately 17,000 commercials have competed for nearly $3 million in prizes. The Radio Creative Fund, a non-profit corporation funded by the Radio industry, governs the Radio-Mercury Awards. For more information about the awards and to listen to the winning commercials, visit www.radiomercuryawards.com.

About the Creative Sequence
An academic sequence within The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations, the Creative sequence is one of the leading creative advertising education programs in the country. Rooted in sound strategy and conceptual process, the Creative sequence molds students into intrepid experimental thinkers who are primed to create innovative advertising, branding and social messages that are delivered through a variety of integrated traditional and nontraditional media. For more information at the Department of Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin, visit: http://advertising.utexas.edu

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Contact:
Matt McCutchin
512-672-9006 (mobile)