Junior Holly Van Wie combines her passions for creating videos and helping her community in her job as a video producer at Westborough’s public access TV station. Two of her videos recently earned finalist honors in the 2020 Mass Access Creator Awards.
The annual contest is a place for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ public access television stations to come together and demonstrate some of their best works from that year. Eligible submissions had to be entered by Oct. 31, 2020, with the results being announced this past January. Van Wie’s videos were entered in the short format and youth categories.
In “Go Local, More Than Ever, Westborough,” Van Wie filmed several small business owners speaking about the importance of supporting their local economy and what makes their businesses special. Her other video, “New Small Business Award—Board and Brush,” features interviews with the owners of a new business that was honored by the Westborough Economic Development Committee.
Van Wie was hired in 2017 to work at Westborough’s TV station. When she is not working with local organizations and other partners on production initiatives, Van Wie is creating videos as promotional material for the town and its community.
The work required for just one of these videos is very intensive and time-consuming, according to Van Wie’s mentor and supervisor, Karen Henderson. “For these videos, she took on storyboarding, recording, interviewing, editing, and release. Her work in all aspects of these projects was really amazing, especially for a student,” she says.
Both videos emphasize the importance of local businesses and serve as reminders to the Westborough community that they need their support, especially amidst this pandemic.
When asked about the driving force behind these videos, Van Wie says, “These people are learning about their community, about how they can support their community and keep their local economy thriving. It’s about the people who run the small businesses; it’s about their families; it’s about everything they do from day to day. It makes me really happy to know that I can have an impact like that.”
Van Wie is a communications major and is hoping to continue in TV production upon graduation. She is currently working on a “Why Westborough?” video, a promotional piece about why Westborough is an ideal location for businesses to open and grow in.
Her videos can be viewed here: “Go Local, More Than Ever, Westborough!” and “New Small Business Award—Board and Brush.”
Written by Communications and Marketing Intern Patrick Young ’21
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