Downtown Bentonville Incorporated and its digital storytelling platform DWTN Media announced today that the non-profit won Gold and Bronze recognition in the 43rd Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies including Adobe, Netflix, Dow Jones, Duplass Brothers Productions, Complex Networks, Jennifer Garner, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, Nickelodeon, ESPN Films, RYOT, Partizan and Vimeo.

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Lighting of the Square in Downtown Bentonville received gold recognition in the Best Promotional General-Events category in the 43rd Annual Telly Awards. The video offered a sentimental recap of the annual City of Bentonville Lighting of the Square community event, which showcases the first glimpse of thousands of holiday lights strung across the Bentonville Square by the Bentonville Parks & Recreation department. The video was produced by Downtown Bentonville Incorporated (Dana Sargent Schlagenhaft and Andrew Heath) and Campbell Creative (Sean Campbell).  The recognized video can be viewed here.   

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DWTN Now: Fly Oz received the bronze recognition as Best Television - Charitable / Not-for-profit & Cause Marketing for its Fly Oz television episode, which showcased aviation experiences for everyone in Northwest Arkansas.  The award-winning video is the ninth television episode from DWTN Now, the digital storytelling platform launched by Downtown Bentonville Incorporated in 2020. The platform now produces a weekly television show, which airs across social media channels, at Skylight Cinema prior to showtime, and on Saturdays on KNWA.  The Fly Oz episode was hosted and produced by Dana Sargent Schlagenhaft, creative direction was provided by Sean Campbell of Campbell Creative, and content contributors included Brooke Bierhaus and Heather Shelton.  Chandler Harris and Ryann Richards of Bentonville Schools Ignite Program also contributed to the show.

The recognized episode can be viewed here.   

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“We’re thrilled to receive international recognition for our communications efforts. Our Lighting of the Square video was a complete team effort – from the initial brainstorming, writing a custom poem, shooting exceptional video footage, and even the voice work provided by our DBI Board President, Kirk Gober. The scene was perfectly set thanks to months of hard work from the Bentonville Parks & Recreation department stringing up holiday lights.  When produced together, the video truly encompasses the heart of our community,” says Downtown Bentonville Incorporated Executive Director Andrew Heath. “We are proud to see DWTN Now listed among the best in the world when it comes to digital storytelling. When we launched our storytelling project in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, our ultimate goal was to create an innovative platform that stretches beyond social media noise to connect with our community through authentic storytelling. We aim to be inclusive, celebratory, and informative; our team is proud of the quality content we continually produce and share through DWTN Now.”

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“Now, more than ever, it is necessary to celebrate video work that reflects the top tier of our industry, such as Downtown Bentonville Incorporated and their storytelling platform, DWTN Media,” says Telly Awards Executive Director Sabrina Dridje. “This year’s submissions reflect an industry that has returned to the important work of storytelling, one that has returned with a new perspective that values innovation, agility, equity, and tenacious creativity.”

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Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Netflix, Jennifer Garner, HBO Latin America, Microsoft, RadicalMedia, Condé Nast, Adobe, Nickelodeon, and Partizan.

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The full list of the 43rd Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners.

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