GraceCom, Grace Cathedral's media ministry, has been awarded four Telly Bronze Awards for its holiday special Songs of the Season and for LightWorks, the long-standing monthly topical interview program broadcast locally on KRON 4. The Telly is one of the most sought-after awards by industry leaders, from large international firms to local production companies and ad agencies. The Telly Awards, founded in 1978, is a national competition to honor excellence in local, regional and national television programming. GraceCom previously earned three Telly Awards in 2002 for its television ad Campaign, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You." Other recent Telly Award recipients have included ABC News, Detroit Public Television, the March of Dimes, Nike, and Oprah.
"I am very proud that two of our recent productions have received this level of recognition," said Rick Johnson, executive director of GraceCom. "As we begin to celebrate our second decade in providing innovative and rewarding broadcasting as a faith-based organization at the cutting edge of new media, we thank The Telly Awards for embracing the work we distribute on television, on the web, and in video/DVD packaging. Productions like those being honored by The Telly allow us to share the treasures of Grace Cathedral and its ministries more readily with a world-wide audience."
Songs of the Season, which aired throughout December of 2004 in partnership with KRON 4 San Francisco, is a celebration of the centuries-old tradition of choral music sung by a choir of men and boys. This tradition is alive and well at Grace Cathedral, just as it has in the cathedrals of England and Europe. "Songs of the Season is Grace Cathedral's Christmas gift to the world," says Johnson, "a gift for people of all walks of life in need of the uplifting blessing of joy and hope that Christmas Carols bring during this wondrous holiday season."
LightWorks, Grace Cathedral's own TV program airing on KRON4 and available for viewing at www.gracecathedral.org, presents personal stories of spiritual transformation that address cultural and social issues from a perspective of values, spirituality, and faith. The episode Movie Spirituality features a uniquely entertaining and inspiring interview with author Mary Ann Brussat, who believes that contemporary popular media like film can help enhance spiritual practices. Brussat offers ways to approach the experience and interpretation of movies that help the viewer leave the cinema inspired and more connected to the human family. "Mary Ann has succeeded in making it possible for people to see film from a radically new perspective", says Johnson. "As a result, they are able to see themselves and their place in the world from a more meaningful place as well."
