River City TV announced today its video production of the “Get-Up Challenge,” which featured members of the Danville Police Department and children from the Danville Public Schools, has been named “Most Viral” in the Social Media category in the 41st Annual Telly Awards.
This viral video’s unique concept of taking an internet dance craze and incorporating an important message of children’s safety for back to school proved to be a winning combination. The video has been viewed more than four million times on the River City TV Facebook page alone.
The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies and including Dow Jones, Duplass Brothers Productions, Complex Networks, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, ESPN Films, RYOT, Vice+ and Vimeo.
”River City TV is pushing the boundaries for video and television innovation and creativity at a time when the industry is both rapidly changing and heavily impacted by the current crisis,” said Sabrina Dridje, Managing Director of the Telly Awards. “Our theme for this season, ‘Telly Award Winners Tell Great Stories’ is a true reflection of the diversity of stories the community is skillfully able to tell. Now, more than ever, do we need to celebrate them and those that bring global stories to our attention. This award is a tribute to the talent and vision of these creators.”
Mark Aron, multimedia manager for the City of Danville, said to be recognized by the Telly Awards for the second year in a row is an honor. “The partnership with the Danville Police Department and the Danville Public Schools is what made this fun and informative viral video possible,” Aron said.
The announcement of winners caps a year-long celebration of creators around the globe and across all screens. Continuing from the inaugural Film & Video Screening Tour last season, The Telly Awards toured a selection of Telly Award-winning work to London, NYC, Amsterdam and Toronto, culminating with an online event. This year also saw the continued expansion of new categories further to the awards’ recent initiative to rebuild the honors for the multiscreen era. New categories included serialized Branded Content and expanded Social Video and Immersive & Mixed Reality categories, alongside new categories honoring important work in Social Impact and Diversity & Inclusion.
Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers, including Adult Swim, the BBC, Condé Nast, Complex Networks, Netflix, Refinery29, RadicalMedia, T Brand Studio and Ogilvy & Mather.
River City TV is the City of Danville’s Government and Educational Access Channel and has been in operation since 2005. In recent years, the channel has expanded its operations to include a large social media presence with over 33,000 followers on Facebook. The awards announced today are a reflection of the commitment of Danville City Council and City Manager Ken Larking to the importance of transparency in local government as well as providing the citizens with as much information as possible through a variety of avenues.
Please contact Mark Aron of River City TV for inquiries: aronml@danvilleva.gov or call 434-773-8106
About The Telly Awards
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts, including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multiscreen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include IFP, NAB, StudioDaily, Stash Magazine, StudioDaily, Storyhunter, ProductionHub, The Wrap Pro, the VR/AR Association and Digiday.