ESPN Tops All Networks With Five NAMIC Vision Awards

NEW YORK, May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications), today announced the winners of the 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards.  ESPN led all nominated networks and distributors with wins in five award categories.  Presented by NAMIC – Southern California, the NAMIC Vision Awards honor original, multi-platform programming that depicts the lives, spirit and contributions of people of color and best reflects the diversity of the global viewing audience.

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Driven by its 2010 FIFA World Cup programming, ESPN garnered top honors for: Animation ("2010 FIFA World Cup - Day One Open"); Digital Media – Long Form ("Umlando - Through My Father's Eyes"); Digital Media – Short Form ("2010 FIFA World Cup - Voices of South Africa"); News/Informational ("2010 FIFA World Cup - Youth Day"); and Sports ("2010 FIFA World Cup - Sports Features").  HBO and BET Networks also garnered multiple awards, winning three and two categories respectively.  HBO was recognized for: Best Performance Drama (Khandi Alexander - "Treme"); Children's ("Brave New Voices 2010"); and Documentary ("A Small Act"). Winning categories for BET Networks include: Original Movie or Special ("Black Girls Rock") and Variety/Talk Show ("The Mo'Nique Show").  Voting in two categories resulted in ties this year, with CNN also winning for News/Informational ("Anderson Cooper 360: Black or White: Kids on Race") and Lifetime Movie Network honored for Original Movie or Special ("Lies in Plain Sight").   Rounding out the acting categories was a win for TBS for Best Performance Comedy (China Anne McClain - "Tyler Perry's House of Payne").  

In addition to CNN, Lifetime Movie Network and TBS, other single category award winners include BBC America, Cooking Channel, Discovery Latin America, MTV and TV One.

Commencing with the presentation of this year's winners, NAMIC has transitioned the recognition to an online event format with today's launch of the 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards Winners Gallery.  Featuring :60 second clips of the winning programs in each of the 16 categories, the 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards Gallery may be viewed at http://www.namic.com.

Also new this year, is the launch of the first-ever NAMIC Members' Choice Award.  For the first-time in the 17-year history of the Vision Awards, NAMIC members will have the opportunity to cast their votes and select their favorite program from the field of winning entries.  Clips are now available for online viewing and voting for the NAMIC Members' Choice Award via the 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards Gallery. The voting deadline for the NAMIC Member's Choice Award is May 20.

The NAMIC Vision Awards competition extends eligibility to national broadcast and cable networks; local affiliates; local origination programs from cable operators; and VOD content produced for digital platforms.  Entries were judged by a distinguished panel of entertainment industry executives.  Judging is focused on overall imagery (creative merit, originality, and presentation quality), sensitivity (the consideration given to cultural nuances), writing (the depiction of issues relevant to people of color) and the quality of acting in the performance categories.

A complete winners list for the 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards follows.  For more information, visit www.namic.com or contact Sandra Girado, director of Meetings and Events, at the NAMIC national headquarters, 212-594-5985.

Winners - 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards

ANIMATION
2010 FIFA World Cup - Day One Open – ESPN

BEST PERFORMANCE - COMEDY
China Anne McClain -Tyler Perry's House of Payne – TBS

BEST PERFORMANCE - DRAMA
Khandi Alexander - Treme – HBO

CHILDREN'S
Brave New Voices 2010 – HBO

COMEDY
Love That Girl – TV One

DIGITAL MEDIA - LONG FORM
Umlando - Through My Father's Eyes – ESPN

DIGITAL MEDIA - SHORT FORM
2010 FIFA World Cup - Voices of South Africa – ESPN

DOCUMENTARY
A Small Act – HBO

DRAMA
Luther – BBC America

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Deportados – Discovery Latin America - US Hispanic

LIFESTYLE
Chinese Food Made Easy – Cooking Channel

NEWS / INFORMATIONAL (TIE)
2010 FIFA World Cup - Youth Day – ESPN
Anderson Cooper 360: Black or White: Kids on Race – CNN

ORIGINAL MOVIE OR SPECIAL (TIE)
Black Girls Rock – BET Networks
Lies in Plain Sight – Lifetime Movie Network

REALITY
America's Best Dance Crew "Champions for Charity" – MTV

SPORTS
2010 FIFA World Cup - Sports Features – ESPN

VARIETY / TALK SHOW
The Mo'Nique Show – BET Networks

ABOUT NAMIC

NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) is the premier organization focusing on multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. Founded in 1980 as a non-profit trade association, today NAMIC comprises over 2,200 professionals belonging to a network of 16 chapters nationwide. Through initiatives that focus on education, advocacy and empowerment, NAMIC champions equity and inclusion in the workforce, with special attention given to ensuring that the leadership cadres of our nation's communications industry giants reflect the multi-ethnic richness of the populations they serve. For more information, please visit www.namic.com and stay connected to NAMIC on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and DiversityLive: The Business > Social NAMIC Network.

SOURCE NAMIC