Rowan students and alumni win CBI awards

Two Rowan University film documentaries produced in assistant radio/TV/film professor Diana Nicolae’s documentary production class won first place honors in the College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) Awards.

“They put in countless hours, going without sleep toward the end in many cases, in order to create these documentaries. I’m immensely proud of the quality work they’ve produced, the impact it has on others who see the films, and the recognition they receive,” Nicolae said.

“Generation RX” was completed in 2008 and appeared on RTN/Channel 5. The film was produced by 2008 radio/TV/film alumnus. They include Melissa Stankowski of Tuckerton and Harry Fleckenstein of Clementon (producers); Tim Hill (editor) and Steve Klink of Pitman (director); Mike Gorczynski of Medford (camera) and Anthony Mennie of Spring Lake Heights (camera).

“Generation RX,” which won the “Best Documentary/Public Affairs” prize, is a look at prescription drug addiction. It follows four addicts through their recovery as they recount their story of how they got into their addiction, where they hit their lowest and how they got into recovery.

“Generation RX”  was produced in compliance with Rowan’s Center for Addiction Studies and Awareness (CASA).

Pamela Negro, Director of CASA, said that for the last 10 years, CASA has applied for state funding from the New Jersey Department of Human Services and the Division of Addiction Services. CASA creates many different prevention programs, each year choosing a different substance to focus their efforts on.

Negro has worked each year with the radio and film departments to take an idea and develop it into documentaries, working closely with General Manager of WGLS-FM Frank Hogan and radio/TV/film professor and chair Ned Eckhart.

“Prescriptions drugs became our focus for this one because all my research indicated that students were using many more drugs that they first found in medicine cabinets at home, like pain medicines, Oxycontin and Percocet and so on,” Negro said.

The second documentary to win an award was “Life Behind Beards.” Rowan 2009 radio/TV/film graduates Stephen Hanulec (producer), Dave Monk of Oakland (editor) and Dan Ferrara (director) worked on the film, as did senior radio/TV/film major Ashley Zazzarino (camera).

The documentary follows three bearded brethren as they prepare for the nearest beard and mustache championships.

“The movie basically deals with facial hair … beard and facial hair subcultures and how they’re actually starting to emerge at a much larger pace than people think,” Monk said. “It might be something weird … but once you actually delve into the world in which we try to portray, you would find that these guys are just sincere and warm individuals, not creepy guys with beards.”

“The basic overview is about guys who grow beards for clubs and competitions,” Ferrara said.

The concept of the film came from Hanulec who went to high school with Brian Manthew.

According to Monk, the two went to the same shows and shared a similar taste in music. Years passed and one day on a local channel in Philadelphia, Brian Manthew was featured as a beard expert talking about how Eagles player and the beards that they have.

“The rest was history,” Monk said.

According to Monk, the best part of producing the film was that “it gave me an excuse to grow a ridiculously long beard.”

“Everybody but Ashley Zazzarino grew a beard,” Monk said.