Here’s who took away PhillyCAM’s inaugural Cammy Awards

The second annual Community Media Day took place this past Friday, Oct. 20, as a celebration of accessible media around the country and its use as a platform for free speech.

And what better way for local media nonprofit PhillyCAM to celebrate the day than with its first-ever Cammy Community Recognition Awards, celebrating those in the city who have demonstrated the power of using the organization’s various platforms, be it cable TV or radio, to tell meaningful stories?

(We at Generocity have experienced that value firsthand with our show “Around the Corner” where we get to talk with local social impact leaders — check it out.)

The awards ceremony, complete with a red carpet, live music and cake, took place at Taller Puertorriqueño, where folks like Jos Duncan, founder of a new media nonprofit Love Now Media, and Mike Wassenaar, president of the Alliance for Community Media, spoke on stage.

And they rolled out the red carpet @PhillyCAM #communitymediaday pic.twitter.com/CplePqWVeT

— Mike Wassenaar (@mikewassenaar) October 20, 2017

There were nine awards in total to hand out that night, and each one focused on values aligning with the community center’s mission of promoting “creative expression, democratic values and civic participation.” Check out the full list of nominees here.

Thanks @PhillyCAM for recognizing our episode of #TheSpark with a cammy award! pic.twitter.com/w0UB9ti3bC

— People's Tech Project (@peoplestech_) October 21, 2017

And without further ado, here were the awardees:

• Quality of Message Award: “closetDOORS” by Dasha Saintremy (TV) — “A poetic-style short film of a young woman minister who returns home to be with her family, but to discover an internal identity struggle within herself.”
• Local Focus Award: “MMPtv: The Spark – Comcast, Pay Your Fair Share!” by Media Mobilizing Project (TV) — “This episode of The Spark focused on the role that Comcast plays in Philadelphia and aired as the CAP Comcast campaign was starting to ensure affordable and free internet access, increased customer service commitments, and more substantive protections for cable and internet workers in Philadelphia.”
• Community Impact Award: “Salt…Pepper and Memories” by Ali Hackett (TV) — “A show focused on music and dancing, this episode features the Wharton Square Park Grand Opening Part 1 and is the show’s first ‘Outside Show’ edition which features the group ‘Tribute to the Legends’, great music, and dancing sprinkled with fun!”
• Discovery Award: “Dancing Outside the Box” by David Block (TV)  — “Ballroom dancing merges the rhythm of the music with the graceful movements of the dancers as they glide around the floor, while showing how wheelchair users and their able-bodied partners bring their two worlds together on the dance floor: creating beauty in motion and proving that everyone can dance.”
• Collaboration Award: “Black Tribbles” by Black Tribbles (Radio) — “Black Tribbles has been heralded by the Philadelphia Weekly and the Philadelphia Daily News as one of the leading popular culture shows in the city, a distinction unheard of for a group of five nerds of color who celebrate the geekiness in everything and anything.”
• Inclusion Award: “Walking Wounded” by Tshay Williams of the CAMRA Fellows Program (TV) — “This film explores the idea of how street harassment directly affects women of color and is told through the perspective of the individuals who directly face these experiences, which provides an authentic view of the topic.”
• Learning Award: “Genealogy Quick Start” by Shamele Jordon (TV) — “Using the quick start method, the show uncovers over 150 years of a Philadelphia millennial’s family history.”
• Technical Quality Award: “Melodic Confessions” by Jarrett Miles (TV) — “Episode 15 of Melodic Confessions has a live performance by Ali Starr for the contemporary Funk, R&B, Hip Hop and Soul series.”
• Ambassador Award: “50 Shades of Jazz” by Joseph Alston (Radio) — “Joe Alston’s 50 Shades of Jazz celebrates the music of jazz culture.”