'Expeditions' wins four Communicator Awards

Published: July 7, 2010

CLEMSON — “Expeditions with Patrick McMillan,” a public television nature series produced by Clemson University, won four 2010 Communicator Awards presented by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

The annual Communicator Awards competition honors the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive media and audio. The 2010 Communicator Awards received more than 7,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms and public relations firms.

Produced by Clemson University Video Production Services, “Expeditions” is distributed to PBS television stations in 85 markets across the United States. In South Carolina, the series airs at 7:30 p.m. Sundays on SC-ETV high definition.

The series won two Awards of Excellence, the highest honor, and two Awards of Distinction:

• “A Gift from the Sea” — Award of Excellence for nature/wildlife program
• “Biological Motion Machine” — Award of Excellence for documentary program
• "World Turned Upside Down" — Award of Distrinction for nature/wildlife program
• "Connecting the Far Corners of the World" — Award of Distinction for environmental program

“A Gift from the Sea” is the first of a two-part program on the Great Bear Rainforest in the Canadian province of British Columbia that begins with marine life to highlight the biological connections everywhere in this delicate ecosystem.

“Biological Motion Machine” is the second program from the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia that goes into the forest with members of the Heiltsuk First Nations and follows the journey of nutrients — first through salmon, then through grizzly bears, eagles and other organisms.

“World Turned Upside Down” is the first of two episodes that feature the beautiful habitats in the Valdivian Rainforests of Chile, a place eerily similar and yet very different from home.

“Connecting the Far Corners of the World” is the second program from Chile, exploring the connections in biological life and ecological challenges between the faraway paradise and our own backyards.

Executive producer of “Expeditions” is Clemson University naturalist Patrick McMillan. The production team is: Tom Neal, producer; Matt Johnson, associate producer; David White, director, editor and videographer; and Scott Smith, sound engineer.

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