ATHENS, Ohio -- An Ohio University student's ability to put a unique twist on a traditional holiday has earned him national recognition. A film package by Chris Flickinger, a senior broadcast journalism major from Washington, Pa., placed fifth of 60 entries in the TV features category of the prestigious William Randolph Hearst National Journalism Contest, dubbed the Pulitzer Prizes of college journalism.
One of Flickinger's videos, which took a whimsical look at Valentine's Day, chronicled the day's sentiments from the Athens café, "My Favorite Muffin." "Everyone's done the usual for Valentine's Day: roses, candy, teddy bears. I thought, instead, why not buy a muffin for your own favorite muffin at 'My Favorite Muffin?' " Flickinger said of the inspiration for his playful piece. The other clip that landed him the recognition showcased the opening of Goodfella's Pizza with an array of charismatic customers.
Flickinger won $600 for his masterpiece and will compete with nine other student broadcast journalists in April for a possible trip to the finals in San Francisco this June.
Filmed for a standard classroom project, the piece was never intended to be publicly broadcast. But when Flickinger shared his witty video with the class, his professor, Tim Sharp, realized its potential for the air and breathed into it new life.
"It was just so incredibly cute," Sharp said. "I thought it would make a good kicker for the news, and we got a lot of positive feedback."
Calamity nearly derailed the project when Flickinger's tape was crushed in the mail on the way to the Hearst contest. To stay in the competition, he had had to re-cut another video and send it by overnight delivery in the midst of final exams.
He became involved with the competition the previous year when he noticed a flyer on campus and, on a whim, decided to enter some on-hand pieces. "I placed 17th last year, and I thought, I'd love nothing more than to do even better my senior year," Flickinger said. "The feedback from the first inspired me to try again."
"Last year Chris placed in the top 20 but out of the money," said Douglass Daniel, an Ohio University journalism professor and the Hearst administrator for the Scripps School. "His strong finish this time around shows the perseverance and talent that has helped him develop a solid career as a college journalist."
"He demonstrated talent," Sharp said, "and it's wonderful that he's being recognized for it."
"Chris Flickinger represents the caliber of student that makes us proud at the Scripps School, because he is diligent in his work and takes pride in his productions," said Michael Bugeja, associate director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
With graduation around the corner on March 22 and a wedding just after, Flickinger's dream job is with the Fox News Channel, where he has interned twice, covering the Gary Condit and Martha Stewart scandals.
"I hope to see myself on the Fox News Channel or bringing their style to CNN," Flickinger said, starry-eyed. "But Bob Barker's job looks pretty good, too."
