Titan TV took home it’s first third-place finish at the Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts in the Studio (multi-camera or live-to-tape) category on Monday, with it’s holiday special “Cole & Claudia’s Christmas Show”.

This is the first time a Titan TV production has placed in the national competition, which features film programs from universities of all sizes across the country.

Titan TV manager Sean Becher compared the award to an Emmy nomination in the college media world.

“This is a student media competition, so it’s definitely not as prestigious, but when ‘Cole and Claudia’s Christmas Show’ was submitted to BEA,” Becher said. “It was reviewed by a panel of judges who are professionals in the industry. Much like being nominated for an Emmy, placing at BEA means we are receiving validation from the best in the industry.”

Creator and Executive Producer Cole Boettcher said this award means a lot to him and his colleagues who worked hard to make the production a reality.

“Everyone involved with the show is extremely proud of the work we put in to the show,” Boettcher said. “This is a nationwide competition and we placed with schools who are significantly larger compared to [UW Oshkosh]. We’re all very excited.”

Becher said Boettcher’s efforts along with a great supporting cast lead to the third-place finish.

“The success of ‘Cole and Claudia’s Christmas Show’ stems directly back to the amount of work executive producer Cole Boettcher and his team put into it,” Becher said. “Cole was ambitious from the start, not taking no for an answer and logging long hours to make every part of his idea for the show work. Cole also recruited one of the best and hardest-working crews Titan TV has seen to execute his idea on set.”

Boettcher said he gives most of the credit to his colleagues, who also became friends throughout the process.

“The advisers, producers, crew, cast and everyone involved made the show what it is; every week we had rehearsals and laughed at the stupid jokes we said,” Boettcher said. “It’s very cliché, but the cast and crew were very much like a family and we still have group chats and talk about the show six months later.”

Director of Television Services Justine Stokes said in a Titan TV press release that the award is a huge honor for Titan TV.

“To be recognized by one of the largest international student competitions is a testament to their talents and passions,” Stokes said. “And it represents the best of what Titan TV and Radio TV Film students have to offer.”

“Cole & Claudia’s Christmas Show” is an homage to old Christmas specials and is based on the “Judy Garland Christmas Special,” the press release read.

Boettcher said he tried to make a show that was familiar for the audience, but was also something that hasn’t been done in a while.

“The show was heavily inspired by black-and-white television like ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ and ‘I Love Lucy,’” Boettcher said. “We didn’t try to cover any heavy topics or fill it with heavy drama. It’s a lighthearted show that we made for people to enjoy and to get in the spirit of the holidays.”

Boettcher said he was happy that he made something high-quality for audiences.

“Personally, I’m just happy people enjoyed watching our show and we made something that entertained the audience,” Boettcher said. “Receiving this award is the ultimate cherry on top for our producers, cast and crew.”