LMC’s Marketing team wins gold at NCMPR Paragon Awards

Lake Michigan College's Marketing & Communications Department earned top honors at the annual Paragon Awards at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations national conference held March 30-April 1 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida. 

LMC received Gold in the Television/Video Paid Ad-Single category for its 30-second commercial, "Start Your Journey." The video features a montage of students and faculty in a variety of programs, including Health Sciences, Manufacturing & Industrial Technology, Visual & Performing Arts, Culinary, and Wine & Viticulture. LMC's Marketing & Communications Department worked in collaboration with The Heist, the Benton Harbor-based video production team of Seth Rice and Seth Haley, to create the commercial. 

"It's a tremendous honor being recognized by our peers at the national level for our efforts to showcase all that LMC has to offer our students and the community," LMC's Executive Director of Marketing & Communications Jennifer Shoemaker said. "This award is extra special for us because it was done in collaboration with an outstanding, local production company that helped make our vision a reality. We are thrilled to share this honor with Seth Rice and Seth Haley of The Heist, and my predecessor Candice Elders, who was instrumental in overseeing this project. I am proud of the work our team does every single day to promote and support our programs, students, prospective students, faculty, staff, and alumni."  

The 2022 Paragon Awards drew 1,726 entries from 323 colleges across the country and was judged by more than 40 marketing and public relations professionals.  

"I love to celebrate the outstanding work of our community college marketers," said Jeff Ebbing, NCMPR's 2022-23 president. "The creativity and hard work that went into the winning entries is on par with some of the best agencies in the country and is a testament to the talent and dedication of our members. These people are pros in every sense of the word."  

NCMPR's Paragon Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges across the United States and Canada. It's the only national competition that exclusively honors the work of marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges. Gold, silver, and bronze winners were named in 47 categories. 

"We are thrilled to have partnered with Lake Michigan College on this project,” The Heist’s Seth Rice said. “From the beginning, we were impressed with the wide range of opportunities that Lake Michigan College offers its students. It was a pleasure to work with such a collaborative and visionary team. We are grateful to Lake Michigan College for entrusting us with their vision and are honored to have played a role in their success." 

In addition to Shoemaker, LMC's Marketing team includes Marketing Communications Specialist Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, Marketing & Communications Administrative Assistant Tina Gourlay, Digital Communications Specialist Jennifer Jacobs, Visual Brand Design Specialist Michael Johnson, and Multimedia Marketing Coordinator Holly Ward.  

View the commercial on LMC's YouTube page, youtube.com/LakeMichiganCollege. 

To learn more about the NCMPR Paragon Awards, visit ncmpr.org/paragon-awards. For more information about The Heist, visit theheist.tv.