Photo Credits – Robert Swap Photography

[ecko_quote source=”Susan Anderson, President AAF-IE”]We are overjoyed with the great response to this year’s awards and were thrilled to honor all of the amazing finalists and winners last Thursday night. [/ecko_quote]

Riverside, CA – Fourteen local companies and individuals were named winners in the 2016 Inland Empire Media Awards competition on September 22nd at the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside.

Susan Anderson, President of the AAF Inland Empire said, “We are overjoyed with the great response to this year’s awards and were thrilled to honor all of the amazing finalists and winners last Thursday night. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for your outstanding work and service in the Inland Empire.”

Sponsored by the Inland Empire chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the awards honor media and individuals throughout the region who provide exemplary service to the industry and the community.

“Congratulations to not only the winners but also to the finalists who made it through the rigorous judging,” said Mark Landon, chair of the awards. “And to everyone who dedicates their energy to making the media in our communities so great.”

According to Landon, all nominations were sent to an out-of-state panel of judges who work in media or advertising and have no connection to any of the nominees. In addition to reading the nomination forms, judges had the opportunity to see samples of many of the nominees’ work, including articles, videos, audio and visit websites.

This Year’s judges were:

• Ed Alexander, KVOI Radio, Tucson
• Mike Reed, Clear Channel Outdoor, Houston
• Darrell Durham, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
• Lacey Wiest, KTVB-TV, Boise

Agency of the Year, Pulse Marketing’s President, Serena Mastin stated, “We are truly honored to receive this award, not for ourselves but for our team and our clients. We believe that relationships are the foundation of success and when you invest in people you naturally see results. We are blessed to have an incredibly passionate team, who will do whatever it takes to exceed expectations and support our client’s journey. In our culture, we believe that alone we are smart, but together we are brilliant.”

Winner of the Locally Produced Radio or Television Show of the Year, My Awesome Empire, “To be recognized six times in two years feels so rewarding for all of us, but for My Awesome Empire–a completely student-produced program–to beat out great commercial programs produced by veteran professionals, well that says a lot about the students at CSUSB, and it makes us unspeakably proud,” said, Lacey A. Kendall, Executive Producer, “My Awesome Empire”, California State University San Bernardino.

“We are surprised and truly honored with this award. We are humbled to be recognized by media professionals and to be considered in the same list as the distinguished finalists. We strive to continue creating premium digital content, sharing the best the Inland Empire has to offer and becoming the premiere Inland Empire lifestyle and events website,” said Su Pak, winner of Local Website of the year and Owner of IEShineOn.com.

Agency Professional of the Year, Jacob Poore of California State San Bernardino Coyote Advertising stated, “The Inland Region has so many amazing media professionals who promote the well-being of our community. Among such an impressive display of talent, I’m humbled and honored to receive this award. Thank you to my colleagues and student team at CSUSB, and my friends and family at home for their support and encouragement. Without it, winning this award would not be possible.”

For more information about the Inland Empire Media Awards, visit http://aaf-inlandempire.com or call Mark Landon, (909) 986-7502.

2016 Winners and Finalists in each category:

Radio or Television Station of the Year

KATY
KVCR-FM
KMET
KGGI
KFRG
KVCR-TV – WINNER

Newspaper or Magazine of the Year

The Valley Business Journal
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
San Bernardino Sun
Highgrove Happenings
Idyllwild Town Crier
The Press Enterprise – WINNER

Local Website of the Year

IEShineOn.com – WINNER
San Bernardino Mass Shooting
Inner Circle Corona
InlandEmpire.us

Blog/Podcast of the Year

My Imperfect Kitchen – WINNER
The Devil Wears Parsley
KVCR’s Weekly News Wrap
Rants & Raves

Public Service Campaign or Event of the Year

Hispanic Lifestyle
Rancho Cucamonga Fire District – WINNER
Epilepsy Education Everywhere / EEE
IE Commuter “Get Your Hands On RideSharing”
The Voice News

Agency of the Year

Pulse Marketing – WINNER
The Creative Bar
The Branding Hive
Center 1 Media

Agency Professional of the Year

Susan Anderson, Center 1 Media
Juan Garcia, Dean Houston
Serena Mastin, Pulse Marketing
“Mobile Mary” Barnett, Another Brilliant Idea
Jacob Poore, Cal State San Bernardino Coyote Advertising – WINNER
Nathan Greenberg, Arkside Marketing

Self-Promotion of the Year

San Bernardino Sun
The Press Enterprise – WINNER

Governmental Media Outlet of the Year

City of Temecula Television
City of Perris Online
City of Riverside Television – WINNER
City of Corona Online

Locally Produced Radio or Television Show of the Year

The Inland Sports Show, KTDD Fox Sports 1350 AM
Tech Zone with Paul Amadeus Lane, KMET 1490 AM
My Awesome Empire, KCAA AM/FM, KMET, Coyote Radio, KVCR – WINNER
KVC Arts with David Flemming, 91.9 KVCR
Eye on the Community, KFRG

Best Coverage of a Local News Story of the Year

KFRG, Blue Cut Fire
The Press Enterprise, City Corruption Probe
Idyllwild Town Crier, Issues with the Water Board General Manager
KVCR-FM, San Bernardino Terror Attack
San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino Terror Attack – WINNER

Media Professional of the Year

Joe Lyons, KCAA AM & FM – WINNER
Frank Pine, Southern California News Group
Steve Deeble, The Press Enterprise
Margie Miller, City News Group
Javier Santos, Riverside County Probation Department

Media Talent of the Year

Pep Fernandez, IEMG-TV and KTDD Fox Sports 1350 AM – WINNER
Anthony Donatelli, KFRG
Paul Amadeus Lane, ABC News KMET 1490 AM
Vicki Pepper, KFRG
Christy McLeap, KFRG

Young Achiever of the Year

Kyle Mastin, Pulse Marketing
Christian Thompson, GLK Clothing
Victor Suarez, Your Silent Outburst
Brenda Toro Quintana, Partners in Leadership
Arbazz Mohammed, Sahaba Initiative – WINNER
Gabriela Rubio, National Orange Show