The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, announced that USC students Sarah Erickson (Communication Management '11) and Joel Kutz are one of three teams nationwide to advance to the final stage of the 2011 Oscars Correspondent Contest.
The grand prize-winning team — which is based on public voting (vote here) — will be revealed at a Feb. 26 Academy press conference. The anchor and videographer will be awarded a spot on the red carpet for the 83rd Academy Awards arrivals as well as access to the backstage press rooms. All three teams will cover Academy Awards pre-events in Hollywood, including the Animated Feature Symposium, Foreign Language Film Award photo op, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Symposium and the Governors Ball preview. Teams will post their video coverage of these events on mtvU's Oscars website.
"I screamed when I heard the news," Erickson said. "I couldn’t believe it. I was on cloud nine. I still am! It feels like we’ve already won – because at this point we’re going to the Oscars no matter what. That feels amazing."
New videos from each finalist team, along with the original entry videos, are posted for a final round of online polling that runs through Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. The two runner-up teams will receive bleacher seats along the red carpet and admission to an Oscar viewing party.
"It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!" Erickson said. "We’re beyond thrilled! We’ve had such a tremendous outpouring of support from everywhere since the competition began, and we couldn’t be more grateful for that. I’m so thankful that I have such a fun and talented partner to share this whole experience with."
In addition to her studies in the communication management degree program, Erickson is a host of Annenberg Radio News, anchoring the newscast from USC Annenberg's Digital Lab.
"We had a great time making our second video, and now we’re moving forward with our preparations for the Oscars themselves. I’m so happy that we get to challenge ourselves and enjoy the bliss of this success for a little while longer. If we work hard enough and really make the most of this incredible opportunity, I believe it could open doors to more exciting projects."
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2011 Oscars Correspondent Contest
Finalist video
Erickson and Kutz make top 10
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