Winning an Emmy Award is a dream for many of those working in the television industry. For college students, winning a College Television Award is almost as good. Not only does this award, given to outstanding college television programs by the Television Academy Foundation, the same organization behind the Emmys, embody positive critical reception, but it also serves as a mark of creative achievement.
This very dream might soon come true for the producers of “Paper Trail,” a drama on Boston University’s student-run television network, butv10. “Paper Trail” tells the story of a determined business student and his roommates, who all turn to cheating after they are put on academic probation.
Fueled by hard work and strong artistic direction, the series has been nominated in the “Scripted Series” category at the 2015 College Television Awards. The ceremony, taking place on April 23 in Los Angeles, will be attended by members of the production team.
This news isn’t surprising to those who’ve followed the show’s development. Christophor Cavalieri, faculty advisor for butv10, said the series earned his support the first time it was pitched to him by creator Wes Palmer, a junior in the College of Communication, and cinematographer Andrew Fewsmith, a senior in COM.
“I readily encouraged them to produce it,” Cavalieri said. “I knew it would be a worthwhile endeavor, since I was already aware of their abilities and passion as aspiring storytellers.”
Nonetheless, Palmer said that the news was incredible to himself, Fewsmith and their fellow co-executive producer Amanda Domuracki, a senior in COM.
“I was ecstatic,” said Palmer, who also serves as the show’s lead director. “I was notified a few weeks prior that we had made it through a round or two of judging to the finalists’ round, and we were required to submit a series of DVDs. So it was great to hear that we’d been officially placed.”
Fewsmith agreed with Palmer, emphasizing the feeling of awe accompanying their nomination.
“The concept that industry professionals saw our piece and considered it one of the top three best scripted series that any college student in the U.S. made last year is just indescribable,” he said.
According to Fewsmith, the series is a “cinematic drama.” It was created with the highest production value possible for the team. This resulted in long working hours, where the students wrote scripts, filmed scenes and edited footage into cohesive episodes. However, these long hours, Domuracki said, have served as a valuable stepping-stone between college and the television industry.
“It’s obviously very stressful being a full-time student and trying to do your own television show,” Domuracki said. She also works as the assistant director and production manager. “But it’s been a really good experience … it’s been nice to do it on a micro-level instead of just throwing myself into the TV industry.”
As the show’s creator, Palmer has also juggled many responsibilities, from leading the production crew to working with the cast.
“Simply having the opportunity to direct and lead a crew every weekend did wonders for my comfort in running a large, active set,” he said. “Not to mention developing a baseline for talking with actors.”
Despite these experiences, “Paper Trail” will soon come to a close. The show is currently in its first and final season, with the series finale airing on April 21, just two days before the awards ceremony. This short length, Fewsmith said, was factored into the show’s design from the very start.
“Too many series drag on way past their expiration date, both on the college level and on the professional network level,” he said. “Limiting ourselves to the nine episodes allowed us to ensure a resolution, which was very important for the type of story we wanted to tell.”
Throughout its time on air, this series has been well received by viewers, Domuracki said, partially due to its understanding of college academic demands.
“What I love most is that it’s a story about college students, made by college students,” she said. “It also touches on a lot of struggles that we have, like worrying about our grades or how much a 4.0 GPA is worth, compared to having practical experiences. A lot of students have been really into it.”
The show has been particularly influential in the butv10 community as well, given its cinematic and production styles.
“Since producing ‘Paper Trail,’ I’ve noticed a definite uptick in the overall production value of the shows on butv10,” Fewsmith said. “I don’t think that this is caused solely by our show, but I feel that people are driven just that much more, or have just a bit more knowledge because of ‘Paper Trail.’”
In the end, it was this influence and the valuable production lessons that Fewsmith feels made “Paper Trail” worthwhile. The team is grateful for the acknowledgement by the Television Academy, but to them the experience of creating such a unique show surpasses any other achievement.
“As much as I want to bring back BU’s first CTA, even if we don’t, where we’ve gotten so far has been more than enough of a payoff for the work that we’ve put in,” Fewsmith said.
Cavalieri agreed, and applauded the time and dedication put into the project by its entire crew.
“No matter the outcome,” he said, “they’re winners.”
