WS Chronicle

The team at IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind in the country, is staying red-carpet ready. The Winston-Salem based nonprofit has been part of three award-winning videos or documentaries this spring. Most recently, IFB was honored with the prestigious Telly Award for “The Perfect Summer: SEE Camps 2018,” a video about its SEE (Student Enrichment Experience) summer camps for children who are blind or visually impaired.

The SEE Summer Camp video was created and directed by IFB Solutions’ marketing content specialist Ben Daniels. It showcases the inspiring camp experiences, which are offered at no cost to the families and made possible with community support. The video received a Gold Award in the Craft Voiceover category made by a non-broadcast group and a Gold Award in the General Charity category. Voiceover for the video was provided by children from the Winston-Salem community and Killian, a SEE camp participant from Asheville, created the beat for the video’s opening music. Other charities that submitted videos to the competition included The Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

The Telly awards were established in 1979 to honor excellence in video and television across the screens. In IFB’s award categories, they are judged and voted by the Telly Awards Judging Council comprised of industry professionals who have all previously won the Telly Awards highest accolade.

“I’ve been involved with the television and video industry for nearly a decade, and it has always been my dream to win a Telly Award,” said Daniels. “To be recognized by your peers for great work is truly the highest honor anyone could receive.”

In April, “Blind Adventure Camp,” a documentary short about IFB’s SEE Adventure Camp along the Nantahala River, made its national debut at the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. Director Rod Murphy and former SEE camper Shareff Stewart spoke during a panel discussion following the screening about the importance of making films that celebrate the abilities and talents of young people who are blind.

In March, IFB Solutions was again profiled in a national documentary, “A Journey Home,” produced by Massif Films Production with Jared Cruce Studio. Massif, a world leader in flame-resistant apparel for the U.S. Military, also is a customer of IFB’s textiles manufacturing division. The film profiles IFB Solutions’ employees Lynn Drake, Roderick Wilson and Rick Gaefe, as well as other individuals also working for agencies who are part of National Industries for the Blind.

In May, the film was selected for the “Best of the Best” category at the Brand Film Festival held in New York City. It also won both a Gold and Silver Stevie Award in the Business Documentary and Corporate Social Responsibility categories in the 2019 American Business Awards. IFB Solutions’ senior director of corporate communications Nicole Ducouer and Daniels joined the Massif Film team for the Stevie Award presentation in New York City on June 11.

“People often tell us that IFB Solutions is one of the best-kept secrets in Winston-Salem,” said Ducouer. “These award-winning videos and films are great avenues for more people to become aware of the great work happening here, both on the manufacturing floor and out in the community, for people who are blind or visually impaired.”