News release Public Information Office  SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 4/30/04   SOUTHEASTERN CHANNEL WINS GOLD AWARD AT WORLDFEST-HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL c HAMMOND -- "Stan the Man: 1947-1964," a television documentary segment produced by the Southeastern Channel, the educational access channel for Southeastern Louisiana University, won a Gold Award at the 37th annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival awards gala held recently in Houston.       Written and produced by Rick Settoon, general manager of the Southeastern Channel, the segment is  part of "Fighting Lions: The Glory Years," a 90-minute documentary special on the history of Southeastern football airing on the channel.         The segment depicts the reign of legendary Lion football coach Stanley Galloway, the most glittering era in Southeastern football history when the Lions won six conference titles and were recognized as the top small college football program in Louisiana and one of the best in America.  Interviews with former Galloway players such as Oscar Lofton, T.C. Calmes, Huey Husser, Ray "Coon" Porta, and Billy Ladner highlight the feature along with vintage photographs and never-before-seen game footage from the era.       "Stan the Man" won in the category of "Television News and Documentary: Research and Writing," which included more than 1,200 entries from the major networks and documentary channels such as Discovery, The Learning Channel, ESPN, PBS, The History Channel, and National Geographic Television.        "Every major television producer and production company in the United States entered this festival," said Hunter Todd, chairman and founding director of WorldFest.  "For ‘Stan the Man’ to win against that level of competition is a tremendous accomplishment. The documentary brought an exceptional perception into Galloway's life and captured the spirit and essence of the man."       "This award shows that the Southeastern Channel produces high-quality programs on a level with the very best in the television industry," Settoon said. "We produced the documentary to celebrate the great heritage of Southeastern football with Lion fans everywhere, and we're pleased that it's had such a terrific response. Several individuals, including editor Paul Catalanotto, worked very hard on the project to make it a success."       In addition to writing the full-length documentary, Settoon was the primary researcher. Other researchers were Catalanotto and students Adam Anzalone of Hammond and Erin Lawrence of Pine Grove. Videotaping the program were Catalanotto and Todd Dunnington, operations manager of the channel. Cheryl Cannon was production secretary. Settoon narrated the documentary.       WorldFest-Houston is one of the world's largest awards programs for independent films and videos and is recognized as a prominent rival of the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival. There were over 4,500 total entries this year. The event is credited with early recognition of such directors as Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan", "Schindler's List"), Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon") and Ridley Scott ("Black Hawk Down", "Gladiator"). Scott has been quoted as saying, "WorldFest is in the business of validating excellence."       "Stan the Man" marks the seventh time Settoon has won top awards for documentary and feature work at WorldFest.  In 2002, he won both a first-place Platinum award and a second-place Gold Award for his "Ground Zero: After the Fall" documentary series.  In 1998, Settoon's television documentaries won first-place awards for both writing and film and video production and second-place honors for both reality-based and religious programs.       The Southeastern Channel can be found on Charter Cable Channel 18 in Tangipahoa and Livingston Parishes.