Culture OC's Collaboration with PBS SoCal Wins Award at the Southern California Journalism Awards

Paul Hodgins, left, and PBS SoCal win an award for their collaboration of a profile of Carl St.Clair. Photo courtesy of Pacific Symphony

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Paul Hodgins, publisher of Culture OC, recently earned first place in the category Entertainment News or Feature (Over 5 Minutes) at the 67th annual Southern California Journalism Awards on June 22. The event was hosted by the Los Angeles Press Club. The win was shared with Maria Hall Brown, Al Magallon and Kevin King of PBS SoCal for their profile “Under the Baton: Pacific Symphony's Carl St. Clair.”

The announcement for the award for Entertainment News or Feature (Over 5 Minutes) is projected on the screen at the Southern California Journalism Awards. Photo courtesy of Maria Hall Brown

In “Under the Baton,” Hodgins interviewed St.Clair about his 35-year tenure at the helm of the orchestra. He also interviewed orchestra members, former Pacific Symphony board president John Evans and the orchestra’s president, John Forsyte, about St.Clair’s influence on the orchestra since he assumed the position in 1990. As Pacific Symphony prepares to welcome its next music director, Alexander Shelley, this production placed St.Clair’s work and legacy in perspective as he passes the baton.

The judges' said: "In 'Under the Baton,' the PBS SoCal team tells a rich story using animated interviews and a combination of recent and archive footage, all set to the soundtrack of the Pacific Symphony's own music. The final product is a delightful and well-told story."

Culture OC contributed to the project with a series of three articles:

Part 1: An Ambitious Young Orchestra Survives Some Growing Pains

Part 2: Growth, Turmoil, Tragedy and Triumph

Part 3: Finding a New Conductor for Changing Times

This project was made possible with a grant from the Orange County Community Foundation.

Click here to read the full list of winners.