READING, PA- JUNE 9, 2020 – Pennsylvania Americana Region President, Crystal Seitz, along with Sebastian Nieves, Andrew Bilindabagabo, and LampHouse Films, are excited to announce Reading – A Love Letter is the 2020 Telly Award Online Commercial – Travel and Tourism Gold winner. The theme for this year’s competition was Telly Award Winners Tell Great Stories.
Reading – A Love Letter was the brainchild and passion project of Executive Producer, Director of Photography, and Story creator, Sebastian Nieves. LampHouse Films, the producer of the commercial, entered the film in The Telly Awards Competition. Nieves was both surprised and grateful to learn of the prestigous win from his friend and the film’s Director, and Executive Producer, Andrew Bilindabagado.
The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens. It is the premier award honoring the finest in film and video, and local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs. Now in its 41st year, The Telly Awards receive over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents, all committed to telling great stories.
Nieves addressed his desire to make the film and tell his story. “I felt a strong calling to give back to my community, the place that shaped me into the person I am today. My inspiration came from a street video of Reading shot in the 60s. For some reason, Reading has achieved a negative name since then. I wanted to show the world the reality of what my home has to offer. I pitched the idea to my friend and colleague, Andrew Bilindabagabo, and he ran with it. From there, Crystal Seitz of Pennsylvania’s Americana Region, Santo Marabella of Marabella Enterprises, and Lamp House Film got on board as producers. The project quickly snowballed and flourished! Today I am thrilled to be part of this strong community and especially proud that a film that showcases the vitality of Reading and Berks County achieved this recognition.”
Executive Producer Crystal Seitz shared, “As the visitors bureau, we were excited to support Sebastian in his journey to tell the story of Reading and Berks County to the rest of the world. He grew up here, moving from Columbia at a young age. Sebastian sees and believes in the beauty, the vitality, and the serenity that our destination has to offer. He came to me and asked for help to find the right people and locations to tell this story. We are very proud of him, and this commercial that shows our home so beautifully.”
Reading – A Love Story is used to promote Pennsylvania’s Americana Region, both locally and to visitors on social media and television. View the original 90-second version, or two shorter running versions, on the visitors bureau’s website, VisitPaAmericana.com, Youtube, and Vimeo.
Reading – A Love Story – 90 seconds
Reading – A Love Story – 30 seconds
Reading – A Love Story – 15 seconds
