The North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts (NCAOC) received a Silver Award for excellence in non-broadcast video in the 43rd Annual Telly Awards. The video, Next Steps: Considering Custody Mediation, was produced in 2021 to serve North Carolina families involved in custody mediation. The video was produced by a partnership between the NCAOC Child Custody and Visitation Mediation Program, Minnow Media, and PBS North Carolina to help parents better understanding their options for child custody. The video is part of the new domestic violence screening protocol which is being piloted in Durham County.

“We are honored by this award,” said Stephanie Smith, manager of the Child Custody and Visitation Mediation Program. “The video provides information for parties who have been waived from mediation due to the presence of domestic violence but have the ability to opt-in to the process. We want these vulnerable parties to make an informed choice about their next steps.”

The video features interviews with judges, custody mediation professionals, and domestic violence advocates, and a mock support group. The video is available now as part of a library of online resources offered by the NCAOC.

The award presentation, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was made during a meeting in November at the North Carolina Judicial Center in Raleigh. In addition to NCAOC, those recognized included Stephanie Smith, Court Management Specialist Kari Marvin, Custody Mediation Intern Abigail Ware, New Hanover County Chief District Court Judge Jay Corpening, Durham County Chief District Court Judge Patricia Evans, Durham County Court Administrator Nikki Smith, Producer and Editor Donna Campbell with Minnow Media, Nisha Williams, legal director for the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Jackie and Yasmin Metivier with Bilingual Communications.

About Telly Awards
Established in 1979, the Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies including Adobe, Netflix, Dow Jones, Complex Networks, Jennifer Garner, A&E Networks, Hearst Media, Nickelodeon, ESPN Films, RYOT, Partizan and Vimeo.

Last year, The Telly Awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Netflix, Jennifer Garner, HBO Latin America, Microsoft, RadicalMedia, Condé Nast, Adobe, Nickelodeon, and Partizan.