Millikin Art and Creative Media students earn regional, district American Advertising Awards

DECATUR, Ill. – students earned major recognition at the , winning seven Gold ADDYs and eight Silver ADDYs across regional and district levels. 

The American Advertising Awards, also known as the ADDYs, are one of the advertising industry’s largest creative competitions, attracting nearly 35,000 professional and student entries annually through local club competitions. The awards recognize and reward creative excellence in advertising, with Gold ADDY winners advancing from local and regional competitions to district-level judging. 

Millikin students competed in the at the regional level, and gold-winning entries advanced to the district competition, where students competed against work from Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. 

Among ���������� top honorees were junior Film majors Kenley Dufresne and Dallas Wuoremna, who earned multiple Gold ADDY awards for projects that showcased their storytelling, photography, and filmmaking skills. 

Dufresne earned regional Gold ADDYs for his short film “Adagio” and still photography series “On the Run.” Both projects went on to receive Silver ADDYs at the district level. 

“Adagio,” created during a Cinematography course, follows someone trying to find themselves after a devastating breakup and a broader sense of emotional disconnection. Dufresne wrote, directed, edited, and acted in the film and composed the music. 

“It was pretty much a whole semester process of building the script, finding the right actors, and a whole editing process,” Dufresne said. “And I made the music for it too, so that was a whole thing of its own.” 

The project was filmed entirely on ���������� campus, with Dufresne building the set in a room at 1901 Productions. Directing himself added another layer of challenge. 

“It helps because sometimes if you know how you would like the character to be portrayed, it’s very easy in comparison to someone else,” Dufresne said. “But when directing the whole crew, that’s when it becomes different because sometimes you need to see things from an outside point of view.” 

His award-winning photography series “On the Run” was created for a Storytelling assignment and depicts a stylized 1990s-inspired crime scene. The series was built through careful prop selection, lighting, and self-portrait photography. 

“It was just picking those things out that fit the story the best and scrambling in a way,” Dufresne said. “I think that’s what (Film and Art Instructor) Johnny Power was really wanting to get from us — was like, ‘Tell a story.’” 

Wuoremna earned three regional Gold ADDYs in still photography for her “Maggie” projects, including single-image and series entries. The work featured model Maggie Brockland in a range of styled scenes. 

“It was for my Commercial Photography class, which I took last fall, and we had the same model all year, and her name is Maggie,” Wuoremna said. “I didn’t know what to call them, so I called them Maggie.” 

Wuoremna described the images as portraits of Maggie in striking costumes and visual settings, including a bridal-themed shoot with smudged makeup and a noir-inspired portrait. 

Photography has been a longtime interest for Wuoremna, who said she was drawn to visual composition at a young age before later developing a love for film, storytelling, and media. 

“I’ve always known how to frame something,” Wuoremna said. “Film came from my love of movies. I’ve always liked media.” 

Both Dufresne and Wuoremna credited ���������� hands-on approach and faculty guidance for helping them develop their creative work. The two are also involved with 1901 Productions, ���������� student-run film production company, where Wuoremna has served as First Assistant Director and Dufresne has worked as a First Assistant Camera and Camera Operator.