By Joni BoydThursday 26 Sep 2024#FollowingTheChosenPodcastsReading Time: 4 minutes
We’re pretty excited, here at Hopeland Headquarters…
Key Points
- Ben McEachen, Laura Bennett, Derrick Yeoh and Christian Valenzuela were awarded the Compelling Content award for #FollowingTheChosen.
- Brendan Jaensch and Danniebelle Whippy won Emerging Talent for Hope Breakfast.
- “Tell me a year ago that we’d be doing this and I would’ve laughed,” Danniebelle said.
Because – WE WON!
Last night, leaders in Australia’s Christian media gathered in Queensland for the 2024 Excellence in Media Awards.
Winners were announced at CONNECT24 on the Gold Coast, recognising the vision, passion, skill and effort of people and organisations across Australia, seeking to share the hope of Jesus through media and the arts.
Ben McEachen, Laura Bennett, Derrick Yeoh and Christian Valenzuela were awarded the Compelling Content award for #FollowingTheChosen.
Ben McEachen, Laura Bennett, Derrick Yeoh and Christian Valenzuela were awarded the Compelling Content award for #FollowingTheChosen, while Brendan Jaensch and Danniebelle Whippy won Emerging Talent for Hope Breakfast!
“Thanks a lot to Christian Media & Arts Australia for bestowing our ‘Following The Chosen’ podcast with such a gong at tonight’s ‘Excellence in Media’ Awards at Surfers Paradise,” Ben said.
“We would like to thank God, Jesus, the other fans of ‘The Chosen’ who share in our podcast discussions about each episode of the show, and Dallas Jenkins for creating an awesome TV series that provides so much spiritual and pop cultural conversations – with nourishment for faith.”
L-R: Christian, Ben, Derrick and Laura (not pictured) won Compelling Content for #FollowingTheChosen, while Danniebelle and Brendan won Emerging Talent for Hope Breakfast.
“What fun!” Laura said.
“Thanks for the recognition, Media Arts Australia! Well done team.”
While we’re at it, if you haven’t yet heard this ‘award winning’ podcast, now’s your chance to have a listen! Catch all the episodes of #FollowingTheChosen in the Hope 103.2 app, wherever you get your podcasts, or right here.
Brendan Jaensch and Danniebelle Whippy won Emerging Talent for Hope Breakfast.
Brendan and Danniebelle were – as you can probably guess – ecstatic!
“Thank you so much CMAA for this incredible opportunity, thank you to Hope Media team,” Danniebelle said when the award was announced.
“Tell me a year ago that we’d be doing this and I would’ve laughed at the suggestion but by the grace of God we get to stand here and share the hope of Jesus to our listeners.”
L-R: Brendan, Danniebelle, Dwayne, Ramona, Claire, Pat, Travis (foreground) and Ben (not pictured) had a great time, meeting other Aussie Christians, working to share the Gospel through media.
“We talk about highs and lows a lot on the show,” Brendan said in his acceptance speech.
“Here we are, first time at CMAA and just a bit overwhelmed at God’s kindness, orchestration and what He does.”
Christian Valenzuela is the Video Producer for #FollowingTheChosen. And despite being one of the most humble people around town, he said he wasn’t surprised by the win.
“To be honest, the team put so much work into making the show engaging and entertaining, and the engagement we saw online really reflects that,” he said.
“When I found out about the win, I was just so happy for Ben, Laura and Derrick.
“As I said they put in a lot of work and allowed me to play with their ideas and stretch my creativity.
“Tell me a year ago that we’d be doing this and I would’ve laughed,” Danniebelle said.
“Also excited for the future! The Chosen has a few more seasons to go and just launched a bunch of new shows, so I’m excited to see us grow even more.”
As the Hope 103.2 Audio Producer, Derrick Yeoh works tirelessly to ensure podcast episodes drop on time and to a (very!) high standard.
“Pumped that the industry recognised #FollowingTheChosen,” he said.
The excitement was contagious, at the CMAA Excellence in Media Awards!
“Its multi-platform approach was geared towards giving its audience what it wanted.
“The recognition is very edifying because it is testament to the ‘all in’ nature of the team and how we’ve challenged each other to push boundaries and to try different ideas.
“Very grateful for the recognition but even more so, grateful for the generous spirit we have within the team.”
“We would like to thank God, Jesus, the other fans of ‘The Chosen’… and Dallas Jenkins for creating an awesome TV series that provides so much spiritual and pop cultural conversations – with nourishment for faith,” Ben said.
Other winners of the awards, which were announced at the ceremony on September 24, include PositiveMedia, James Baker, Sonshine, Adventist Media, Australian TV & Media Group, 96five Family Radio, Gympie’s Positive 91FIVE, Andrew Fraser, Deb Bye, Mal Fletcher and Colin Buchanan.
“Pray we get to do this for many more years, this is only the beginning,” Danniebelle said.
Amen to that!
Tune into Hope 103.2 from 6am-9am weekdays to catch up with Brendan and Danniebelle on Hope Breakfast or check out #FollowingTheChosen on the Hope 103.2 app or wherever you get your podcasts.
All photos supplied and used with permission.