AWC Detroit Matrix Award winners announced

March 16, 2015 — Three exemplary communications professionals have been selected by the Association for Women in Communications Detroit Chapter as recipients of the organization’s prestigious Matrix Awards.

Marilyn Trent of Trent Creative will be honored with the Headliner Award which salutes a chapter member for outstanding personal and professional achievement; Wixom- based documentary filmmaker Keith Famie has been selected to receive the Diamond Award for portraying women positively in the media and Emily Hay, of Hay There Social Media will be recognized with a Vanguard Award for innovatively using a communications medium during the past year.

The trio will be celebrated at AWC Detroit’s annual Matrix Award’s presentation on Thursday, May 14 at The Community House in Birmingham. Keynoting the evening’s celebration will be Denise Ilitch, an integral member of Detroit’s business and philanthropic communities – serving as a business leader, devoted community servant, tireless advocate for women and children and supporter of many charitable causes. She is “Of Counsel” at Clark Hill PLC, where she advises clients in the areas of business practice, corporate law and government policy.

A dedicated AWC Detroit Chapter member, Trent founded her marketing and design company, Trent Creative in 1991. Focusing on innovative marketing and design that implements growth and economic development strategies through branding, web development and graphic design, Trent Creative has won 12 local and national awards during the past three years.

A Rochester resident, Trent serves on the Rochester Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors where she was named Volunteer of the Year. She also is co-founder of the Green City Committee, which assisted in organizing the first Michigan Earth Day Festival in downtown Rochester.

An Emmy award-winning director/producer, Famie is being honored for his recent documentary “The Embrace of Aging, the female perspective of growing old”- the second film of a trilogy exploring the aging process. A 13-episode series detailing what getting older signifies to women around the world, Famie’s documentary debuted on Detroit Public TV, WTVS (Channel 56) in October.

Well-known for his stint on the TV show “Survivor, the Australian Outback,” his work as a chef on the Food Network’s “Keith Famie’s Adventures,” and his culinary skills as a celebrity chef at popular metro Detroit restaurants; Famie began his journey into documentary filmmaking in 2004.

Hay is founder of Hay There Social Media and TweetTeamTM, delivering social media marketing services to a variety consumer-focused clients. She also is the co-creator of “Saving Face for Parents and Schools,” an online video program helping parents and educators coach tweens to become smart digital citizens.

A Birmingham resident, Hay is a public speaker, social media contributor to the Internet Advisor show on WJR 760 AM and a contributing professional on “Live in the D” airing on WDIV/NBC Detroit. She was named one of “30 in their 30s” by DBusiness magazine and one of “52 Empowering Women of 2013” by the WooHoo Radio Network. Hay is a volunteer with Challenge Detroit and a partner at Cornerstone Schools.

The public is invited to share in the celebration, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on May 14 at the Birmingham Community House. Tickets are $55 for AWC members, $65 for nonmembers and $40 for full-time students. For more information or to register, visit: www.womcomdetroit.org or call (866) 385-1784.

About the Association for Women in Communications – Detroit

The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) Detroit Chapter encourages collaboration among communications professionals while promoting and developing individual career goals. Membership is open to professionals and students in all disciplines of communications. Established in 1938, the chapter covers the state of Michigan and offers informative programs on shared practices and trends in communications, as well as networking opportunities.