Video Photojournalism Division Judges

Indira LeVine

Indira LeVine is a creative, dedicated, multi-platform journalist, storyteller and content creator with two decades of experience in TV news. Before she joined the team at NBC Washington, she rose through the ranks to become the first female Chief Photographer at Fox 5 News in Washington, DC. Indira started in TV in Charleston, SC in the studio as a camera operator then editor/tape operator. Finally, her dream of becoming a photographer came true at WCBD in 2003. After some time there, she transferred to WFLA in Tampa, Florida eventually moving to DC in 2012. She loves learning new equipment, planning & working on large scale events and breaking news. Indira lives by her own motto: "Do only what you absolutely love to do so that it never becomes work."

Whitney Shefte

Whitney Shefte is a Peabody, Murrow and Emmy Award-winning senior video journalist at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2006. Whitney has documented climate change in Greenland, the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara, press access issues in Pakistan, myriad issues across the United States, and most recently, the war in Ukraine. She has served as the president of WHNPA since 2015. Whitney is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication where she concentrated in photojournalism. She lives in Washington, DC.

Mike Castellucci

Mike just returned from London where he was asked to be the Opening Keynote Address on the MojoFest Stage inside the London Media Production and Technology Show. Mike’s stories are featured around the world. His brand of storytelling just won him the National Edward R. Murrow award in New York City. He has been awarded 29 regional Emmys and is the current Video Journalist Emmy winner in the Michigan region. And he does it differently. He uses only his phone, entirely. Mike has become the pioneer in new technology storytelling and has broken the glass ceiling of storytelling with his phone.

Adam Vance

Adam Vance is a co-director of the NPPA News Video Workshop. Born in Saigon during the Vietnam War, Adam was orphaned and brought to America as part of Operation Baby-Lift. He was raised in New Mexico where he began his journalist career as a still photographer for the Gallup Independent while still in high school.

Adam has a mass communication degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. While pursuing his degree, he continued to work as a journalist with both the Amarillo Globe News and Scene 3 News.

Immediately following graduation he was hired by Albuquerque’s NBC affiliate KOB-TV. Later on, he joined KOAT-TV before embarking to Tampa with his wife Paulette. As a special projects photojournalist/editor and satellite truck operator for 10News/WTSP.COM, Adam had the opportunity to bring the Tampa Bay viewers multiple national stories including NASA launches, huge sporting events like Super Bowls, World Series, and Stanley Cup Championships along with countless hurricanes.

He then embarked to Denver and joined KUSA-TV as their News Operations Manager, Chief Drone Pilot, Chief Editor and Photojournalist. He shoots and edits while also being in charge of the logistics of getting the news on the air. Adam is a logistical expert and one who likes to solve your technical needs. As a storyteller, Adam loves to offer viewers a unique perspective by putting a camera where you normally cannot.

Now he has rejoined the WTSP-TV back in Tampa and helping the Bay area tell stories of tragedies as well as triumph.

First Round Judges, Video Photojournalism Division

Nathan Aaron
Taimy Alvarez
Kurt Austin
Tom Cole
Chris Conte
Michael DelGiudice
Scott DePuy
Martin Doporto
Anthony Durso
Jacob Garcia
Michael Grady
Anne Herbst
Joseph Huerta
Mike Humphries
Jaleesa Irizarry
Emily Kallmyer
Steve Kaufmann
Frank Koumaros
Kelsey Kremer
Ruth Morton
Brandon Mowry
Zoeann Murphy
Ben Otte
Bridgette Pacholka
Curt Pair
Mike Perry
Leah Pezzetti
Erica Proffer
Eric Sander
Tanner Siegworth
Andrew Smith
Kevin Sullivan
Katie Tarasov
Nathan Vickers
Nick Wagner
Derek Waldrip
bryan wendland
Josh Whitston
John Wilson
Chris Womack
Ben Worsley