You Want Answers is a half-hour national TV show that provides answers to questions posed by viewers.

Recently, the show tackled this question: “Where can I find the best private school in the U.S.?”  

The answer? Keuka Park, N.Y.

That’s right. The staff at Innovative Media Productions in Boca Raton, Fla., the company that produces the show, picked Keuka College.

The College will be highlighted exclusively in a You Want Answers segment titled “Leaders of Tomorrow,” airing  in May on the Travel Channel.

“This is a tremendous achievement for the College and something in which all members of the Keuka family should take great pride,” said President Joseph G. Burke. “This was also a great opportunity in terms of exposure. The independent cable networks that aired this show have the ability to reach more than 80 million households.”

How did all this come about? In January, a former colleague of Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President informed her that the You Want Answers production team was planning an episode on education. Always looking for ways to garner exposure for the College, Marquis got on the phone to Boca Raton.

“It was a long shot, but I figured there was nothing to lose, so I contacted Innovative Media Productions, found out what the producers were looking for, and sent them all kinds of literature, photos, and videos about the College,” recalled Marquis.

This long shot paid off handsomely. Less than a week later, Marquis received word that Keuka had been selected to be showcased.

“There were a number of things we liked about Keuka College,” said Kris Zeisler, executive producer of You Want Answers. “We were impressed with the way Keuka prepares students by sending them out into the real world—the Field Period program. We also liked the academic programs and the relationship Keuka has with China. And then there’s the location. The campus is striking, which works well for the Travel Channel.”

Zeiser couldn’t pinpoint the exact of number of colleges and universities that were considered for the show but did say that typically the production company reviews from 5 to 25 candidates for segments such as this.

“For this segment, I would say it was closer to 25,” said Zeiser.

According to Zeiser, many factors are considered when selecting organizations to be featured on the show.

“First and foremost is reputation,” he explained. “Our reputation is on the line with every piece we do and we need to be confident in the fact that, if we feature an organization as one of the best from the area, they will indeed live up to that billing. Second, we need a storyline that will be able to grab and captivate the audience. And lastly, what are the visual elements that we can achieve with this piece. TV is a visual medium and without something extraordinary to shoot, even the best company will not make for good TV.”

The film crew came to Keuka Park on a blustery, windy day in mid-February but the campus still looked appealing through the camera lens. President Burke was interviewed along with members of the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. Among the scenes captured were students in the financial aid office, conducting experiments in a Jephson Science Center lab, in class, and socializing during lunch in the Geiser Refectory.

-- Doug Lippincott