Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Anna Paquin step out for College Television Awards

Nothing could have pleased me more than to be on the red carpet at the College Television Awards on Saturday, March 31st. Not only was I proud of my fellow students for being honored for their achievements in video, digital and film, but I also celebrated my birthday alongside some of my favorite stars from the small screen.

The College Television Awards is a national competition recognizing excellence in college student-produced video, digital and film work. Hundreds of students from across the country entered into the contest and this years winners were feted at a black-tie gala held at the Renaissance Hotel Hollywood in Hollywood, California. The students were presented their awards by celebrity presenters in various categories such as animation, comedy, drama, and more.

Serving as hosts for the evening were Franklin & Bash stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. Amongst this years presenters and guests were Anna Paquin from True Blood, Paul Blackthorne from The River, Eliza Coupe and Zachary Knighton from ABC’s Happy Endings, British beauty Cat Deeley, Tony Hale (Buster! from Arrested Development), and Lamorne Morris from New Girl.

My personal favorites of the night were Lamorne Morris, who claimed co-star Kali Hawk wanted to sleep with him, and Zack Morris, who didn’t hang around for too long because he had to attend to his hosting duties. All the stars offered the young and hungry students some nuggets of knowledge about the industry to help them out with their future careers.

“Stay true to yourselves,” Tony Hale told students about being an up-and-comer in the entertainment industry. “This business sometimes wants to put you in a mold and what’s setting you apart is yourself and what you bring to the table.”

So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deely added:

Work hard. I don’t think there are any shortcuts. I think its about working hard, preparing, and then enjoying the moment. Be in the moment.

Amongst the nights first place winners were Nicholas Dixon and Bree Evans in the comedy category for “Mr. Bellpond”, Julio Ramos in the drama category for “Carrerita, Doctor! A Doctor’s Job” and Dawn Schwartz in the documentary category for “World on a String.”

I’m looking forward to seeing this years winners become next years directors, producers, writers, and actors.

For the complete list of winners and video from the show, visit College TV Awards.

Photo Cred: Javier Salgado/AccidentalSexiness.com & Getty