Student filmmaker wins year supply of yogurt

One Southern Oregon University video production team is tasting victory after winning a year supply of yogurt in a commercial creating contest.

SOU senior Jotham Porzio, 22, and his crew won a year supply of yogurt after winning a commercial contest for Yogurt Hut.

Porzio is choosing to split his 368 yogurts amongst his friends as a reward for lending their talents to the project.

“We split the yogurt four ways so that everyone could have an equal amount,” said Porzio. “It will be 90 more yogurts than I had last year.”

Porzio and his crew beat two other entries in the contest, creating a 30 second commercial with the theme of “make your masterpiece.”

Yogurt Hut has locations in Medford and Ashland, and opened the contest to filmmakers in the area in late October. Porzio decided to enter the contest after creating a flier advertising it while working at the Student Publicity Center on campus.

He decided to pull his friends together to create the “masterpiece.”  SOU theatre arts students Zach Meyers and Mallory Wedding acted in the commercial and SOU art student Cory Roberts created artwork that would win the foursome their frozen reward.

The commercial took two days to film and an additional two days to edit.  It will air on KOBI Channel 5 in the coming months and can be viewed by visiting youtube.com and searching “Yogurt Hut.”

Students may recognize the Southern Grounds coffee shop and the Marion Ady art building, which were used as backdrops for the commercial.

The first Yogurt Hut opened on Lithia Way in Ashland in 2009. In addition to a self-serve yogurt bar, Yogurt Hut also boasts an upstairs lounge with game tables and additional seating available for rent to parties or groups.

Porzio picked up his first free yogurt last week and found the number of possible topping combinations at Yogurt Hut to be a little more than he could handle.

“I had to leave Yogurt Hut and come back five minutes later with my decision,” said Porzio.

He ultimately chose a chocolate and vanilla yogurt which he topped with Oreo pieces, M&Ms and “too much chocolate.”

“Next time I’m gonna have to take a fruit approach.”