Students learn of available opportunities in the media field

On Friday, October 16, the New Albany High School Journalism and Digital Media II classes of Lee Ann Thompson and Chris Russell visited the campus of Mississippi State University.

Students toured the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex and were introduced to the Director of Athletic Filming and his staff. Director Brock Dulaney encouraged the students to apply for scholarship positions with his staff and spoke with them about the duties his staff performs for the MSU football team on a daily basis. Students were shown videos that the Athletic Filming department creates daily, weekly and annually to educate players, help coaches with diagnostics, and for recruitment purposes.

Students then toured the new Hail State Production offices, where they were introduced to the staff of that department. This group of professionals and their student staff showed the students how they create daily videos and photos which are used to feed social media and generate hype and spirit among the fan base. This division of Hail State calls themselves “post-production” and they promote every athletic group on campus and post multiple times per day on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The other division of Hail State production handles “in house” programming of the game day experience within Davis Wade Stadium. This staff of professionals and students prepare and work all of the video boards, jumbotrons, instant replays and all videos shown throughout the stadium before, during and after each game.

During each part of the tour, the staff put emphasized the types of technology that is used, cameras, editing programs and lighting. All of the students were reminded that almost every SEC school has similar departments that are seeking students who are experienced with technology and willing to work, and that scholarships are available at all of those schools for students just like them. Due to the development of the SEC Network by ESPN, each SEC school has had to create these departments which generate much of the content shown during those games. In addition to filler content, much of the time, it is departments such as Hail State that are actually doing all of the legwork for the network. This is only the third year that any of these departments have existed, so they are using the newest technology and are being run by young, energetic professionals. Students were excited about the possibilities that are out there for them and made great connections on this trip.