Four radio-TV production seniors won the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters Show student competition, “War on the Floor” as part of the association’s annual conference and exhibition in Las Vegas. The conference is the world’s largest electronic media show and includes 800,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than 1,500 companies.
Drake was one of two universities whose student teams were selected through a nation-wide audition process to compete in “War on the Floor,” a technology scavenger hunt and video production competition.
Seniors, Lauren Staller, Rebecca Altenhofen, Eamonn Cogan, and Rachel Yancey were selected to compete against the team from Frostburg State University in Western Maryland. Professor Todd Evans served as the Drake team’s sponsor.
The opportunity exposed the students to elements of the broadcast and multimedia production industry that they were not familiar with and gave them an opportunity to hone their skills.
“Our greatest practice came in learning how to produce content on a strict deadline,” Yancey said. “Our group’s writing improved as we worked to create and deliver a cohesive package. We learned tips and tricks from the editors to help speed up the process.”
Students began their days with assignments that required them to capture an element of the multimedia and broadcasting industry. To complete their assignment, they had to explore the exhibits at the conference and utilize their equipment to the best of their abilities.
The students wrote, produced, edited and submitted a final piece to the “War on the Floor” producer at the end of each day. Their videos were shown online and on monitors around the conference.
“It was so rewarding to watch everyone’s reaction in the room while our piece aired live,” said Yancey.
When they weren’t in production, students attended a meeting with Sony Inc., after-parties associated with the show and a wrap-up dinner party with the production team.
The National Association of Broadcasting provided the students with Sony and Panasonic cameras, microphones and support gear for production, lighting equipment and Apple computers outfitted with Final Cut Suite for post production.
The “War on the Floor” producers set-up a viral campaign that allowed people to vote for their favorite team. Voting ran for a week and closed at midnight on Saturday, April 31. The Drake team then received an email announcing that they had won by popular vote.
“Winning this competition is the icing on the cake to choosing my major,” said Yancey. “Nothing quite compares to the opportunity I had to experience this conference.”
Magazine Students Network in NYC
RTV seniors weren’t the only students in the journalism school jet-setting across the country to network.
Eight magazine students traveled to New York City in April to meet with industry professionals and gain exposure to the inner-workings of titles such as “Glamour,” “Esquire,” “Fast Company” and “Food Network.” Jeff Inman, assistant professor of journalism, was responsible for leading the group.
Juniors, Jessica Anderson, Skylar Bergl, Clara Haneberg, Alex Masica, Lindsay Scarpello, Andi Summers and Joe Stych, and senior Kate Foley participated in this year’s trip.
The complete agenda is posted on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s website.