Each week, students host and produce Ferris Out Loud in the IRC’s television production studio.
Ferris Out Loud is a student-run talk show that discusses major issues and events going on around campus. Last week, topics included Ferris’ $18.6 million dollar refund, students travelling out of the country and the policies on smoking and drinking on campus.
Sports communication junior Victoria Hudgins, plastics engineering senior Orv Brow, sports communication major Richard Hatcher and a rotating cast of public relations seniors host the show.
Relatively new to the show, Hudgins jumped at the chance to gain experience as on-camera host when approached by a television and digital media production (TDMP) student about auditioning.
“Being a sports communications major, I want to go into broadcasting for sports,” Hudgins said. “If that doesn’t work, I’m hoping to anchor on a news station or do something with television. So when I found this opportunity I thought, ‘What better thing than to do this and have this on a video reel in case I need it in the future?’ Just to have this experience under my belt and kind of use that to push me forward in my career.”
This production isn’t only an opportunity for the people in front of the camera though. TDMP students produce the show for credit in their TDMP 385 studio production class. Last week’s Ferris Out Loud producer was TDMP junior Trevor Quist.
“After it’s over, the lights come on and the show’s done, at least for another week. There’s a big wave of relief and pride because we did it,” Quist said. “Just having your work and showing it to other people is awesome.”
TDMP professor Glen Okonoski explained his favorite part of the process is helping students deal with the fast pace of production.
“It creates for them a great learning opportunity and a lot of pressure under which to try to learn,” Okonoski said. “This experience closely resembles live television production the students may experience during their careers.”
Although the learning experience differs for each student, Hudgins couldn’t be happier with how everybody works together to create the finished project.
“The communication has been great, we haven’t run into any issues,” Hudgins said, “everybody is so friendly and so welcoming when I come in the room. They’re excited to have us and we’re excited that they’re letting us do this and I think it’s just a great, mutual, friendship.”
When all is said and done, Hudgins is just happy to have the chance to practice something that could further her career while simultaneously having fun and meeting new people.
“They are so fun to talk to and they just make the show such a light atmosphere,” Hudgins said. “I don’t feel like I’m sitting down and shooting a show, it’s more like coming here to sit down and have a conversation with some friends. I think that easy comfortableness really makes it fun.”
Full episodes of Ferris Out Loud air weekly on local cable and can streamed at vimeo.com/ferrisstatetv.
