At Middle Tennessee State University, I had the opportunity to create and produce several genres of shows, from live sports to live-to-tape entertainment to broadcast journalism. I had never thought that I would like producing until I went to school, but the faculty and students at MTSU encouraged me to give it a shot. I originally came from a single-cam background, but didn't really want to direct or produce movies. I couldn't see myself as a singlecam director and I wanted to be more hands on than a single-cam producer.
From my first time producing a MTSU vs. Liberty basketball game, I was hooked. My favorite part was that I was able to tell the story of the show without having to write or direct.
The first three of these shows were directed by Stuart Beaton, my longtime friend and collaborator.
The Matchbox was my final capstone project at MTSU, where I completely created a multi-camera show from start to finish. Throughout the production, the project morphed from a historical and musical overview of Middle Tennessee State University's campus to a more laid-back journey through some of the best and brightest musical acts around Murfreesboro.
I am extremely proud and excited to say that The Matchbox won a Telly. I am very thankful for my amazing crew and the awesome talent.
This project taught me a lot about staying organized and effectively communicating, especially when explaining my vision for the show to others.
Since I graduated in an election year, I was fortunate enough to be able to associate produce "Vote 2024", the broadcast for MTSU's coverage of the national and local elections. I was working on this shoot concurrently with The Matchbox, and it was a nice challenge to
We won two Tellys, one for our coverage and another for our graphics package. The show also earned an Award of Excellence from the Broadcast Education Association.
One of the most challenging aspects of this show was its collaboration between MTSU's live production department and journalism department. Both sides had experience in broadcast production, but the language of broadcast journalism was different when compared to entertainment or sports. This was also the biggest crew I'd ever led, with over 80 students and staff working to provide three hours of election coverage. This shoot was also interesting because we had reporters stationed at the Democratic and Republican headquarters in Murfreesboro that did live hits throughout the show. Coordinating this large event required a lot of organizational skills, so I had to really up my game by heavily scheduling and organizing weekly production meetings.
Through classes at MTSU, we were given the opportunity to broadcast several MTSU volleyball games. One of my favorite parts of these shows was finding new ways to keep it fresh and interesting for the crew and our viewers. One thing I am especially proud of in this broadcast was the introduction of the "mic'd up" segment, where we put a lav on LA Tech's coach that we would bump up during the huddles.
I was able to spend my second-to-last college semester as the producer for season eight of Blue Raider Television's flagship show, The Wave. Blue Raider Television is MTSU's entirely student-run television organization, where students handle every aspect of production from concept to broadcast.
The Wave is a weekly music talk show that showcases local artists through live performances and in-depth interviews with our hosts. Each episode features musicians debuting new material or performing fan favorites, showcasing emerging talent in the Nashville music scene.
This role fundamentally shaped my understanding of production leadership. I learned to navigate the balance between maintaining high creative standards while meeting deadlines. The experience taught me how to lead with both compassion and authority.
I discovered that effective leadership in television production means fostering an environment where creativity can flourish within the structured demands of live broadcasting.
EPISODE 4
JVSTBLAKE
EPISODE 6
ROCKY LEROE AND THE ELSEWHERE
EPISODE 8
QUALLS
EPISODE 9
FUCHSIA