On Friday, March 7, students from the Student Television Network (STN) and the School of Communication and STN2 alumni attended a workshop in Wilde Auditorium. STN is the extremely successful student club that produces a live half-hour news show every Friday during regular semesters. Because STN has been operating continuously for over 30 years, there is a broad network of UHart graduates who were members and leaders of STN. They have stayed in touch while moving on to successful and rewarding careers in news, media, sports, and other fields.
The event focused on digital media production exploring ways to improve the quality of the work that STN2 members do for their news stories. Current students showed their recent work and the alumni provided constructive suggestions for their stories to keep in mind for the future. Moderated by alumni leader John Pence, UHart graduates Rob Blanchard, Brad Cheney, Amanda Zwirn, Ben Wilcox and Aaron Fellman previewed the video segments and provided live feedback on ways to improve filming, editing, and curating the overall appearance of the work. Other topics discussed were interview questions and how to phrase them, what makes the best hook in a video segment, and how the use of graphics can heighten the effect for a story.
The second part of the event focused on networking and the alumni talking about their career paths. Audience members found the discussion very informative, hearing the graduates speak about what career choices they made that led them to where they are today. This was also an opportunity for alumni Nick Caito, Jeevan Vittal, Lee Simmons, and Ja'shell Smith, to share their advice and life experiences. Once the event concluded, everyone was invited to have light refreshments where the conversations continued. Students asked follow-up questions and networked with those in attendance.
The event was an overall success benefiting both current students and alumni. The current STN Executive Board and the School of Communication would like to thank everyone who participated in and attended this great event. STN plans to host this event annually for STN members and anyone at the University interested in journalism, TV news, and media production.
Contact STN General Manager Claire McMenamin at cmcmenamin@stn2.tv if you are a student interested in becoming a member of STN or learning more about the organization. STN has members from many majors across the University and welcomes students from any level from first year students to seniors.
Feel free to contact John Pence at john_pence@me.com if you are a UHart graduate who was a STN member and would like to get involved in the STN alumni group.