Three multimedia film production students head to Las Vegas for annual Broadcast Education Association conference

Three students in Georgia Southern University’s multimedia and film production (MMFP) program will take part in the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) annual conference in Las Vegas April 17-21. The conference brings more than 1,000 people from hundreds of institutions together to discuss the media industry and what they have learned from their own projects.

Multimedia and film production Professor Matthew Hashiguchi says participation in the BEA conference is just one example of the MMFP program’s commitment to experiential learning. 

“Technical skill is important, but we want to also develop the voices of our students,” said Hashiguchi. “That’s what makes our program unique. We really focus on giving students experiences so they can find what areas speak to them and then we support them as they pursue their passion.”

As he heads to the BEA conference, MMFP student Ethan Bridger says the focus on hands-on learning has made all the difference in his own growth as a multimedia artist.

“In this field, you have to get out there and create,” said Bridger. “You have to be able to do the work, so it’s great that we have so many opportunities to go our own way and get what we want out of the degree versus following a strict curriculum.”

Alex Lee is among 100 students across the country chosen as a Radio Advertising Bureau scholar to receive complimentary registration for the BEA conference. Lee echoes the sentiment that creating original work, rather than just studying the work of others, helps students find the right career path while in the MMFP program.

“I began the program thinking I would focus on cinematography and video work,” said Lee. “Now that I am about to graduate, I am leaving with a focus on sound design and scriptwriting. It’s a complete flip in direction and I figured it out through the experiences I have been able to have in the program.”

The work of Georgia Southern’s MMFP students and faculty has already caught the eye of BEA members even before the conference began. Recently, Dominic Thomas earned an award of excellence in narrative audio from the BEA for the podcast episode “Through the Storm.” Bae Allen garnered a BEA award of excellence for short-form documentary for “Armadillo Olympics.” Joshua Johnson, Bud Poulos, Ethan Bridger and Chandler Crosby’s work on a texting and driving prevention campaign with the Bulloch County Fire Department came in second place in the BEA spots category. Hashiguchi earned best of competition in the faculty documentary category.