The Mountaineer Playbook crew received their roles for the show in late January. I was thrilled to learn that I had been selected as the producer and would be working alongside my friend Tyler Carlbon, the associate producer and director of Mountaineer Playbook. As soon as our positions were announced, everyone got to work on their stories for the first show. While my classmates secured interviews, captured footage, and edited their segments, I reviewed scripts from previous Playbook episodes and prepared for my first producer’s assignment. In the days leading up to our first show, I had several tasks and meetings to complete, including attending writing conferences and production meetings, scriptwriting, making last-minute fixes, and rehearsing with the show’s anchors.
Our writing conferences on Wednesday, the week before the show, gave me my first opportunity to see how the reporters' stories were coming together. Professor Scatterday led these meetings by first reviewing the scripts with the reporters, then watching their videos and providing feedback. At the end of each conference, he always gave me a moment to share any suggestions I had. Observing him firsthand gave me valuable insight into what to look for in future conferences. After the conferences, Professor Scatterday and I met with Professor Trinone and Tyler, to review the entire day's work. This meeting gave us a rough idea of how the final show might come together.
The next day, after all the reporters submitted their final stories for review, I attended a producers' meeting with the professors. Together, we watched each video in its entirety, and I transcribed fix notes for everyone. We wrapped up the meeting by deciding which reporters’ stories would be featured in the production. After organizing the lineup, I sent out a message to the entire crew announcing who made the show. While the reporters had the weekend off to reset—or to get a head start on their next story—my work had just begun.
On Friday, Tyler and I worked straight through the afternoon to create the A-block, our largest section of the show. After about five hours, I had to step away for a break—I noticed my writing was suffering, and I knew a fresh mind would make a great difference. To stay efficient, Tyler and I divided the work: he wrote the B-block while I worked on the C-block. On Saturday, we reconvened to review and time out our script. This entire writing process was crucial to my development as a producer. Now, I have a game plan for creating future scripts and am excited to put it into action.
I received nearly 100 lines of feedback from my professors on how to improve my script writing and formatting. This feedback is invaluable to me as a producer. There were many aspects of script creation I hadn’t realized until I received their notes. For the next show, I will focus on writing in a more active voice and improving script formatting. I will also craft more detailed anchor leads and returns to enhance the overall flow of the show.
With each passing day leading up to production, my excitement and anxiety grew. I arrived at the Waterfront Studio expecting Dean Dahlia to booth the first take, but last-minute changes shifted that responsibility to me. At first, the sudden change made me even more nervous, but once the show got underway, I felt much more in control. Tyler, now stepping into his director role, set the pace for the control room, and I quickly matched his rhythm with my tasks. By our second taping, the entire process ran much smoother, and I felt confident in my role as producer.
Afterward, Dean Dahlia complimented my performance and even tasked me with coaching Tyler on how to produce for our final take. While keeping track of the live production, I guided my classmate and adjusted to Sean Petraitis, the new director, setting a different pace. I knew I had found my rhythm because I was able to handle these new challenges with ease and confidence.
I was thrilled with the entire team's efforts and how smoothly our taping of episode 1 of Mountaineer Playbook went. Seeing everyone’s hard work come together in a well-orchestrated production has inspired me to keep pushing forward with our upcoming shows.