We are officially through show #2 for this semester of Mountaineer Playbook, and I’m really happy with how the show turned out this week. I think my experiences going into show #2 have helped a lot with my growth as a producer, and I believe that comfort will help me do better at every aspect of my responsibilities in the future.
After we finished show #1, we instantly knew it would be a challenge for everyone since we were losing time to fall break. Not only did we have extra time going into our first show, but everyone’s stories would need to be done and turned in a day earlier than usual, which made it a time crunch to be able to gather content. While we didn’t take a huge leap after last show, I was happy with what everyone was able to do, considering how little time they had.
One thing I was happy I got to do over the weekend in preparation for the next show was go out and get content with our adventure reporter, Brandon. While that meant I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday when I needed to get the script done, I was glad I got to do it. Not only was it my first time at Coopers Rock, but I was happy to take what I’ve learned through producing and give it to a reporter in real time.
The thing I was most nervous about going into this week was our actual show day in the TV studio. I check the script and all my other responsibilities a million times before I submit them, but being live and knowing I need to do my job well or I mess it up for everyone else is terrifying. One thing that instantly helped was that I felt a lot more prepared going into the studio. I had a meeting with Dean Dahlia on Tuesday to go over my script markings instead of before the show and having that extra time between helped me get a better understanding of everything I needed to do.
I knew everything I had to take care of before the whole crew showed up, like hanging up rundowns, and once they did, I quickly got through what other changes needed to be made so we could get started. It is also a lot easier when I see our anchors and on-set reporters when I show up. They brought the energy and confidence that I feel rubbed off on everyone else. I can’t express enough how helpful it is to have everyone around me so determined to succeed.
I was proud of our final take for show #2, especially since we only did two takes for the day. I must give a lot of credit to our director, Logan, for this as well, because he was on top of everything in the studio, and him having us practice some parts of the show beforehand made doing them live so easy. I gained a lot of confidence in some of my worst aspects in the studio, and I think our future shows will be so much easier. The team chemistry is there and improving with each week.
In the future, I need to work on being prepared for everything I am responsible for the entire time between being in the studio to the next recording. I knew this class would feel more like a full-time job, and I need to improve on scheduling and completing everything for this class and others. I think everything else will come in time, and I am really excited for what’s in store for show #3 and beyond.