It is crazy to think that we have already finished our first show! Everyone was nervous going into it, but given the circumstances, I think we did a good job. There were a few technical and communication errors, but we worked through them and got better each take. Even with the errors, the communication improved as the show went on, and we had fun with it. I think that was one of the biggest things I learned from our first show. Not everything will go perfectly, and you must stay calm, communicate, and keep moving forward.
During our fix day on Monday, it was brought to my attention that I messed up a CG in the script. I couldn’t believe I made that mistake, especially because I thought I had checked everything. As a producer, paying attention to detail is important, so it was frustrating to realize I had missed something. However, I didn’t let it get me down, and I kept moving forward. It was a good reminder to triple-check everything. There is no time to hesitate in Playbook; you must move on and keep getting better.
I have what some would call imposter syndrome. Sometimes I feel like I do not deserve to be in this spot. It is surreal to know that I was chosen as the producer of Mountaineer Playbook. Although I am my own biggest critic, I need to learn how to trust myself and have faith in my abilities. I feel like I have really grown in that area over the past two weeks. I was chosen for this position for a reason. I tend to doubt my writing abilities, but receiving feedback on my first script helped me realize that I have room to grow, and that is okay. I learned a lot from the feedback I received, and I know I can take what I learned and apply it to my second script. I am excited to see how much I can improve and grow as a writer throughout this experience.
I was nervous going into the first show, but coming out of it, I felt more confident in my abilities. It honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I still have a lot to improve upon, but I think I did a decent job for my first attempt. More than anything, I learned how important communication is in this position. When everyone is communicating, it makes everything feel less stressful and helps the entire team stay on the same page.
Throughout this experience, I am grateful to be working with the associate producer, Nathan Harrold. We work very well together, and it has been fun so far. Between the writing conferences and the long night of our producer meeting, we have been able to keep pushing each other to do our best while still reminding each other to have fun. We were also able to work on filming two VOs together. In one of our stories, we went to Kendrick Family Ballpark to film the WVU Baseball team for fall ball. We had the shots we needed early on but stayed and kept filming more because of how much fun we were having. Moments like that have made this experience even more enjoyable.
Overall, I am more excited going into our second show because I know what to expect. I know that as a team, we can make the next show even better than the first. I think we all work well together, and I cannot wait to continue growing with them. We are a family here at Mountaineer Playbook, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish together.