Last week, we hosted our Production U summer camp. Thirty talented high school students joined us all week to experience the world of broadcast journalism. I was in their shoes just five short years ago in 2012, when I myself joined PBS39 for Production U. All of the students who joined us showed passion and talents in the field throughout the week.
This year, Production U had 30 students, which was the largest group on record! The group divided into three teams: Good Morning Easton; Lehigh Valley Rewind; and Neighborhood News, with each broadcast having a different theme. The students choose their positions for the week based on their particular talents and interests. It was fun to be behind-the-scenes, watching the students interact with our staff. Just watching, you can really see the types of bonds that are formed in our office. The students and staff worked together fantastically to create three outstanding broadcasts.
An interesting note: this year was the first time in the program’s history that students worked with a graphics specialist in PBS39 and ASR Media Productions' Parker Bourassa. The teams worked with Parker to develop introductions for each of their programs. Each team used Parker’s assistance and experience differently, but each intro was fantastic in its own way.
Students visited Easton Public Market, local cafes, the Da Vinci Science Center, the National Museum of Industrial History, the Sigal Museum and more. The interviews and videography were executed with techniques that matched the professional quality that is typically aired by PBS39. These students were the real deal.
At the end of the week, we held a viewing party where friends and family were invited to watch the broadcasts. The crowd was much larger than we expected, and we even had to add chairs! The PBS39 staff raved about this group of students, and assured their loved ones of the promise and talent that each and every one of the students showed.
It was a fun week for all. The PBS39 staff looks forward to opening up their day-to-day lives to these students, and to share their passions, every year. In the end, the students leave each year with more and more insight into the world of broadcast journalism.
