By: Mick Tidrow | @mick_tidrow17
Sophomore Broadcaster/Producer/Editor
Ball State Sports Link
In college, and especially at Ball State, students are presented with many opportunities they would not have thought possible when they first step foot on campus.
In the second year under President Ferguson, the University partnered with the TCOM department and provided students with an opportunity that has never been done before.
As August rolled around and classes began for the fall semester of this year, students were getting back into the groove and flow of the college life while gaining experience outside of the classroom.
While taking 17 credits, it is easy to get flustered with courses while working outside of the classroom to gain experience in the field of your interest. In my case, becoming a sports broadcaster and digital sports producer.
During the busy times of the semester, things seem to heat up even more and the opportunities continue to grow.
This is when Chris Taylor approached Zac Miklusak and me about an opportunity that would be the first of its kind at Ball State — allow students to produce 30 second commercials to represent the University. CT asked us what we thought of the idea, and we both could not pass up the opportunity.
Once we got started with the preproduction and planning, we asked fellow classmates of Sports Link, as well as the student-athletes, to write a letter to Ball State depicting what the University means to them.
After the script was completed, we started working with athletics to select athletes to represent all 19 sports at Ball State. In late October, we completed a 10-hour day by having the student-athletes recite the scripts and participate in a candid shoot.
After the shoot was done, Zac and I started to ingest our footage. During the process, we looked at each other knowing one commercial would not be enough to portray the meaning we were looking for. We decided creating three would fit the script best, instead of just one.
Zac and I would like to thank President Ferguson and Julie Hopwood, who is the Interim Vice President for Strategic Communications and Senior Advisor to the President, for presenting the opportunity for us to portray Ball State through the eyes of students.
We also would not be able to do this without the tremendous support of the Athletic Department, especially Athletic Director Mark Sandy, Associate A.D. for Strategic Communications Mike Clark and Assistant A.D. for Marketing and Fan Development Shawn Sullivan.
We would also like to thank the SIDs who make it possible for us to work with the athletes on a daily basis and provide us with the opportunities to share their stories. Thank you to Brad Caudill, Tyson Mathews, Paula Haughn and Jenna Jorgenson.
A special thank you to TCOM Department Chair Tim Pollard for working with the President’s Office and making this opportunity possible. Thank you to the directors of Sports Link, Chris Taylor and Alex Kartman, for working with us throughout the entire process and supporting the vision we had for these commercials.
The opportunities are endless here at Ball State. I am thankful for the chance to don the Cardinal Red and White, and the first year and a half has been one to remember.
The experience of working on the commercials has been humbling.
Thank you, Ball State.
