University alumni now working at Sports Studio Productions in Los Angeles will hold a production workshop on Friday for film-TV-digital media majors.
Sports Studio Productions, owned by Mark Ellis, produces sports action scenes for feature films, television shows and commercials and will help prepare students for a company casting call and commercial production this weekend.
Jessi Moore, assistant sports coordinator for Sports Studio Productions, said that with the assistance of university FTDM majors, the company would be looking for athletic actors to star in a promotional commercial for the company that will feature sport action clips.
Participating university FTDM majors will be responsible for assisting with the entire process of production, Moore, a 2005 university graduate, said. This includes aspects of scene and wardrobe selection, directing, shooting and producing.
Julie Harrison, a sophomore film-TV-digital media major and special projects coordinator for the FTDM department, said she hopes the workshop will encourage collaboration between sports broadcasting majors and FTDM majors.
Richard Allen, department chair for film-TV-digital media, said the workshop and production allows students to see the wide variety of career options for both FTDM and sports broadcasting majors. Sports Studio Productions is an example of how students can merge their interest in sports and media production.
The workshops are funded by the AXA Endowed Fund provided by TCU parents EvMarie and Jeff Angelovich. The fund was created to subsidize workshops, screenings and lectures conducted by successful industry professionals, including university alumni, for the benefit of FTDM majors.
“Each semester the department tries to give students an opportunity for hands-on experience outside the classroom,” Harrison said. “Visiting production companies help make that possible.”
Harrison she said she planned to attend the workshop and is looking forward to the potential networking opportunities there.
“I hope that the workshop helps me figure out what I want to do when I graduate,” she said. “I want to learn my strengths and weaknesses in the field.”
University alumni hosting the workshop include Moore, Lindsay Graham, Jaquline Napier, Clint Gage and Jonathan Nicholas.
Additionally, Moore said there is a great network of university alumni in Los Angeles that help students determine their career interests and possibly find jobs on the West Coast after graduation. Moore also noted that the university has a strong network of alumni in East Coast production companies as well.
Moore said she would love for Sports Studio Productions to be able to come back every year to work with students and give them an opportunity to network with industry professionals.
“When I was a student I didn’t take advantage of the alumni that came in and it’s something that I regret,” she said.
Sports Studio Production Film Workshop
When: 12:30-3:30 p.m. today, with a question and answer session to follow
Where: 155 Moudy South
Sports Studio Production Casting Call and Commercial Shoot
When: All day Saturday and Sunday
Where: Jane Justin Fieldhouse at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium
Students can pre-register for Saturday auditions by submitting a profile at
www.sportsstudiocasting.com.