A team of Elon University students oversaw the Broadcast Education Association’s Best of Festival Awards Ceremony, managing all aspects of the live event’s production. The experience gave students a high-profile opportunity to apply their skills, collaborate as a team, and gain real-world industry exposure.
Amid the glitz and bright lights of Las Vegas, a team of Elon University students recently took on a starring role behind the scenes, producing the Broadcast Education Association convention’s signature event – the Best of Festival Awards Ceremony. Tasked with scripting, editing and orchestrating the April 7 show, the students helped celebrate top media projects from across the country with creativity and professionalism.
Led by Bryan Baker, director of technology, operations and multimedia projects, seven Elon students created 19 video packages to recognize the award-winning projects and built a run of show that featured interviews and b-roll of honorees. The production was presented to an audience of educators, students and industry professionals.
“I truly enjoyed collaborating with the award winners, BEA administration, and especially our Elon student team, who did a magnificent job — from the initial invitation to the creative development and final execution,” said Baker, who served as the show’s creative director. “It was rewarding to hear that our work was so well received, that the winners felt honored, and that the audience was entertained.”
Heather Birks, BEA’s executive director, reinforced Baker’s claim, noting the team’s engagement and professionalism from their first planning meeting on Zoom in January. Fast-forward three months and Birks remains equally impressed.
“Bryan Baker and his team of students were exactly as I would expect from Elon University,” she said. “Perfect for the job of producing an awards ceremony to showcase the best of the best in student and faculty work. The entire team was professional and polished and successfully highlighted the creative work done by our BEA members.”
The high-achieving student group included Will Calkins ’25, Colin Dorroh ’27, Christian Kelly ’25, Kelly Locke ’25, Erin Martin ’25, Charlotte Pfabe ’27 and Max Wallace ’26. In addition to helping lead production efforts, students Kate Rivera ’25 and Brandon Cericola ’26 were also honored with Best of Festival Awards for their own creative work.
The opportunity came together thanks to the longstanding relationship between the university and BEA. Associate Professor Vic Costello, a longtime member of the BEA Board of Directors, including a stint as president, recommended Baker and his team. Plus, BEA was already familiar with Baker, who had previously collaborated with Birks on a separate project.
For Calkins, a cinema and television arts major who played a role in editing the show’s video packages, the convention offered a chance to combine creative strengths with professional exposure — and the experience exceeded even his high expectations.
“Frankly, there was nothing not interesting about this experience,” he said. “The whole convention is filled with all of the coolest and most interesting companies in the world – at least to a cinema major like myself. Meeting peers who were also passionate about the industry, while also seeing all of the current professionals showing off their latest achievements, was thrilling.”
Pfabe and Wallace, both journalism majors, co-emceed the live event. Together, they wrote the script and coordinated with award winners to ensure all show details were finalized in advance.
While Pfabe’s background in broadcast news helped, the role still presented a challenge. “We were tasked with keeping the show about an hour, so the most challenging part was creating a script that was entertaining and engaging, while also short and concise,” she said. “I’ve done my fair share of short and punchy scripts, but this was different because we had to connect with a live audience and adapt to day-of changes.”
Behind the camera, Dorroh, a cinema and television arts major, helped edit four of the award packages and recorded video of the live show. “Editing these video packages was a challenge,” he said, noting the strict time limits for each clip. “For some of the packages, I had to get more creative, thinking outside the box to ensure each of the awardee’s winning projects were highlighted and showcased to the best of its ability.”
With a few days to absorb the experience, Dorroh said he’s grateful to Elon and BEA for the opportunity to work with his fellow students and connect with professionals already working in the media industry.
“The Vegas trip far exceeded my expectations,” he said.
Looking back on the team’s performance, Baker said he was proud of the students’ efforts – and how they have grown and matured during their time on campus.
“I remember all these students as freshmen, and it’s amazing how far they have come with their confidence,” he said. “They handled themselves so professionally and truly represented Elon well.”