TV and Film at ETSU | The College Tour

Summary

Anthony, an East Tennessee native and senior majoring in Radio, Television, and Film at ETSU, describes how the university has helped him gain experience, build connections, and work toward graduating debt-free.

Main Ideas and Opportunities

• A practical route to ETSU: After attending a two-year community college, Anthony transferred to ETSU. He says scholarships have put him on track to graduate without debt.
• Accessible creative software: Students can use Adobe Creative Cloud at no cost, including industry-standard tools such as Premiere Pro, Audition, and After Effects. Coursework in multimedia, audio, and post-production helps students learn these tools.
• Learning through campus involvement: Anthony sought extracurricular activities and student groups to gain experience beyond the classroom. He serves as president of Alpha Sigma Iota, the department’s Radio, Television, and Film service fraternity.
• Professional connections: Through student activities, Anthony and fellow students connected with speakers from companies including Disney, MTV, Warner Media, Sony, and Lucasfilm. Student-group trips to Discovery in Knoxville and PBS in Washington, D.C., also helped him develop networking skills.
• Hands-on media experience:
  • The East Tennessean: ETSU’s student newspaper gave Anthony rewarding opportunities to cover campus news, even though he was not a journalism major or minor. Through this work, he met Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and attended a Gabriel Iglesias show.
  • Buck TV News: Anthony gained live-broadcast and news-production experience, advancing from an entertainment role to production manager, technical director, and director.
  • Buck Films: The student filmmaking club gave him opportunities to write and direct short films.
• Anthony’s takeaway: ETSU offers opportunities for professional and personal development. Anthony encourages students to arrive motivated and passionate about their goals, saying the university will help them along the way.

Speakers Featured

• Alex Boylan — Host who introduces Anthony and responds to his story.
• Anthony — ETSU Radio, Television, and Film senior who shares his student experience.