HAYS, Kan. – A team of three students from the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University has become the first in the nation to be selected for a national media competition called “War on the Floor.”
The students — Tyler Parks, Elkhart graduate student; Kennith Moreno, Charlotte, N.C., graduate student; and Ricky Kerr, Wichita junior — will compete in April during the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas. As one of three semi-finalist teams invited to the 2016 NAB Show, the FHSU students will receive complimentary convention registrations, travel stipends and hotel rooms for their stay in Las Vegas.
With more than 103,000 attendees, the NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From content creation to management to consumption, the show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new platforms in new ways.
To become the first national qualifier, the FHSU team had to submit a 90-second video that was judged on character, use of aesthetic and creative elements, a sense of structure and timing, production values, technical merit, and overall contribution to the discipline in both form and substance.
Dr. Melissa Hunsicker Walburn, chair of the Department of Informatics, said the FHSU team was among teams from schools around the country who were invited to audition for the opportunity to become one of three semi-finalists in the competition. “We have worked to identify opportunities for our students to have their initiative, skill and creativity affirmed and rewarded,” she said. “These talented students will gain amazing experience from the life-size environment, and there is no better way to network and learn from industry on a world stage than NAB. We issued the challenge, and our students answered!”
While at the convention in Las Vegas, the FHSU team will have to develop and launch a social media component and create a 1- to 2-minute promotional piece or commercial on an exhibitor or product of their choice. The team also will produce a “long-form” video, 15 to 20 minutes, that should tell the content lifecycle story from the eyes of each student team and include interviews with speakers and exhibitors and footage from the NAB Show that depicts each stage of the lifecycle. The long-form video is not due until May 31.
The winning team’s long-form piece will be teased and promoted on NAB Show’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to a community of more than 50,000 followers.
One team will be awarded first place based on clever and unique social media use, in addition to producing high levels of social engagement. Both videos will be reviewed by faculty and industry representatives and judged on professional and creative production qualities.
All winning team members and their faculty advisor will receive a complimentary SMART PASS registration to the 2017 NAB Show, including all conferences, workshops, super sessions and the show floor. The tickets are valued at $1,499.