CCU's TV program gets a new life
On Prince Lawn at Coastal Carolina University, a student organization is raising money for charity. In the visual arts department, a bronze Chauncey mascot is being created. A literary theory class is discussing Donna Haraway and “cyborgs.” And a few minutes away, Campus Recreation is hosting a paddleboarding workshop on the Waccamaw River. This isn’t an unusually busy day at CCU — it’s normal. And now, on television, the web and social media, everyone outside the campus can see it all on the University’s brand new TV show, “Coastal Now.”
“This is a vibrant campus with students and faculty doing amazing things,” says executive producer Martha Hunn. “We needed to create a show that captures the variety and scope of the activities on this campus.”
For many years, CCU’s television show was a lively, half-hour interview show shot on a permanent set. Called “Coastal Today,” the show aired bi-weekly. It featured students, faculty, staff and alumni who were interviewed by host Robin Russell. The approach with ‘Coastal Now’ is different. Hunn says “Coastal Today’s” interviews could only tell, not show.
“We needed to show our campus and our outside audiences exactly what this campus looks, sounds, acts and feels like,” says Hunn. “Video is king, and that’s why we knew our interview show wasn’t doing enough.”
In the early months of 2013, the Office of University Communication and its media services and graphics departments met with other campus constituencies to strategize on a new show that made video storytelling a priority.
“I’ll never forget when Bryan Stalvey, production manager, mentioned the idea of a ‘melting pot’ show,” says Hunn.
And that’s what “Coastal Now” became. In October, the first episode of the show aired on the CCUChanticleer YouTube channel, was posted on all of CCU’s social media outlets and aired on the Horry County Education Access Channel 12.
“I would say all of us work collaboratively when we are preparing every episode,” says production manager David Russell. “From a videography standpoint, my team and I are out shooting content all the time. We are also working in the control room during in-studio shootings.”
The media service production team is a multitalented group. They built a green screen themselves, created a unique introduction for the show and more. Stalvey even produced original music for “Coastal Now.”
“Each story is approached differently,” says Stalvey. “We pay attention to flow, make sure our shots are unique, and rely on each other as a team to turn ideas into interesting stories for the show.”
“Instead of scheduling interviews, I am now scheduling bi-weekly news meetings where videographers, writers, photographers and others brainstorm story ideas,” says Hunn.
During scriptwriting sessions, Hunn communicates with social media coordinator Brent Reser to write his segment called the “Social Circle with Brent Reser.”
“The same way we are highlighting video stories from our YouTube channel, we are highlighting activity from social media,” says Hunn. “It is a unique touch to our show.”
Other segments include “Pondering on the Pond” where students are prompted with popular questions like “who on campus would you most like to take a ‘selfie’ with?”; an alumni feature; “top teal tweets” where CCU is referenced on the “Twitterverse” and more. The show is filled with a diverse amount of segments.
“If something is happening on campus with an individual, program or a great play, we’re going to go out there and get it,” says Hunn. “Our mission is to capture the stories of CCU.”
“Coastal Now” can be viewed on the Horry County Education Access Channel 12 every day at noon. The show can also be viewed on YouTube on CCU’s channel “CCUChanticleers.”
