Several broadcasting students and communication professors at WCU will attend the Broadcast Education Association’s annual Festival of Media and Arts (BEA) from April 15-19 in Las Vegas, Nev. BEA is an international organization that connects faculty and students from universities all over the world with industry professionals.
The students attending include Spencer Lee, Logan Johnson, Luke Grozier, and Jacob Scrattish. Faculty-wise, it is Matt Binford, Debra and Donald Connelly, and Katerina Spasovska.
Major news outlets such as CNN, FOX, and MSNBC will attend BEA, along with other organizations. There will also be presentations where industry leaders will discuss current issues and changes in the industry.
At the convention, Spencer Lee will receive an Award of Excellence in the student audio competition division for a podcast he created in Radio Production I. The name of his podcast is “Through The Lens: The History of Photography.”
“Funny enough, this is my first podcast ever,” said Lee.
It took Lee about two weeks to compile the information, write the script, record, and edit the audio for the podcast.
“Originally, the podcast was just for an assignment, but after working on it, I definitely want to continue,” said Lee. “Cameras and history are my favorite subjects, and being able to combine the two has been a lot of fun for me.”
According to Lee, the first episode of his podcast involves the earliest experiments of photography, with a device known as the Camera Obscura to the father of photography, Joseph-Nicéphore Niépce, and his experiments with developing an image.
Moreover, Lee wants to use his platform to help centralize the history of photography and create a timeline of that information because there are many sites with scattered info. Apart from receiving his award at BEA, Lee claims he is excited to see the new pieces of technology the convention has to offer.
“I love cameras and switchers, so I’m really hoping to see both the Sony and Canon exhibits,” he said.
Lastly, Lee plans on attending BEA on his own in the future. He also plans on using his podcast to make spin-off shows that discuss more modern topics, such as notable modern-day photographers and current trends.