I have had somewhat of an unusual journalism career.

 

After completion of my school's Introduction to Journalism class, a friend approached me with an interesting idea. He wanted to to emulate the University of Mississippi's success with their Sports Productions Program by creating a show similar to their "The Season: Ole Miss" - a behind the scenes documentary mini-series profiling the lives of the players inside the helmets. Only our show would be modeled on the Oxford Chargers. After approval from our adviser and the administration staff, "The Season: Oxford High School" was born.

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As Co-Creator and Co-Executive Producer of a budding new documentary mini-series, the pressure was completely on my friend and me. The School District had put the fate of the series completely in our hands. Our adviser, bless his soul, knew practically nothing of video editing software or video camera settings, so we were on our own. So, with a couple of beaten up cameras and a block period, we set out to build an empire.

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After a few months of creating a brand and a consistent product, we knew we had something of value. The next step was to submit for awards. Unfortunately, what we were doing was just...different. So, it was hard to find any submission that fit our category. Because of this, we began to look bigger. And, before we knew it, we had won a NATAS Southeast Student EMMY Award.

 

The next year, we took on another staff member, and continued to sharpen our product under the direction of a new adviser. Mrs. Chaney didn't know much video theory, but she did teach us how to tell a story. This would lead to our most successful award season. After several profound pieces of work, including the story of the undefeated soccer team despite three major tragedies and the story of a hometown basketball hero who led the nation in points scored his senior year (all of which can be found under the "Sports Productions" tab), we once again submitted across the board. This time, we won 4 NATAS Southeast Student EMMY Awards and 2 EMMYs on the national level. Not to mention a Best Broadcast Journalism Award at the biggest high school film festival in the world, the All American High School Film Festival, based out of New York City.

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All of this was a whirlwind of community and school support that my staff and I are eternally grateful for. But, towards the end of my Junior year, it became apparent that the Broadcast Journalism Department would have no leader in the coming year. So, my adviser asked me to switch roles and become the Editor of the Broadcast Department. I accepted.

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My first act as Head of the Broadcast Department was to abolish the long-running series CTV News. What had started as a respectable news program had turned into an unfortunately lackluster production on many fronts. I decided that the only way to create a product that the Administration and Student Body could get excited for was to create a completely new show altogether.

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Thus, "The Snooze" was born. Inspired by the audience, "The Snooze" (Student + News = Snooze) is a fresh take on the concept of a High School Broadcast. With a small staff of seven, including myself, The Snooze staff has tackled weekly news with a feature and game accompanying each episode. I am incredibly proud of the shape that "The Snooze" takes today. My staff and I look forward to award season 2018.

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I owe all the success that I have had as a journalist entirely to the teachers and endless support that I have received over my high school career. I look forward to my future in the field, and I believe that the tireless work I have put in is shown through this portfolio. Thank you for your consideration.

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          - Andrew S. Gardner