Name: Shannon SmithMajor: Broadcast JournalismAge: 21Tell us about your role with Eagle Eye TV:I’ve been a reporter at Eagle Eye since I was a freshman, and now as a senior I’ve moved up the ranks to the position of News Director. That means I write and produce the live news show we air every week, as well as find stories and news to report on and communicate a lot with the reporters and other producers.
Describe a typical day of production for Eagle Eye:Producing a big show takes up a lot of time. I’ll find story ideas and interesting news the night before and start writing the script the morning of the show. Beyond writing, I also build all the graphics and insert commercials like you’d see in any mainstream television production. A seamless news show takes a crew of at least 10 people to run the cameras, anchor the show, roll the teleprompter that the anchors read off of, control the audio and work the switcher that puts all the parts of the show together in one take.What is the most embarrassing moment that you’ve had on camera?My national TV debut (if you can even say that) was on ESPNU, and I was wearing pink footie pajamas with skulls on them. My hair was in pigtails, I was holding a stuffed animal, we were filming in the middle of campus, and people just kept walking by wondering who the weird people in the onesies were.What’s the most challenging part of your role?Unfortunately I have to play the role of “bad cop” when it comes to dealing with reporters. News is a very deadline-oriented profession, and we enforce deadlines here to prepare students for what real world reporting is like. If reporters don’t turn in their stories to me on time, they won’t air in the news show. I’ve had to remove anchors the day of the show for the same reason. It’s not fun, but enforcing these consequences makes sure anchors and reporters hold up their end of the bargain and rewards the ones who do.You were instrumental in developing the competition “Auburn Sings.” What was it like being involved in the creation of such a major project?Auburn Sings is my pride and joy. My friend Amanda and I started this show two years ago when we were sophomores because we wanted to do something fun. A lot of people didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off, and that fueled our fire even more to make sure we would succeed. In its two seasons, Auburn Sings has been the highest viewed show on Eagle Eye TV and has been viewed by thousands of people in over fifty countries. The “American Idol”-style show is special because it reached out to students on campus for competitors. We were able to reach a lot of groups on campus since they wanted to watch and vote for their friends. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of stress for the two of us but we always love seeing the end result.You’ve obviously seen many great Auburn moments, being involved in filming events and stories all over campus. What’s been your favorite?There are two events that stick out in my mind. I’m a huge pageant fanatic, and I was able to sit down for a one-on-one interview with Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan. I don’t think I’ve ever been so starstruck and it was so cool to be able to sit with her and ask her whatever I wanted to know. The second event was definitely the Georgia game last year. I was on the field filming the game for Eagle Eye. I was standing right behind Auburn’s end zone with a Georgia photographer next to me talking about how we couldn’t win when the miracle catch happened. I had the still camera at this point and all I could do was keep clicking and saying to myself “I HAVE to get this shot.”How has being a leader in a major organization strengthened you?It’s given me a lot of responsibility, and made me realize how instrumental leadership roles are in big student organizations. I spend almost all of my time at the Eagle Eye Studio, and I train and work with new reporters almost every day. It’s frustrating at times when new members struggle with simple camera tasks, and I have to keep reminding myself that they look up to me and I used to be in their shoes.What other things are you involved in on campus?Probably too many things! I’m a Student Recruiter, the president of Mortar Board Honor Society and ritual chair for my social sorority. I’ve been involved with ODK, Cardinal Key, Lambda Sigma and Lambda Pi Eta Honor Societies. I’ve contributed content to ESPNU and am this year’s host of TALONS Day for incoming freshmen. I do a lot but I love being busy!What has been the most exciting part of being involved with Eagle Eye?I’ve gotten to meet some really cool people that I wouldn’t know otherwise. I was able to work on an episode of House Hunters this summer and that wouldn’t have happened without my connections from Eagle Eye. I also got to star in Aubie’s 2013 highlight video – I even had a couple lines! What are your post-grad plans?From all the different types of TV work I’ve tried, news reporting is my favorite. I’ll intern at a local television station this summer and then hopefully get hired from there! Local news would be fun to start out as, but being a network anchor is my real dream. Any advice for students looking to get involved with Eagle Eye or any of the student media organizations?Dive straight in. It may seem confusing and scary, but the more time you spend with media outlets, the more you learn and the better you become at writing or shooting or editing or whatever you want to do. There are freshmen at Eagle Eye who can work our most complicated machinery because they don’t give up. No matter what, don’t let someone tell you you can’t do something. You hear that a lot in the TV industry, and that crushes a lot of spirits. You want be the next Erin Andrews? Go for it!