There are so many TV shows, channels, and radio shows to soak up any free time at Emerson, that it is easy to lose track of them all. Katie Caro, a junior Theatre Studies: Arts Management major from Annapolis, Maryland is managing to make her Emerson Channel show Reel Reactions come out on top. Caro has recently been promoted to Executive Producer of the show, and after creating business cards and producing several shoots already this semester, she isn’t wasting any time making sure the Reel Reactions name is well known around campus.
Her Campus: Why Reel Reactions?
Katie Caro: Well I want to be in the TV/movie industry and I just think getting to talk to people about movies is so fun. I love meeting new people and this show by default creates a situation where you are meeting so many new people every week for interviews.
HC: So when you aren’t busy running around producing, what else are you involved with on campus?
KC: I am executive producer for Reel Reactions on the Emerson Channel, but I am also the production coordinator for Kidding Around, which is Emerson’s theatre for young audiences troupe. I am heavily involved in my sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi and am going to be the chair for the silent auction for our annual runway show, Ribbons on the Runway.
HC: Ok so that’s a lot, is it even possible you also do things outside of Emerson?
KC: [Laughs] I don’t know how, but yes. I work at a jewelry boutique on the weekends and I am Boloco’s marketing intern.
HC: You were recently promoted to EP of Reel reactions, but how did you first get involved with the show?
KC: I started watching Reel Reactions in high school, before I even came to Emerson. I knew I wanted to do something involving TV at Emerson and I found the show. Also my old tour guide used to host it, and I would watch her on it. It just seemed like an amazing show to work on.
HC: What was the next step after being an avid watcher of the show?
KC: Last year I was Associate Producer, which meant I did kind of the nitty-gritty weekly tasks like renting equipment, submitting times for when the movies got out, and one of my favorite things was helping the talent. I would get to talk to the hosts and make sure they felt comfortable and were delivering their lines well.
HC: Well now your role has grown into large and in charge. How does it feel?
KC: The old EPs really loved the show as much as I do and put everything into it. So now being one of two people who everyone in the crew goes to is really cool.
HC: How often do you guys work on the show?
KC: I coordinate the shoots every week. We try to do at least one shoot a week, if not two. I also get to read over scripts every week and work with the hosts on their intros and outs.
HC: What would you say is the hardest thing you’ve had to learn being part of Reel Reactions?
KC: Probably learning what to look for editing wise and final cuts of an episode. I am more of an organizer and good at figuring out the content, but when it comes to editing, I didn’t really know a lot. I had to learn what the show is supposed to look like and what shots to use. Actually knowing what needs to be tweaked and fine-tuned was hard. Also being in charge of 12-13 other people is hard. It’s my job to be in contact with them and to really get them to understand how the show runs and what is important to us.
HC: You have a marketing minor, does that factor into this at all?
KC: Yes! I work bigger picture on the social media for the show and I work on posts for every week and how to get more views.
HC: Describe Reel Reactions in three words.
KC: Fun, energetic, comedic.
HC: What would you say is your funniest blooper moment from filming?
KC: Ummm, [laughs] we meet a lot of really strange people so that’s always a good laugh. But we filmed an episode on my birthday last semester where we were out in the Common shooting a Reel Talk episode and we wanted to film with the guy who makes balloon animals. We filmed a segment with him and then someone told him it was my birthday and he sang Happy Birthday to me backwards. It was perfect and really weird.
HC: That is so sweet. Would you say you are close with your team?
KC: My team is my favorite thing about the show. Last year we all accidentally became a family and I love them all. This year I was worried going into it, if we would have the same connection, but we’ve already had a hangout session and become really close in the few weeks we have been filming.