As Aggieland welcomes back students for a new school year, we get to do the same. KAMU is home to many talented and hardworking student employees who help make our projects come to life. Through the mentorship of the KAMU team, these students not only learn new skills in areas they are passionate about but also get to express themselves creatively. Learning, creating and serving their community… our students say it’s a win-win-win situation!
From operating cameras in our TV studio to social media management and writing news articles, check out the roles our student workers fill and the impactful work they get to do every day, in part thanks to generous donations that allow us to teach the next generation about our industry.
Production Services
Have you ever thought about all the steps it takes to get a television show, social media reel or YouTube video to your screen? No matter how big a job, know that KAMU’s production assistants, or PAs, can do it all!
Program Coordinator Zaria White leads and instructs her team of production students on the television and livestreaming side of our station. Students do a little bit of everything depending on the day. Whether it is editing together a promo for your favorite PBS drama or operating a camera for our livestream team at Midnight Yell, they are constantly learning new skills in video editing software, live video production, camera operation and even sound design. The PAs also spend a lot of their time in our studio preparing sets, running cables and making sure everything is ready for when that record light turns on.
“Here we get so many opportunities to try out different jobs and everyone is always willing to teach us something new.”
If you have a favorite KAMU original program, it’s likely that a student production assistant worked on it in some capacity! Students have helped film, edit and promote programs like “Texas A&M Today,” “Aggie Chef Showdown,” “Inside Political Science” and more.
Marketing
Keeping up with trends and posting the freshest content to our socials. That’s just one of the many things that our marketing student workers do every day. Alongside Marketing Coordinator Alex Bowden, these students work with our marketing team on social media, content creation and community events. They spend their time at the office researching the latest trends and audience preferences to see what content you would enjoy. Through helping manage our social media presence, these students learn skills in writing, graphic design, producing video content and so much more.
Another huge part of these roles is community engagement. KAMU participates in many different events throughout the year, including First Friday, Texas A&M’s New Faculty Orientation, the City of College Station’s Monarch March and so many more. Our marketing students assist with the planning, set up and execution of all these events while also capturing content to be posted on social media.
“One of my favorite parts of this job is interacting with kids at First Friday. Seeing the happiness we bring to the community through representing PBS and giving away swag is so meaningful.”
Recently, these students helped the marketing team create KAMU Kids Corner: your hub for all things PBS KIDS at the click of a button. Visit Kids Corner here, or read all about it in this article.
Content Production
When you read something on the KAMU website or newsletter (subscribe today!), one of our content production assistants had a hand in writing it! With the leadership of Production and Content Coordinator Christian Hamilton, these students help determine what content you should know about. They help create graphics, manage our station website, design our monthly email newsletter and write articles that keep you updated on what’s new at KAMU. They also assist with small video projects and photography, plus produce their own audio stories on “KAMU Student Perspectives.”
“Working on the newsletter promo that aired on our TV channel was so fun. I got to work on all aspects of the project, starting with writing the script then story boarding. I then got to be present throughout the production process, appear in the video and finally edit it all together. It was so rewarding to see it come full circle.”
Our content production students also help many of our KAMU original programs get from our studio to your screens. Prior to filming, these students help write scripts and interview questions. Once we’re recording, their main task is to help the rest of the crew run smoothly and efficiently. And when the cameras turn off, these students work with the rest of the production team on the editing process.
Administration
Our administration students are some of the first faces we see when we walk into the station every day. These students manage our front desk by greeting guests, answering phones and assisting you with any questions you may have. They record any donations we receive and deliver mail throughout the office. They help maintain a functional office by organizing paperwork and supplies but also cultivate our relationships with our dedicated community members and volunteers.
“I’ve always been a bit of an introvert, but working at KAMU has allowed me to interact with lots of different people and guests we have at the station. It has been so valuable to learn so much about working in an office environment.”
It is thanks to your generous support that we are able to continue offering our students these opportunities every school year. If you would like to help support our mission in molding the next generation of TV, radio and multimedia professionals, please consider donating here.
