There are no broadcasting classes currently using Carlton’s production studio as of this moment, as Introduction to Broadcasting and Advanced Broadcasting is not being taught at this time. The only group utilizing the studio is ABAC’s Studio 3. However, this only opened an opportunity for two young men to stand up, and put their minds to something old, and in the process: something new.
Austin Dean and David Cruz are two Writing and Communication freshmen who met in Dr. Grant’s Introduction to Broadcasting course in Fall 2022. The two became partners in the class when it came to creating segments that required more work. Of course, this only blossomed into a friendship, which bloomed even further into the two developing their own creative ideas.
Earlier this year, with assistance from Studio 3, the two sought to revive a previous segment produced by the studio called “60 Seconds.”
“60 Seconds” is simple in terms of its premise: give the scoop of news around campus and the world in the span of a minute. Seeing the simplicity of this, the two analyzed it and tried to ponder what could improve this concept and draw viewers in. Cruz took the reins of the project, and successfully managed it through many ups and downs.
Cruz stated that, “It feels good. It’s a lot of stress, but it’s overall fun because I have people like Austin and others to come along and make sure it goes well.”
Cruz filled in the empty positions with friends from his broadcasting class. As for the anchor, Dean was more than happy to suit up, sit down, and smile for the camera. Dean’s future career of choice is that of a sports analyst, and while taking broadcasting, he had no issues with being in front of a camera- whether it was being the sports informer, or the anchor. Therefore, to both Dean and Cruz, it only made sense for him to take this role.
“I really enjoy it! I’m a big proponent of putting my face on a camera and have people see me,” Dean said.
However, the twist is one that makes the name “60 Seconds” seem more than just a minute, but also a fun challenge that is similar to one from a show like “Impractical Jokers.”
“If I don’t say all the news in the sixty second span, I will get a punishment for next week’s episode,” Dean explained, “Whether that’s getting Nerf guns shot at me while talking, or having to anchor without a teleprompter.”
Cruz , on the other hand, mentioned that one of the possible evolutions for this segment is the punishments themselves in order to make the news more eye-catching and fun.
Promising weekly segments, “60 Seconds” mainly aims to tease content from the Stallion’s newspaper before its release. However, being granted access to revive and reinvent the “60 Seconds” formula only opened the opportunity for Cruz to fabricate and plan his own idea.
After working closely with Dr. Grant as well as members of the Stallion, this primed Cruz to develop a concept for an independent dramedy series he calls, “The Paper.” The series spawned from an individual idea of Cruz.
“Before Grant even asked me to do 60 Seconds, over the semester I was going to write a script for a short film,” he said.
Thus, the combination of a TV show structure and his own genius sent him on a path to begin creation.
“The Paper, overall, is about a guy who gets told he has two weeks to find a new group of people to make the newspaper after the old crew was fired. Because of that, it puts a lot of stress on him, and he has to put together a group within two weeks under pressure,” said Cruz.
Both Dean and Cruz have stayed up late countless nights to let their imaginations run wild. While Cruz is the director, he also plans on playing one of the characters, and is a writer for some of the episodes. Dean also follows alongside him, also planning on playing a main character and writing scripts for future episodes. For the rest of the cast, they recruited their closest friends that were more than happy to assist this project.
“I’ve really enjoyed it- working with David, and the people that we’ve got to act on the show… I think it’s going to be fun to work with them, and see what they can do,” Dean said.
The two plan on creating something that everybody has never seen before, all while on a small budget and borrowed equipment.
“I’m just hoping that people enjoy it, and some people can relate to it. It touches on things like dealing with someone who is stressful, losing a friend, being shy and not being accepted into society,” says Cruz.
The series as a whole only assists in Cruz’s dream career of choice: filmmaking. The art of film has always caught the eye of Cruz, leading him to change his major from Animal Science to Writing and Communication. “The Paper” shines as one of the most important steps forward in his eyes.
In the present, the show is still in production in terms of its script and has yet to be filmed. However, it’s anticipation, creativity, and enthusiasm for their desired project that is keeping their hopes high for what it could possibly become.
This all happens while they also simultaneously work on “60 Seconds,” for which they have no overwhelming issues with. The two both agree on one thing when it comes to both “60 Seconds” and “The Paper,” and it’s that the key to success is just having fun, and never stopping.
