Lumos Media Services student videographer Edward Cruz capturing video in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last summer.
Last summer, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) sought a video production company to collaborate with on making a training video for park employees and volunteers.
Park volunteer and College of Communication and Information alumnus Steve Staley (’79), who has more than 40 years in experience in the film industry, suggested reaching out to his alma mater to see if they could recruit some students to help.
It was then he learned about Lumos Media Services, a student-run commercial video production company in the Office of Student Media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Technology Coordinator and Lumos Media advisor Austin Orr was ecstatic about the idea of the students getting to support the preservation efforts of the national park using their video production skills. Limited funds meant the park service could not compensate the students for their work, but that did not deter Orr.
“I’m always looking for opportunities,” Orr said. “If the students can have a camera in their hands, that’s experience.”
He recruited Lumos Media student videographers, Caleb McNeil and Edward Cruz, and the trio volunteered their time and used their own personal gear to shoot and edit the training video for the park service.
Park Ranger Jeanine Ferrence said the video was shared for the first time at the park’s Fundamentals training course, which is the new training for permanent park employees for which the video was produced. She said everyone gathered loved the video.
Prior to premiering the video during the training, Ferrence said her, Orr and Staley had discussed the possibility of partnering with Lumos Media to do even more work. She said the video being so well received only helped get more support for a more formal partnership with Lumos Media, and starting on March 1 it became a reality.
As part of the partnership, Lumos Media will create various video content the park can use for further staff training, educational videos on different sites and artifacts, B-roll for their public relations team, and more. Ferrence said the cooperative agreement between the two entities is for one year with the option to renew up to five years.
Ferrence said the cooperative agreement between the two entities is for one year with the option to renew up to five years.
“I think it really just speaks to the work of the students,” Orr said. “I think they produce fantastic work on a weekly basis and a lot of times people don’t get to hear about it. It feels awesome for somebody to get to see that and recognize the level of work that they are producing on a consistent basis.”
The ability to form this agreement was made possible due to a generous donation from Friends of the Smokies, a local nonprofit group dedicated to supporting the preservation of the national park.
Executive Director Dana Soehn said the group was more than willing to help support this effort, especially learning about the staff’s glowing reception of the students’ work.
“These dedicated employees strive to provide high-quality visitor services in the nation’s busiest national park, while also ensuring the protection of resources in the most biodiverse national park,” Soehn said. “With growing visitation, the challenges are great, and I believe this investment in training is one of the ways we can help support these superstars.”
Staley was not surprised by the decision to partner with Lumos Media. He enjoyed working alongside the students and thought their product was very professional. He looks forward to working with them even further.
The feeling was mutual among the students. McNeil said it was cool working alongside someone with as much experience as Staley. He said as they worked together, he just tried to learn as much as possible from him.
For Cruz, this was another opportunity to merge two of his passions: nature and video. Cruz originally enrolled at UT as a junior wildlife and fisheries major because he wanted to pursue a career preserving and conserving natural resources. He also has a passion for photography and videography which led him to get involved with student media at UT.
Cruz said while doing research for an English class he learned more about American Journalist Edward J. Meeman and discovered that a passion for conservation and media did not have to be two separate things. This led to him volunteering at the national park clearing trails and more. He was excited about the opportunity to film in the park he loves.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Cruz said. “Because I love the Smokies, the National Park Service, I love everything about it.”
The project is also very special for Orr who has fond memories as a kid traveling to the Smoky Mountains with his grandparents and cousins.
He said once they started filming, he has been in constant communication with his grandparents providing them updates about all he learned and showed them the video the students produced.
“It’s been my favorite project that I’ve worked on at UT so far and my favorite project I’ve got to work on with the students,” Orr said. “Lots of great relationships have been made and it’s just been really cool all around.”