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How Glee is Portrayed in College (spoiler alert):

Glee, the singing sitcom the swept the nation. It was on for six years and was a hit from the first season. In season 4, some of the main characters head off to college. This includes two main one’s Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel.

Rachel originally is the only one down there. Before she left her fiance dumped her and she was forced to go to New York all alone. There her roommate and her didn’t hit it off so well- relatable. So one night while her roommate is hooking up with some guy she meets this guy Brody in the bathroom. There she instantly falls for him. They bond over skincare routines. He is the first person to show her any type of compassion and she desperately wants someone to not feel alone. Brody takes this as his chance to find a girl.

Though she realizes this isn’t enough. She calls her best friend, Kurt. She tells him how alone she feels. That she can’t do it alone, that everyone that can go wrong in her life is going wrong. Kurt tells Rachel to turn around and he is there. Rachel and Kurt then get an apartment and Rachel’s life changes from bad to good overnight. She has her best friend and a guy. She is happy and changes her mindset to where she can do it.

To sum this up there are a few lessons learned that are very personal and relatable to me. One, is you need a person. You need someone to share your highs and lows. Someone who helps you get through the pain and will cheer you on. Two, it’s scary to move away from all you know. Though, if you do it with someone it’s a little less. This being said your best friend might not move states to join you so you might have to explore a little. Go out, meet new people, put yourself out there and you might find your person- I need to take my own advice.

Three, it doesn’t matter if your social group is small. What matters is that you’re happy. Four, never forget the people who shape you. These people may hurt you or help you, but they all play a factor in who you will become. Lastly, when you feel at your worst realize it can only get better. Yes, you are in pain, and you’re allowed to feel the pain. But, know that it’s up to you to grow and not be at your bottom anymore. People will come and people will go. So it is up to you to figure your next move. Hold yourself accountable and be true to who you are. With that anything is possible. So never stop believing.

https://youtu.be/Ev_1hA097VY

Glee' Cast: Where Are They Now?
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A Look Back at the First Semester

For the first time in nearly a year and a half, we fully completed a semester in the classroom. We had three and a half months of face-to-face learning, with full classrooms and limited, if any, weekly pauses.

In person learning has been standard for as long the school system has been in practice, therefore a sudden shift to remote learning was difficult to handle for students and professors alike.

Josh Schwam, a senior sports communication major, feels the in person environment has created benefits for students that a remote learning set up could not replicate.

“Being back in person have provided a level of education that is simply not available through an entirely online curriculum,” Schwam said. “As a student looking to grow in the classroom and professionally, in person learning is a perk that cannot be taken for granted.”

As a result of a return to normalcy, students are enjoying their semester on campus much more so than last year, especially the senior class. For Kevin Karl, a sports communication and marketing double major, resuming class in campus buildings has been a relief.

“It’s phenomenal,” Karl said. “I’m happy to have the learning experience back rather than being stuck behind a computer screen.”

Though the senior class lost most of their on campus college life, college freshman lost the finale of their high school careers as well. For both age groups, classwork and social development has been drastically altered. With this return to normalcy, spearheaded by in person learning, the stage is set for leaders of tomorrow to be developed.

No Breaks When Working in Sports

While senior Larry Larson looks forward to Thanksgiving “Break,” his only break is from school work. His company and the Bradley Athletic Department forge on during the home stretch.

Larson wears many hats; co-founder of Clutch Sports Media, Managing Editor for The Bradley Scout, and play-by-play announcer for Bradley athletics. Despite working as much as he does, he still has time for schoolwork.

But, there is no such thing as “Thanksgiving Break” for Larson.

“There’s a lot going on right now between Bradley athletics and both basketball seasons getting started, as well as high school football playoffs wrapping up,” Larson said. “High school basketball gets going right around the corner next week.”

Larson has a hand in all those sports that he listed off. He attends every home men’s basketball game and sits on press row. He provides color commentary for the women’s basketball team.

Oh, and as I mentioned earlier – he runs his own company. Clutch Sports Media is a production company that focuses on high school sports in Central Illinois. Mainly an independent network, they’ve recently teamed up with the Tournament of Champions in Washington, broadcasting every single game.

“It starts on Tuesday and runs through next Saturday,” Larson said. “We’re skipping family Thanksgiving, we’re not going home for Thanksgiving Break. We’re streaming 35 basketball games, 50 straight hours of live coverage, pretty much.”

The schedule for the tournament is grueling. Some days have nine games while others have four. The longest days for Larson and his crew have them going on air at 8:30 a.m. and going off air as late as 11:30 p.m.

“It’s hard to believe it’s finally here,” Larson said. “This is something we’ve been working on for a long time, putting a lot into it.”

All games in the Tournament of Champions can be streamed through Clutch Sports Media at clutchsportsil.com.

Alumni Spotlights: Instagram Edition

While we’ve been bragging about Bradley communications students on this platform, we’ve been highlighting some of our outstanding alumni as well!

Be sure to keep on the lookout on the Bradley Communications Department Twitter page (@bradleycomdept) for more spotlights like the one below:

While on campus, Iglesias doubled as one of a few play-by-play voices for Bradley athletics, like baseball and hockey. He also partook in Bradley’s Hollywood Semester, working for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network, in the summer of 2016.

Before moving to Wisconsin, Iglesias spent two years at WEEK here in Peoria where he covered Bradley’s 2019 MVC basketball title and March Madness run as well as the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Championship.

To begin his career, he was a freelance journalist for Eagle News International, covering the NBA and NCAA basketball for news stations in the Philippines (WKOW.com).

But, Iglesias isn’t the only Bradley alumni succeeding in the working world. Be sure to follow along on the Bradley Communications Department Twitter page for more alumni spotlights like the one above.

Returning Home: COM Major Highlights Bradley Basketball

As a new season of Bradley basketball opens, students and alumni alike are flocking to Carver Arena and Renaissance Coliseum to see the Braves in person for the first time in almost two years. For one alumnus, he’s getting closer to the court than he hoped.

Using his own DSLR, a makeshift shoulder stabilizer, and a small microphone attached to the camera, Steinberg is able to capture all he needs for his professional-quality footage.

Jacob Steinberg (’21) has moved on from his summer internship with the Peoria Chiefs and has turned his focus to shooting highlights and creating social media content for Bradley Athletics.

“I’m honored to be back working for my alma mater,” Steinberg said. “Bradley helped me find my identity and gave me an opportunity to express my creativity in the form of videography.”

Since graduating, Steinberg has worked for the Chiefs and Clutch Sports Media shooting highlights of high school football in the Peoria area.

When watching his replays, no one video is the same.

“I got a late start in my videography career,” Steinberg said. “It was Tim [Reusche] who gave me my first opportunity as an editor with Braves Vision in the fall of 2019 and I never looked back.”

What’s even more impressive with his work is his late start. Unlike Reusche, his mentor who started shooting his own highlights when he was in high school, Steinberg started during his senior year of college.

Despite starting late, his creativity still shines through.

“Shooting has helped me learn how to be better in terms of a creative mindset because there are so many ways to set yourself apart from your companions in terms of creative styles,” Steinberg said. “That’s what I love about videography. It’s a never ending source of inspiration in some sorts.”

Steinberg’s angles will be all over Bradley’s social media this winter for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Feature: An Interview With Angeline Schmelzer

Authors: Team WordPress Fall 2021

A class press conference was held Nov. 10 2021 at 10:00am in Bradley’s Global Communications Center. The person of interest was none other than The Scout’s editor-in-chief Angeline Schmelzer. Schmelzer covered a retrospective view of her journalism experiences with The Bradley Scout and her outlook on her future with her career goals in mind. Some takeaways from Schmelzer are listed below.

Her Career with the Bradley Scout:

  • Copy editor (Freshman year) 
  • Assistant news editor (Sophomore year)
  • Managing editor (Junior year) 
  • Editor and chief position (Senior year)

Top Three Interview Takeaways About Journalism: 

  1. Journalists have the duty to ask difficult questions and try really hard to get the answers that the public needs to know
  2. You cannot learn journalism from a PowerPoint, you gain your style through practice
  3. In the future, you can expect journalism to see fewer and fewer print. More and more things are moving online

Advice From Schmelzer to Other Bradley Students:

  1. Talk to professors, they are your guiding light 
  2. Get involved as much as you can
  3. Don’t get discouraged

Opportunities Available within Bradley University Athletics

Bradley University Department of Communication students have the opportunity to gain real-world experience within the field of collegiate athletics.

Under the direction of Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Engagement, T.J. Christie and Director of Marketing and Ticket Sales, Andrew Brune, the Bradley Athletic Department and the departments of marketing and ticket sales, the athletic department is looking for motivated individuals regardless of major with experience and/or interest in the following areas.

  • Ticket sales and customer service
  • Promotions
  • Graphic Design
  • Video Editing
  • Merchandising
  • Public Relations

Qualified candidates are expected to be able to work during the Bradley Men’s Basketball season which goes from now until Feb. 26. Candidates would have the chance to complete tasks during games such as assisting during in-game promotions, operating LED boards, running the music at the arena and other tasks as assigned.

For those interested in ticket sales and customer service, there is work available at the box office where they take calls and work the window where fans buy tickets for athletic events.

Promotional people are able to brainstorm ideas for promotions that could be used during media timeouts, end-of-quarter or halftime breaks at men’s and women’s basketball games.

Graphic designers are expected to assist in creating and designing advertisements that would promote athletic events and placed throughout campus in multiple different methods such as paper flyers and on university televisions.

Video editors would do as their title states, editing videos that appear on the Bradley Athletic Departments’ website and social media platforms.

The athletic department uses a lot of merchandise during game days and stores during off-peak days. And to keep an eye on it and take care of it, that is where merchandising staffer comes in.

Public Relations staffers would help in community outreach and editing scripts that are read during both Bradley Men’s and Women’s Basketball games.

Both paid and unpaid opportunities are available within the department and for more questions, reach out to the marketing department at busportsmarketing@fsmail.bradley.edu.

To apply for a position within the department, click here.

Real-World Experience on Campus

Sports communication and TV Arts students looking for work related to their field need look no further than campus. Bradley’s Athletic Department offers positions within the production side of athletics events giving students experience within weeks of stepping foot on campus.

For students like senior Joey Wright, this means trying all positions available. For someone who came in with broadcasting aspirations, which are still alive and well, he found a second love within the production field.

“I have a lot of roles and responsibilities, primarily replay, but there are some games I work graphics,” Wright said. “The replay system we use is a fairly easy system, there’s a controller with a jog wheel, a T-bar that controls speed, and you can choose between what camera you want.”

In addition to replay and graphics, Wright has found himself gravitating toward the directing side as well.

Most of the production side of athletics events are conducted out of ScheffTech Studios in Morton, owned by Bradley alumnus Brian Scheffler.

Camera operators are on-site for all Bradley games, giving students some of the best seats in the venue. Student broadcasters are live for certain sports, like basketball, but operate remotely out of Morton as well for other sports.

For students looking to get involved, prior experience is not required.

“You just have to dive in,” Wright said. “Brian [Scheffler] brings on really good people to work with and they’ll show you the ropes. It’s really tremendous experience to be able to work in a high level production truck on high level shows on ESPN 3 and ESPN +.”

Students looking to get involved should email Cameron Irwin at cpirwin@mail.bradley.edu.

Professionals in the Field: Katie Magree (Bradley Alumni)

Author: Anai Salgado 

For this blog, we caught up with Katie Magree, a Bradley alumni and young professional. The 2021 graduate majored in Advertising/PR with a minor in Marketing. 

Currently, she is working full-time as Divisional Marketing Manager at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Although Magree is excited to begin her career in her current role, which began in September, she cannot help but reminisce over her experience at Bradley University. 

“I miss being so close to my best friends. We’re all now states away from each other,” Magree said. 

Through her involvement, Magree built many friendships as well as professional relationships. During her time at Bradley, she was a member of The Agency (Bradley’s advertising club) and President of Wags for Mags (an organization that trains service dogs).

When asked if there was something she had taken away from her college experience that helped her in the real world, she emphasized how much her copywriting classes and internships strengthened both her writing skills and hands-on experience. In fact, it was through an internship that she landed her full-time position. 

“I had an internship following my graduation. I was hoping I’d receive a full time offer from the company, and I did,” Magree said. 

It was a long process that consisted of learning to utilize her LinkedIn and network, but she was determined to succeed! Even after landing the job, however, the Advertising/PR professional faced several challenges. Like for all of us, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been no easy task for Magree.

“I work in the restaurant industry so it is difficult to still be in limbo with covid,” said Magree. “My division is trying out new strategies in order to gain back the engagement we had pre-covid.”

The graduate believes the pandemic brought on changes that companies are still navigating but is confident that we can all overcome them if we start making the right adjustments now. The key is starting now, which is also what Magree believes Bradley students should be doing!

Sound advice from Katie Magree:

  1. Start networking early and do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions
  2. The first few months in your new long term role are going to be a HUGE learning curve, it will be stressful & overwhelming but stick with it because everyone has been through it
  3. Do what you love and love what you do