By Brandon K. Hedgepeth
Telecom Crew Member

On the evening of Friday, November 10, the NNPS Football Season at Todd Stadium came to a close at the conclusion of the Menchville vs Warwick Football Playoff Game. This season kicked off productions for the NNPS Telecom school year, and saw some firsts for the station.

Starting with the Warwick vs Menchville Football Game in September, the NNPS Telecom crew had Telecom graduates Joshua Stuck (Denbigh 2020) and Muriel Gamble (Achievable Dream 2017) operate cameras, with current TV-I student Ethan Clinkenbeard (Woodside) officially joining the remote production crew beginning with the first production. Telecom graduate Collin Smalls (Menchville 2019) worked in subsequent productions, also serving as a camera operator.

Longtime announcer Greg Bicouvaris returned for another season, handling the sports commentary alongside his longtime announcing partner and Telecom alum, Nate Milton. For games that Milton couldn't make it, Telecom Instructor Carl Daniels, Jr., filled in as announcer. During the final production, Menchville Athletics Director Jenny Nuttycombe served as a co-host with Bicouvaris to end the season. Meanwhile, Mansoor Ahmed also worked in his role as engineer throughout a majority of the productions.

Throughout the season, I (Woodside 2020, Telecom Intern 2021) served as the livestream coordinator, responsible for managing the livestream and setting up the remote productions. My brother, current TV-II student Ryan Hedgepeth (Woodside Senior), who also serves as SkillsUSA President, controlled the audio for the productions as well as the graphics.

With the exception of the Woodside vs Denbigh game, I also served as the production director in addition to livestream coordinator, working alongside our Telecom Supervisor and Producer Ray Price to lead the crew. During that game, Mr. Daniels stepped in as director while I attended my graduate program studies, with Ryan assisting him in directing.

Outside of the traditional remote crew, three TV-I students from Heritage -- Bishop Dunn, Edric Jones, and Joshua Ray -- took the initiative to record the Woodside vs Menchville game, marking the first time that students produced an entire game on their own. Dunn and Jones served as announcers, while Ray operated the camera.

During the subsequent Phoebus vs Warwick game, produced by Daniels, the three students joined the crew, with Ray serving as a camera operator while Dunn and Jones rotated in the third announcing seat. During this production, they were joined by TV-II student Trevor Roach (Menchville Senior), who operated the camera.

With a strong showing for the football season, Telecom expects good momentum for future productions. It is an absolute honor to serve in these productions, and I am glad that I can do this along with my graduate studies at Old Dominion University. It is great to work with our amazing crew, and I cannot wait for the next productions.