VALDOSTA — While the Valdosta State Blazers were busy pounding the turf against the Ferris State Bulldogs, Ray Hannah and Naomi Harrison worked diligently behind the scenes to capture the battle. 

The two VSU students photographed and recorded the Blazers football team as it won its fourth national championship last December in McKinney, Texas.

Discovering

a Passion

The historical game was a first for Harrison, a junior mass media student set to graduate in May 2020.

“Something this big, a championship game, I’d never done,” she said. “I didn’t think I was ever even going to do (it) during my college career considering where I started college to where I am now.”

The Atlanta native transferred to VSU from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in fall 2017. She began studying mass media in 2015.

At 18 years old, Harrison said it was iMovie and YouTube that sparked her interest in video editing.

“I never used (iMovie) before, so I just opened it, and started playing around; and that’s how I got interested in it,” she said.

The former biology and English major received confirmation that she wanted to go into mass media after learning from VSU the different avenues she could venture upon within the field.

“Just making recaps, I think, is my favorite thing,” she said. “They’re really short and quick and less stressful, and you can really do whatever you want with it.”

Harrison is a video production assistant for VSU’s digital media services, which came as a surprise to her.

Like any other college student, she was looking for a “normal campus job” when she discovered DMS had an opening for a video production assistant.

She said she couldn’t believe students could be a part of VSU’s marketing team.

“I was just surprised that I got the job considering the experience that I didn’t have that they were looking for,” Harrison said speaking about her inexperience with Adobe products.

Through DMS she received the opportunity to work the VSU championship game.

Beth Tate, DMS broadcast videographer, selected Harrison to photograph the game because she had worked the most hours in football.

“I didn’t know that I had worked every game until playoffs started,” Harrison said.

The only game she said she missed was a playoff game against the University of Notre Dame, the game that took the Blazers into the championship.

Being on the sidelines at McKinney ISD Stadium, watching her team take the field against Ferris State, was surreal and exciting for Harrison, she said.

“I didn’t think I would ever be in that position,” she said.

Harrison said as soon as the clock struck zero, she began recording the celebration, the trophy ceremony, students running onto the field, the fireworks and confetti.

“I just felt proud,” she said. “I think it was in that moment, I was the proudest to be a Blazer or a student at Valdosta State because they worked really hard to get there. … I think we were all just proud to be there.”

Shining a Light

on Purpose

The experience at the championship was amazing for Hannah as he recorded the event.

The senior mass media major said he decided to attend VSU because it’s in the heart of “TitleTown.”

“I wanted to see my team win a national championship,” he said. “I knew that I could be really passionate about VSU football.”

Similar to Harrison, Hannah didn’t miss a football game last season doing color commentating, sideline reporting and social media coverage.

“I really think having that experience at that game (the championship) was something I will never forget,” he said. “I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m extremely blessed to be chosen to do that.”

Though Hannah is a member of VSU’s Digital Media Services as a sports broadcast camera operator, he went to the big game as a videographer on behalf of Tallahassee, Fla.-based Crash and Annie Productions.

Crash and Annie owner Jamie Abbott requested Hannah be his video assistant. The two had become acquaintances in the press box at football games.

“That was one of the happiest moments of my life because it was like all the hard work that I’d done finally paid off,” he said.

Hannah credited the request to his passion and dedication to sports, which led him to work with ESPN occasionally during VSU games.

He assisted the network doing camera setups and statistics, once during the Valdosta State vs. University of West Georgia game.

“In any position, you have to be passionate about it; and you have to show that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make that broadcast the best it can be,” he said.

Moments like being alongside Abbott and ESPN officials make Hannah feel like video editing is what he is supposed to be doing, he said.

“These opportunities have really made me not only believe in myself but have had other people believe in me, too,” Hannah said.

The Newnan-native wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after graduating high school but said he initially wanted to be a broadcast journalist.

He’s previously written for the Atlanta Hawks and the Odyssey Online. He also writes for VSU’s campus newspaper, The Spectator.

“I really enjoy writing — sports writing, especially. It’s something that I could really become passionate about,” he said. “But the video side is really something that I feel like that’s where I’m supposed to be.”

Hannah’s passion for video editing stems from “telling a story that matters.”

This is one reason why he enjoys interning for Marcus McConico, media coordinator for the City of Valdosta and Metro 17, he said. He joined Metro 17 last summer.

He writes scripts and voice-overs, records film and edits video.

Hannah said he began a segment on Metro 17 titled “Keeping You Informed,” a public information segment using public-service announcements.

“I really just like working with people that matter in the community and showing the citizens that these people do care about their town,” he said. “Working with Marcus has really made me fall in love with it.”

Hannah has been involved with 15 films, some of which he has written and directed. Most recently, he’s been a cinematographer for a feature film set to be released soon, he said.

He is currently producing a horror-thriller, which he filmed in Clayton. There’s talk of having the film released at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts.

“It’s the probably the realest I’ve ever done,” he said. “The thing I can be most proud of already even though we haven’t put it all together.”

Two Roads Diverged

Though video editing bonds Harrison and Hannah, their future goals vary.

Hannah would like to be within the broadcast field either as a station producer or technical director. His main interest is broadcasting sports.

During summers, Harrison travels to make music videos for children at summer camps teaching them about texting and driving or having respect. She can see doing more of this in the future.

Ultimately, she’d like to become a videographer for her favorite musician, Chance the Rapper, or for CNN.

Amanda M. Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.