At ConVal, Chris Ouelette developed an early interest in filmmaking. He is probably most remembered for his filming of the “Don’t Stop Believin'” lip-dub video in his junior year.
After graduating from ConVal High School in 2014, Chris attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Full Sail specializes in audio and video production as well as other entertainment and media-related areas of study.
Here is Chris’ reflection:
“Towards the end of my time at ConVal, I began to look back on what really stood out to me as a student. The creative freedom of photography and my curiosity for film is what drove me to apply to Full Sail University. This choice was based on their intense, accelerated bachelors degree that can be completed in two years time.”
“About halfway through the program, I decided that television was the path that I wished to take and began my training as a technical director. Towards graduation, I began to look for job in my field, which is how I found a position at a news station called WTOC in Savannah, GA.”
“WTOC had equipment much more advanced than that of Full Sail’s and understanding their new switcher was something I had to achieve. Within a few weeks I was able to Direct and Technical Direct, TD, my own shows and was given my own time slots to run. After spending 8 months at WTOC I began to look for jobs in a larger market.”
“Some searching later, a position opened up at WHBQ in Memphis, TN for a Director / TD position. I applied, followed up, and was given an interview. This job was a fairly big deal because of the fact it is a top 50 market and, being such a young age, this puts me years beyond the competition. I was given the position and currently direct the night shows. In the future, I hope to continue moving up in markets until the opportunity to TD major sporting events.”
“For anyone who has an interest in TV, I would recommend asking a local station for a tour or to sit in on one of their newscasts. Most stations will be more than willing to allow that, especially if it is for an educational purpose.”
If you want to see Chris in action as a news director, get a behind-the-scenes look and watch him direct the January 11, 2017 news show on WHBQ Fox 13 in this YouTube video.
