With a Broadcast Pix Mica 1000 integrated production switcher in the remote production trailer and a Granite 5000 in the control room, students in the School of Digital Media at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI, get serious training for careers in video production.

Student coverage of Ferris State Bulldogs NCAA Division 1 ice hockey is streamed live by the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while coverage of Division II football is streamed live on the university’s website. In the studio, students produce a variety of programs, including Ferris Sports Update, which is carried by WFQX, the local FOX affiliate. Ferris State student programming also airs locally on Charter Cable.

“We want them to have applied, hands-on experiences,” said Glen Okonoski, coordinator of the School of Digital Media at Ferris State. “We want them to have an audience, and that’s what these experiences create.”

Ferris State’s 20-foot production trailer includes four cameras and three replay channels. Graphics are produced through the Mica, and the optional Rapid CG software is used to integrate with scoreboards at football and hockey.

“Most people think they’re looking at a professional production,” Okonoski added. “They don’t know there are students behind the scenes.”