Some colleges hire a full-time employee on a salary, but Kansas State chooses to hire right out of its backyard. Student employees shoot and produce videos for K-State’s sports social media page, and follow each game with intensity as it plays out, capturing the best content possible.
Calen Domingues, sophomore in news and sports media, is the video producer for the K-State volleyball team. He records every practice, warm-up, home game and road game, with a 48-hour turnaround time for video content. But, even with all of his responsibilities, he still makes time for class, friends and free time.
This balance doesn’t come naturally, though. Domingues schedules his classes around the volleyball schedule, completing assignments and videos on time while also being a full-time student.
“In the fall is when we do a lot of the traveling,” Domingues said. “I’m out of town what feels like every other week, so I make sure to be in 12 credit hours and have at least half of them be online, so it makes the schoolwork balance a little lighter. I kind of just balance it out with more work in the fall, less school and then less work in the spring, more school.”
Domingues isn’t the only student balancing this lifestyle. There is a team of students who cover different sports for K-State, including Payton Breeze, the women’s basketball videographer. The duo has worked closely together for years and has formed a great friendship, bonding over the crazy work schedules and collaborating on video ideas.
Breeze is grateful for Domingues’ friendship and appreciates his feedback on projects.
“Being friends in this role makes it a lot easier to be honest with each other,” Breeze said. “We can give real feedback and not take it the wrong way. We’re able to collaborate and bounce more complex ideas off each other, which makes both of our work better.”
With two years left in Manhattan, Domingues is thinking ahead to career goals. His summer internship last year with Mammoth Sports Construction opened his eyes to the possibilities in media.
“I would love to get more into narrative film, such as documentaries or commercials,” he said. “Interning with this company, Mammoth, really opened up my eyes to what I want to do long term, which is more of the projects where you have a storyboard, hire a team and do your speciality within your department.”
Even though sports might not be the end goal, Domingues is grateful for the opportunity to work for K-State Athletics and grow as a creator.
“It’s just such a great opportunity that I’ve been given here at K-State, I’m very grateful for it,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Honestly, I love it so much. It’s a great job.”