The Film & Digital Media Productions program partnered with the Office of International Affairs to create a scholarship for film students that would incorporate filmmaking skills while giving its recipient work experience this semester. 

Kennedy Pope, a junior, was the first recipient of the scholarship.

Fundamentally, the OIA-F&DMP Scholarship is an employment opportunity, Pope said.

“They (F&MDP) sent out the application form for the film and digital media department,” Pope said. “You have student’s submit video samples and essentially we were competing for a job to work as a videographer for the Office of International Affairs.”

Pope is a bilingual film student, who freelances for bands around Florence and writes his own narrative work, he said. 

“When all the factors came together he was a pretty clear choice, there was never any questions of ‘why did he get it?’,” Flynn said. “What we were looking for in the personal statement was the passion, not just a way to make some money.”

Pope goes way beyond the call of duty, said Tate Hipps, a senior and film student.

“He does whatever it takes to get it (production) done,” Hipps said. “He’s very self-aware and open to criticism and really listens to everyone around him.”

Receiving the scholarship was an honor, Pope said.

“I’m honored though I thought I had a pretty good chance because I’m pretty confident in my abilities as they stand,” Pope said. “I’m far from being professional at this, but I’m pretty confident in what I do, so I felt like I had a good chance of doing it.”

Flynn encourages students in the program to find ways to practice their talents, he said.

“In the six years I’ve been here we constantly get requests from departments wanting our students to come work for them as a learning experience,” said Jason Flynn, assistant professor of film and digital media production. “A learning experience is when you’re working under someone who’s teaching you something, not where you’re just applying a skill that you already have to someone else free of charge.”

Flynn works to teach students to treat their craft as a skill instead of a hobby, he said.

 “There are tons of people on campus that want video for stuff, and it’s not even that difficult of stuff,” Flynn said. “Once you have a skill, you’re working to be employable by it. I’m trying to foster within my students that you can’t just give stuff away.”

As far as Flynn knows the OIA-F&DMP scholarship will be offered again next year, he said. 

“I’m hoping by this time next year we have a second or third (recipient),” he said.

 “What I’d really love is for this to kind of catch on around campus and for us to be able to use this as a template for when another department calls us,” Flynn said. “There are tons of applications just on campus and off of campus there’s even more.”

Pope’s advice to anyone looking to apply for the scholarship is to know your audience, he said. 

“Get involved beforehand so you have an idea of what you’re about to be a part of,” Pope said. “I essentially applied for it (scholarship) because I know I’ve some sort of finger on the international community while I’ve been here.”