Elon Technology Blog

Meet Brent Smith

He manages video production projects, serves as a liaison between video stakeholders across campus, reads tons of books, and even brews his own beer. Brent Smith, Teaching and Learning Technologies’ newest staff member, is a jack-of-all-trades.

Though his title is Video Integration Manager, Brent is responsible for a number of things. He leads and implements video initiatives for Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT), partners with campus video stakeholders, provides expertise on video facilities and infrastructure, and manages and directs large-scale, live-event video productions. In essence, Brent leads cross-functional teams to ensure TLT is on the cutting edge of video usage in higher education.

“Though I already love the projects I’m working on, my favorite part of my job so far has been returning to a communal atmosphere,” he said. “Rutgers was a huge school. At Elon, I’ve already received emails about birth announcements and invites to College Coffee. Everyone is so supportive.”

Brent came to Elon University from Rutgers University, where he worked as an assistant director of Campus Information Services in the institution’s University Relations department.

“That position was a stretch job,” he said. “And when I say that, I mean it really stretched my skills and abilities to a point where I was forced to grow. I learned so much. I was doing things I had never done before.”

But, after working at Rutgers for about 12 years, Brent felt the need for fresh challenges, so he decided to search for other career options. After a former Rutgers colleague, who now works at Elon, contacted Brent for his advice on the wording of TLT’s new Video Integration Manager job description, Brent became interested.

“We were joking about how interesting the job sounded,” he said. “So, when the job listing popped up on my keyword alerts feed on The Chronicle of Higher Education, I decided to apply.”

Smith’s professional background

Though Brent’s resume lists over 35 years of experience in the television industry, he initially thought his career was headed for radio. While in college at Southern Oregon University, he decided to study radio broadcasting after listening to the campus radio station one evening.

But after his wife got a teaching job in Guam after his graduation, Brent moved to the U.S. territory for four years and began a career in television production at Guam Cable TV.

“I’d only taken like one television class in college,” he said. “But I started doing television at Guam Cable TV, which was pretty aggressive about doing local news and local advertising, especially at that time, so I learned about television.”

After four years on the island, Brent and his wife decided to move closer to home and relocated to Coos Bay, Oregon, a small town on the Oregon coast. There, Brent worked at a small, NBC-affiliate television station as its production manager, creating local news clips for the Today show among his other responsibilities. Brent remained at the station for 20 years.

“That was very fun,” he said. “I didn’t really intend to stay there for that long, but we had a kid, and around junior high, she asked if we could stay there until after high school.”

After his run in Oregon, Brent and his wife moved to New Jersey. Brent had applied to Rutgers University almost on a whim during his job search, so after accepting a new position at the institution, he moved away from corporate media and into higher education.

Come introduce yourself

Brent is enthusiastic about his new position, and he is more than qualified to assist you with your video and technology needs. Stop by our office to see for yourself.

If you want some assistance from Brent or are interested in collaborating with him on a project, contact Teaching and Learning Technologies at 336.278.5006 or tlt@elon.edu.

 

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