RICHMOND, Va. – Mark Doss, sits in his computer chair, swiveling back and forth, staring at me through the lens of his glasses as if it were the lens of a video camera.
For Doss, being behind a camera is nothing new. He has been filming since his freshman year in high school when he was introduced to the Growing Digital Network. GDN is a company that comes to rural areas like Danville to set up broadband Internet and gave rural areas the chance to connect to people worldwide. In addition, it offers summer classes at local community colleges about computers and new technology. Doss was taking classes when GDN mentioned that it needed help in its broadcast department. He figured he could help out, so he agreed to go along. This laid the foundation, got him started, and put the camera into his hands. The job with GDN also is what brought him here to Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I would definitely say GDN is what got me started,” said Doss. “That is where I picked up my first video camera and I knew then that I would like to do something like this al l the time.”
Doss, now a sophomore, is taking the proper steps at VCU to pursue his ultimate goal, being a camera operator for a major network. Although he is experienced with a camera, living in the city on his own was something he had never experienced.
Being from a small town like Danville, Va., one may experience a culture shock like Doss did when he first came to VCU. Just for some perspective, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008 Danville, Va., had a population of 44,660. That is almost the entire student population for VCU, which has roughly 32,000 students.
Difference in population wasn’t the only new occurrence he had to experience. Prior to coming to VCU, he had never driven on the interstate, never lived on his own, and all the diverse cultures in it were new. This is new territory for him, but that’s what’s helping him grow.
Now at VCU, Doss, hopes to take the proper steps for him to grow as a camera operator. He has already started by taking classes in the broadcast department, along with working for the VCU Athletic department. He has filmed the volleyball team, men/women soccer team, and now films the men’s basketball team.
Ironically, prior to picking up a camera, Doss had never really been into sports. He always thought sports to have been “silly”, but standing behind a camera and capturing once in a lifetime images changed his perspective. His favorite sport to film is basketball, because that is his favorite sport. Although, when it comes to filming, he has many reasons in why he enjoys it.
“It's hard to describe why I like filming. I love sports because of the buzzer-beaters, the Cinderella stories, the breaking of records, stuff like that…television and the use of cameras are ways of bringing stuff like that to people,” said Doss.
“Mark is very passionate when it comes to filming sports,” said Andrew Phillips, a student at VCU and Doss’ roommate. “Whether it’s filming for our men's basketball team, or trying to make a few extra bucks out a soccer game, Mark always does a good job, and is there for the athletic department and our basketball team.”
Doss is aware of the challenges that are presented when it comes to trying to catch the eye of a major network, but that doesn’t scare him. He is ready to start off in a small market and do some free-lance work just to get his foot in the door.
It’s a lot of hard work but that’s why he’s here at VCU, ready to learn from school and new experiences. As ambitious as Doss is, how do his parents feel about his career path?
“My parents are supportive,” said Doss. “They hope to see me one day working for ESPN.”
For Doss, being behind a camera is nothing new. He has been filming since his freshman year in high school when he was introduced to the Growing Digital Network. GDN is a company that comes to rural areas like Danville to set up broadband Internet and gave rural areas the chance to connect to people worldwide. In addition, it offers summer classes at local community colleges about computers and new technology. Doss was taking classes when GDN mentioned that it needed help in its broadcast department. He figured he could help out, so he agreed to go along. This laid the foundation, got him started, and put the camera into his hands. The job with GDN also is what brought him here to Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I would definitely say GDN is what got me started,” said Doss. “That is where I picked up my first video camera and I knew then that I would like to do something like this al l the time.”
Doss, now a sophomore, is taking the proper steps at VCU to pursue his ultimate goal, being a camera operator for a major network. Although he is experienced with a camera, living in the city on his own was something he had never experienced.
Being from a small town like Danville, Va., one may experience a culture shock like Doss did when he first came to VCU. Just for some perspective, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008 Danville, Va., had a population of 44,660. That is almost the entire student population for VCU, which has roughly 32,000 students.
Difference in population wasn’t the only new occurrence he had to experience. Prior to coming to VCU, he had never driven on the interstate, never lived on his own, and all the diverse cultures in it were new. This is new territory for him, but that’s what’s helping him grow.
Now at VCU, Doss, hopes to take the proper steps for him to grow as a camera operator. He has already started by taking classes in the broadcast department, along with working for the VCU Athletic department. He has filmed the volleyball team, men/women soccer team, and now films the men’s basketball team.
Ironically, prior to picking up a camera, Doss had never really been into sports. He always thought sports to have been “silly”, but standing behind a camera and capturing once in a lifetime images changed his perspective. His favorite sport to film is basketball, because that is his favorite sport. Although, when it comes to filming, he has many reasons in why he enjoys it.
“It's hard to describe why I like filming. I love sports because of the buzzer-beaters, the Cinderella stories, the breaking of records, stuff like that…television and the use of cameras are ways of bringing stuff like that to people,” said Doss.
“Mark is very passionate when it comes to filming sports,” said Andrew Phillips, a student at VCU and Doss’ roommate. “Whether it’s filming for our men's basketball team, or trying to make a few extra bucks out a soccer game, Mark always does a good job, and is there for the athletic department and our basketball team.”
Doss is aware of the challenges that are presented when it comes to trying to catch the eye of a major network, but that doesn’t scare him. He is ready to start off in a small market and do some free-lance work just to get his foot in the door.
It’s a lot of hard work but that’s why he’s here at VCU, ready to learn from school and new experiences. As ambitious as Doss is, how do his parents feel about his career path?
“My parents are supportive,” said Doss. “They hope to see me one day working for ESPN.”
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