Broadcasting students plan reality-show-style series for Algonquin’s Got Talent
The television and streaming video program is putting on a show for Algonquin College students, shining a spotlight on the upcoming Algonquin’s Got Talent in the Observatory.
The show will be shot with multiple cameras to capture dynamic angles, showcasing both the performances and the audience reactions, similar to the reality TV show America’s Got Talent, which is hosted by Simon Cowell. Instead of a simple performance-based show, the focus will be on storytelling, highlighting the emotional investment of both the performers and the production team.
There is no exact release date at this point. But the plan, according to a few of the producers and Matt McCooeye, the program coordinator, will be to have a series published by the end of April.
“The students of our program are storytellers. That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for stories,” McCooeye said.
“Yes, we want to capture the event, but we also want to tell their stories. And this is a really good opportunity for all the students to use all the skills they’ve learned in our program and create something that, maybe, there is an audience for.”
McCooeye is impressed with the student engagement, with 35 out of 55 students in the program volunteering for the project.
“These students will be working on this event and this show because they want to work on it, so I love all the engagement, which is exciting for us. I believe they will rise to meet our expectations,” he said.
His goal is for the students to get the opportunity to work in the field on a real-life project, with real-life expectations, goals and production standards.
The crew, led by Salah Tebessi and Aldo Israel Ramirez Ortiz, is responsible for everything from the social media promotion to event coordination.
Everyone on the team will work hard to ensure that anyone who misses the event can get a true feel for the contestants’ heightened emotions and the vibrant atmosphere.
As pre-production lead, Price is organizing roles and coordinating production teams.
“I’m excited for it, just to see how it flows. I have produced some things before, and I find sometimes I just need to step back and let people do their thing,” Price said.
“There’s a lot of very capable and strongly skilled people on the entire team that are put in great positions that complement their skills a lot, so I think it’ll go very well.”
Price, Tebessi and production/crew coordinator Michael Bennett will play a key role in shaping the vision of the event, ensuring that it stays aligned with the overall goals of showcasing student talent in a professional manner.
Despite lacking the expensive equipment used on America’s Got Talent, students are ready to show the raw, unscripted emotions of the live performances, making the show feel more organic and relatable.
There will be interviews before and after each act, allowing the performers to tell their own stories.
“I’m going to try to get that emotional side of that performance, because when you look at the real AGT, you see parents, you see friends, you see people getting emotional because they have been dreaming about doing that thing for a long period of time, and now it’s on the stage,” Tebessi said.
Tebessi envisions creating a polished, professional edition of the talent show that stands apart from previous productions that might have felt like “typical student work.” He aims to produce something that captures the essence of the performers in a way that respects their talent and feels authentic, rather than just another student-run project.
“Personally, my main goal right now with AGT is to try to make the most professional edition ever made,” he said.
The series is likely to contain five episodes, each approximately 15 minutes long and released weekly. The show may be published on the Algonquin Students’ Association YouTube channel, however, it is yet to be determined where the show will be streamed.
