RTV4682 Advanced Feature Production and RTV4686 Advanced Feature Reporting are two courses in the Digital Media Production (DMP) program within the FSU School of Communication. These courses are designed to give students professional experience opportunities as part of their undergraduate curriculum. This course has been described by previous students as a ‘production boot camp’ and you are guaranteed to learn the skills you will need to be successful after college. Course instructors Jim Garbarino and Tim Fordyce have over 60 years of combined, professional “real world” experience beyond academia.
Jim Garbarino is a certified editing instructor and has produced over 600 shows for Fox Sports while also freelancing in multiple roles for ESPN, ABC Sports, NBC, FOX Sports, PBS, and NCAA Productions among others. He has personally earned over 70 national and international awards and has served as executive producer on many other award-winning programs, including multiple Emmy Award nominees.
Tim Fordyce has over 35 years of broadcast and communications experience as an award-winning writer, producer, reporter, videographer, assignment editor and instructor. Tim has worked for multiple media outlets including local affiliates, statewide communications companies, and as producer for multiple state agencies and private corporations.
Students in the Advanced Feature Production course act as the production crew on program features, which includes videography, editing, audio, and graphic design. They work with students in the Advanced Feature Reporting course who are given on-air experience, starring as reporters. Together, they produce broadcast level features highlighting topics relating to FSU and the Tallahassee community.
In the past, students in these courses provided the content for Seminole Sports Magazine, highlighting and promoting FSU Athletics. The instructors expanded the scope of the course to move beyond athletics to include the entire FSU community by featuring students, programs, faculty, and administration.
Through hands-on, experiential learning, our talented Advanced Feature Reporting students develop into skilled, creative storytellers. Working under real-world deadlines in collaboration with their talented production counterparts, they become adept at pitching newsworthy stories, conducting face-to-face interviews, writing feature scripts, and producing professional broadcast television stories of interest to the Florida State University community and beyond.
The hard work of talented students has also been recognized with multiple awards over the years and help make FSU communications students some of the most sought after and marketable graduates in their field. Students from this course have moved on to positions at major networks, media groups, sports teams, and private companies all over the world.
The features at the website below are written and produced by students in both the Advanced Feature Production and Advanced Feature Performance classes.