Behind the Scenes: Tomahawk Today and the heartbeat of school spirit
Senior Producer DJ DeBois helps junior Marissa Rodriguez edit a video.
April 15, 2015
Warrior Productions, the broadcast team responsible for creating NC’s beloved morning show Tomahawk Today, consists of many hardworking, award-winning individuals who cover a wide range of school and community events.
DJ DeBois serves as a senior producer for Warrior Productions. When asked about his role on staff, he replied “My job is to make sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone does their job. Though it can be a lot sometimes, I love what I do.”
“In today’s constant and immersive media culture it is important to know how to interpret what you are being fed from screen after screen. My class helps people to see that and to become more media-literate,” broadcast video teacher Mr. Dempsey said.
Many fail to realize the substantial effort put forth by the Warrior Productions crew. In addition to filming Tomahawk Today, student broadcasters participate in multi-camera sports coverage, community-oriented projects, and even film instructional videos for the Cobb County School district. Behind-the-scenes, students constantly brainstorm ideas, write scripts, shoot videos, and edit repeatedly to create appealing productions. In fact, students often work after and before school to finish the weekly Tomahawk Today episode that the NC community anticipates.
“Right now several of the students are working on a welcome video for Big Shanty Elementary. That may not sound like a good time, but you would be surprised to see how cool it feels to walk around those little elementary students pretending like you’re a giant,” Dempsey said.
Surprisingly, over 100 students remain involved in Warrior Productions every year. Collectively, everyone in intro-level broadcast video classes, advanced clubs, and everything in-between works towards making the most entertaining and skilled videos.
“I love being apart of broadcast video because it allows me to build valuable teamwork and leadership skills while having fun with something I want to pursue as a career,” junior Lexi Medina said.
In fact, Warrior Production’s success continues to gain the group recognition state and nationwide. Recently participating in the State Leadership and Skills Conference for SkillsUSA, three of the teams took home gold medals and junior Lexi Medina received a state officer position. Other Warrior Production award recipients include senior Jack Dimmett, junior Raven Balentine, and senior Fadil Ali.
“I have to say, my favorite aspect of NC’s video-broadcast program is watching my students walk across a stage in front of thousands of other competitors and have a gold medal placed around their neck,” Dempsey said. “My students proved to be the best in the state and now get to compete against the best in the country. This amazing opportunity can open some really big doors for them, and could even earn them significant scholarship opportunities.”
Clearly, the student masterminds behind Tomahawk Today continue to create high-level videos and assist the community with their work. Many of the Warrior Production students hope to continue their successful work at NC and some wish to pursue broadcast-video opportunities in college. Nonetheless, the student-body and surrounding community remains appreciative of Warrior Production’s seamless work.
“I love it when I take a group of students out to a shoot in the community and the people there come up and ask what college we’re from. That lets me know that my kids are carrying themselves maturely and in a way that makes North Cobb and Warrior Productions look good,” Mr. Dempsey said.
