Lights, Camera, Action: MDC InFocus Wants To Make You Its Next Star
Kevin Boulandier wanted some broadcast news experience when he joined MDC InFocus, a show created by Miami Dade College to give student journalists an opportunity to polish their on-air talent.
The program allowed the 20-year-old, a news writer for The Reporter for the past two years, to sculpt his on-air persona. Boulandier learned to pace himself and lower his voice by a few decibels.
“Being Cuban you speak loud, so I learned that in a voiceover you can’t be yelling at a microphone,” said Boulandier, who has transferred what he learned to his news-focused Instagram page NewsAlertKB. “You gotta talk normally—it’s more conversational.”
Founded in 2007, MDC InFocus concentrates on reporting news about academic programs, campus events and student profiles at all eight MDC campuses.
Their latest episode—published on June 30—highlights initiatives that have taken place at MDC, such as the in-person commencement ceremony at loanDepot Park and how computer hardware giant IBM pledged $10 million to train MDC students for in-demand tech jobs.
In May, they published an episode about Aimee Reyes, a cybersecurity student who placed in the top three percent of the National Cyber League competition. The episode’s voice-over was done by Boulandier, who graduated from Kendall Campus in May and is transferring to Boston University this fall to study journalism.
Boulandier joins a growing army of successful MDC InFocus alumni.
The list includes Alex de Armas, a morning news anchor at WSVN 7 News, Melissa Adan, a reporter/anchor at NBC 7 San Diego, and Valentina Gonzalez, a roving reporter at América TeVé in Miami.
“MDC InFocus helped me get to know the business. Like how to record, how to get used to being in a studio and how to make audios,” said Gonzalez, who was part of the show in 2018. “If you’re interested in being in TV and radio, it’s important for you [to not only] get experience from the classes but also get experience in the field.”
The show is spearheaded by twenty-five-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, who earned a bachelor’s degree in film, television and digital production from MDC in 2019. Before joining MDC InFocus, he worked at MDC-TV—the College’s broadcast station—for five years as a camera operator, assistant editor and videographer. Rodriguez was part of teams that won SunCoast Emmy Awards in 2017 for Video Game Concert@MDC and in 2018 for Sustainable Fashion, the second installment of the Fashion Forward series.
He has also worked as a freelancer for CBS Sports and the entertainment news program Access Hollywood, and served as a production assistant on the feature film Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia.
At MDC InFocus, Rodriguez chooses the stories for the program, does voice overs, writes scripts and edits all the episodes. He also coaches student journalists on their on-air tone and presentation.
Rodriguez used his experience to lead MDC InFocus through their coverage during the coronavirus.
Before the pandemic, students recorded in-person episodes featuring three segments that lasted a total of more than 25 minutes. However, to ensure safety, the show has been producing two to five-minute segments using voice-overs, pre-recorded B-roll and interviews done via Zoom.
“I really liked the show [Daniel] put together during the pandemic because it was—and still is—very difficult for producers, directors, and videographers to adapt,” said Rodriguez’s former boss, Ariel Rubalcava, who serves as the executive director and senior producer at MDC-TV.
Episodes of MDC In Focus can be found online at the YouTube channels for MDC and MDC-TV. Prospective reporters don’t need to be majoring in media-related studies or have previous reporting experience.
“If you have a passion and some type of idea of how to report, then we’ll guide you along the way,” Rodriguez said.
For more information about MDC InFocus, contact Rodriguez at (305) 237-3920 or drodri26@mdc.edu.
