Shippensburg University is proud to announce that Cody Myers ’22 won a Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Award of Excellence for his documentary, “The Show Must Go On.” Myers submitted the documentary in the Graduate Student Film & Video Production Competition Category, of which only 15 winners were declared nationwide.
Myers, a Strategic Communications major, completed the 17-minute documentary as a part of an Independent Study during his final semester at Ship. He credited James Lohrey, assistant professor of Communication, Journalism and Media, for advising/critiquing his film project throughout the course of the study and encouraging him to submit the completed documentary to the BEA Awards, “I contacted him in the fall of 2021 because I needed an additional class and I really wanted to take on a production-based assignment that would complement a lot of the information I learned in the program,” he said.
He opened up about the inspiration for the award-winning documentary, “The Show Must Go On documented the history of the Carlisle Theatre as well as covering the production cycle of their spring 2022 play, “Harvey.” I had become interested in working with the Carlisle Theatre when the theatre’s artistic director, Ashley Byerts, came onto my “Down to Small Business Podcast” to talk about the theatre. After producing that episode, I reached out to Ashley to pitch my idea,” said Myers.
He shared his excitement for his upcoming travel to Las Vegas, NV where he’ll be recognized for his BEA achievement, “The awards ceremony will take place on April 16 in Las Vegas where all the winners will be recognized and receive an award plaque. This awards ceremony is part of a larger convention that takes place from April 15 to the 18. Attending this event grants me access to both the events of BEA 2023 and the 2023 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.”
Myers reflected on his experience as a graduate student by highlighting essential takeaways provided by the program, “The Strategic Communications program was exactly what I needed to progress in my career. I have a production background and wanted to round out my skills and transition into a more significant role marketing businesses. I already worked with a lot of small businesses prior to joining the program. The classes allowed me to apply the strategies and research they taught in real time. I was able to propose and execute marketing plans that helped grow my brand as well as the brands of my clients. I truly believe I got the most out of this program and it has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my career and my brand within the community.”
In October of 22’, Myers accepted a position as a social media specialist for the Verber Dental Group, where he demonstrates his creative skills and knowledge of strategic communications. Myers also works for several small businesses by filming events, videos and promotional photography under the production name “Myers Media.”
“My future goals are to continue to progress my career. I believe that I can offer something truly unique to my community and can be successful in this field without having to move to a major city. I want to continue my work with small businesses and eventually grow my business to the size where I can pursue more interesting projects like my documentary. One thing I always keep in the back of my mind as a potential long-term goal is to go back to school for my doctorate and teach a younger generation all the skills and knowledge that allowed me to advance my career,” he said.
Myers is the first Shippensburg University student to win a BAE Award since 2018. The Show Must Go On continues to generate accolades by being accepted to 18 film festivals and winning Best Student Documentary in the Reading Film Festival.
