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Lindsey and Oliver, who owns and operates Allen J. Oliver
Productions, first partnered for the 2001 production of
Shattered Dreams. At the time, Lindsey had been
contemplating how to create an effective way to publicize
good news to students in Red Oak ISD. Lindsey discussed his
idea with Oliver, and Oliver shared his experiences with a
news show while he was a student at Duncanville High School.
“I had helped start a show very similar except I was the
student and the producer.
So
I had to write, report and produce,” Oliver said. “When
Scott saw a copy of one of my past shows, he wanted to know
how I could bring that to Red Oak High School, and the rest
is history.”
With funding from the Project Success parent committee,
Lindsey and Oliver began planning their news show.
“I
found seven good, solid kids who would be dedicated to the
project,” Lindsey said.
“We started with a folding table and green screen in the
administration building.”
Since the first show, Lindsey has worked closely with Oliver
and his wife, Kimberly.
“He’s amazingly skilled. He never gets enough credit as far
as I’m concerned. He and Kimberly are wonderful people,”
Lindsey said of Oliver. “I write a lot of the script, and
his wife takes care of all the corrections. She also stands
at filming days holding a microphone over her head for four
hours.”
“Scott and I have worked together since 2001 and each year
our real jobs become more an dmore demanding and at the same
time we both work hard to keep Hawk Eye News current,”
Oliver said. “It’s a creative outlet and something (my wife
and I) truly believe in. Our passion for bringing good news
to the community and is our motivation as well as the kids
in this community. The support of the district also keeps us
coming back and producing more shows. It’s a legacy now and
we must protect it by not letting it die. The show has been
a good source of news for students and parents.”
In
the quest to remain interesting and relevant to their
audience, the news team has grown in members of cast and
crew and has upgraded technology and sets through the help
of the community. Now, Hawk Eye News boasts a cast of eight
reporters and four anchors at the Red Oak High School
bureau. With the success of the junior high correspondents,
Hawk Eye News added a Red Oak Junior High Bureau this year,
consisting of four reporters and one anchor. Hawk Eye News
also has five photographers available to film the many
events occurring throughout the district.
“We have the largest cast we’ve ever had this year,” Lindsey
said. “We’ve gone from picking kids to having tryouts. Forty
kids tried out for one position at the junior high.”
Hawk Eye News is now filmed at the official Hawk Eye News
Studio in Acorn Academy. With help from the students
involved in the show, support from the district and the
community, Hawk Eye News has moved from a card table to a
professional studio featuring upgraded equipment and set
furnishings.
“The first four years we printed their lines on paper and
held it behind the camera,” Lindsey said. “This year we have
a teleprompter. It’s really helped.”
Bill Miller with Career and Technology Education at Red Oak
High School built the news desk visible in the studio
scenes, Project Success provided funds to purchase a banner
featuring the hawk mascot for the studio and Johnny Knight
made a wall-size green screen.
“We can put the anchors in New York City of the Sahara
Desert,” Lindsey said. “There’s been great community
support. We have our own Hawk Eye News posters and
billboards.”
Danny Humphrey’s State Farm Insurance company funded the
billboard located along Louise Ritter Boulevard.
“The show content and student stars have surpassed all of
our expectations above and beyond in most cases,” Oliver
said. “Our goals starting out where to built a reputable
reliable TV newsmagazine focusing on positive news in Red
Oak but also it needed to be entertaining to watch. I wanted
the viewers to have an invested interest in our anchors and
reporters so they would welcome us into their classrooms,
offices and homes each month via TV or Internet.”
On
Jan. 12, 2006, with the help of Richard Kinney at
www.your-web-guys.com, Hawk Eye News launched its official
Web site, www.hawkeye-news.com. Since it’s launch, the site
has had over 38,500 visitors and now has 500 subscribers.
The site offers a plethora of information, from all 50
episodes to daily updated school related news. Oliver has
also worked closely with the Red Oak ISD Athletic Department
to develop the Athletic Zone portion of the Web site,
featuring a monthly show titled “Coaches Corner,” a show
hosted by Athletics Director Danny Edelman.
“This portion of our Web site continues to grow and has some
exciting and informative news and video clips.”
The Web site also has a crime education zone. In the future,
Oliver hopes to include a section for the elementary
schools, focusing specifically on events and education on
the Red Oak ISD elementary campuses. The site is also a
venue to generate advertising by selling space on the Web
site, offering advertisers an additional space for
advertising, along with advertising on in Hawk Eye News
episodes.
Lindsey credits the students involved in Hawk Eye News for
much of the success the show has experienced.
“The kids have put so much work into it. These are busy,
busy kids. This is all volunteer - there’s no grade,”
Lindsey said. “These kids have gotten so involved that they
don’t want people to fill in for them. They have a lot of
fun.”
“People like to hear about the close up,” Oliver said. “The
news we see at 10 o’clock is the wide show and Hawk Eye News
is the close up. Students and parents like to see themselves
and their kids on TV. The show promotes a well-rounded
community and gives patrons a sense of pride in their
community.”
“Also, I think our reporters and anchors have formed
relationships with their audience and folks want to see what
happens next. The style of editing and producing I think
keeps them coming back and more joining forces with us,”
Oliver said.
Oliver hopes that the future will bring more sponsorships
and advertising to the show.
With 50 shows behind them and many more in the future,
Oliver and Lindsey have goals for the show and for the
school which Hawk Eye News serves.
“We would love to see the district start a media tech
program. I’m a huge believer that the more opportunities a
kid has, the more success,” Lindsey said. “Our goals are to
continue the show and make advances in the show. We have met
with the city and we’d love to get the show on a cable
access station. We want to get more information out to the
community about the school.”
Special thanks to MANDY BOURGEOIS and the Ellis County
Chronicle
original story and printable version here
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