黑料正能量 is adding a new major in what is projected to be one of the fastest growing fields through the end of the decade.
The Entertainment Technology program, which will start in the fall 2022 semester, will train the broadcast, sound, and video technicians that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says will continue to be in demand.
The trend toward virtual work, online entertainment, and higher production values for in-person occasions means there is greater need for the folks who produce these materials and events, explained David Vinciguerra. WCC is ready with the necessary training, and he will be the lead instructor.
Starting in Fall 2022, WCC will offer an Entertainment Technology program that provides formal production training focusing on sound recording, concert lighting, electronic music production, and marketing/promotion.
鈥淢ore people are turning to the internet and YouTube and away from traditional media. Content creators will be needed, not just artists and talent but also the production side,鈥� Vinciguerra said. 鈥淔or example, with COVID, so much went online 鈥� schools were teaching online and a lot of work environments have gone virtual. Suddenly they need video and audio production. We鈥檒l be meeting needs that are already here.鈥�
Employment opportunities can include entry-level crew and production assistants in concert or event setups; with recording, sound, or lighting companies; and artist career management.
Concert venues, houses of worship, recording studios, event companies, schools, businesses, even social media influencers, are just some of the potential employers of graduates of the new program, Vinciguerra said, and there are plenty of these in every community.
WCC will offer an associate in applied science degree in Entertainment Technology and five certificates: Audio Engineer; Entertainment Management; Entertainment Technology; Entertainment Technology Promotion and Marketing; and Social Media and Entertainment. Students can earn individual certificates or their associate degree.
Classes are taught either face-to-face or hybrid (traditional classroom with an online component) to provide students access to industry-standard hardware, software, and training.
Vinciguerra said that bringing students together on the campus instead of offering this program online is important, not only so they can use the college鈥檚 equipment, but also so they can have the advantage of each other鈥檚 creativity and can do group work.
Courses cover music, web graphics and design, sound production, concert lighting, marketing and promotion, entertainment law, recording engineering, electronic music, and artist management.
One requirement for graduation is a capstone project. 鈥淭his will be a semester-long project where the student is producing something with very little instructor input,鈥� said Vinciguerra. 鈥淭hey are on their own like they will be in the field and maybe they record a band or produce a video.鈥�
Potential students are already contacting him, Vinciguerra said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited about the group that we have signing up. I can see the excitement in their eyes.鈥�
One of those students who has already committed to the program is Hayley Rabon, who just earned a degree in Simulation and Game Development from WCC in May 2022.
Rabon wants a career in the film industry but she wasn鈥檛 ready to go off to a four-year college right after high school. 鈥淚 started looking at programs that Wayne Community and I found a program that I thought would be able to benefit me in the long run – Simulations and Game Development. I knew that program would teach me a lot of good skills that I would need one day,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 decided to sign up for this program because, for one, I will still be able to be close to home, and secondly, because it sounds exactly like some of the stuff that I鈥檓 looking for. I will be able to work with sound, concert lighting, and more,鈥� she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad Mr. Vinciquerra is teaching it because I loved having him as a teacher for simulation and game development and I know he will be a fantastic fit for this,鈥� Rabon said.
鈥淚 can really identify with the students,鈥� Vinciguerra said. He was once where Rabon is now.
Vinciguerra came to WCC straight out of high school, seeking a program like the one he is starting now because he 鈥渨anted to learn how to record bands.鈥� He ended up earning an associate in arts degree at WCC, then transferring to East Carolina University where he earned both a bachelor鈥檚 and a master鈥檚 degree in Communications. He then taught there for eight years before taking a position at WCC in 2011 to teach in the college鈥檚 Simulation and Game Development program.
Now Vinciguerra is implementing the program that he sought decades ago. It will be the only associate degree-level Entertainment Technology program in eastern North Carolina.
For more information, go to the program’s webpage聽or contact Vinciguerra via email or at 919-739-6884.
The first day of Fall 2022 classes is Aug. 18. Learn about the steps for聽admission聽or call 919- 739-6720 or 919-739-6719 to get started with the admission process.
黑料正能量 is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 165 college credit programs. WCC鈥檚 mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.