By: Rebecka McAleer

By now, you’ve heard me talk about all of the many people I work with. So many names, how do I differentiate them all? Who ARE these people? What makes up an A/V crew? Never fear, dear readers—the answer to that question comes now.

Skippy:
Skippy is the CEO at GNTV. He’s been working in the business for years, and he took over as CEO last year when his father retired. He’s a great guy who has his own special way of doing things, which can sometimes be a bit confusing. He’s got a good balance of firm and flexible. For example, in Oklahoma City when we had a free night off, Skippy took the crew to Dave and Busters for the evening and paid for $100 worth of games for us to play. He knew that the rest of the week we would be eating lunch standing up while we worked at the event, so he made our free night special. He can be bothersome occasionally, but honestly, he is one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. Skippy is in the office this week.

Wash:
Wash is GNTV’s newest full-time hire, but he’s been here for a while. He interned for a couple of years, and then worked part-time in charge of duplication and shipping while he was in school studying communications. When he graduated two years ago, Wash was hired for full-time work. He’s an incredibly clever bearded redhead who can nearly always be seen with some small form of entertainment in his hands. He juggles balls, pins, and knives, uses magic cigar boxes, can use a trick rope, and has the biggest collection of Irish/Celtic music I’ve ever heard. Wash is a ton of fun to be around, and a master of video editing. He is running an FCA camp setup in Americus this week.

Sully:
Sully is a third-year intern whose most noticeable feature is his addiction to sarcasm (and his love of Star Wars). He’s currently the second-highest-ranking intern on staff, having just graduated from Mercer University. He’s good to travel with, because he almost always volunteers to drive. When I’m riding shotgun, he lets me pick the music. His specialty at GNTV is packing, loading and transport. Sully and I like to laughingly call ourselves Ralph and Vanellope, like the characters from “Wreck-It Ralph,” because that movie mirrors our relationship perfectly. Sully is in the office this week.

Abu:
Abu is the highest-ranking intern on staff. He’s been here for several years, and just recently graduated from Moorehouse College. He is a very skilled camera operator, but also likes to switch (sometimes) and edit video (a lot). He loves martial arts films and listens to a lot of rap and Disney music. I call him “Abu” because we both really love the movie “Aladdin.” Abu is on vacation this week.

Ginger:
Ginger is a first-year intern from the University of North Georgia with the bubbliest personality and brightest red hair I’ve ever seen. She’s our resident “girly-girl.” While most of what she’s done this summer is running cameras and graphics, what she really wants to do is run sound. She’s priceless in the office, because she has a way of being organized that really helps keep things moving. Her specialty is shipping orders. Fun fact: Three years ago, Ginger and I worked at another job together for a whole week. Ginger is in the office this week.

Shang:
Shang is another first-year intern, but he has a good bit of experience to give him an edge. He’s a VSU student in the Mass Media department, and has a “man of God” personality, which gives him major points when it comes to working with clients. He’s also always willing to work—I’ve never seen him even frown at being asked to do something. Shang’s specialty is sound engineering—he can make anyone sound great. Shang is in Americus for FCA camp this week.

Flame:
Flame is a contract employee for GNTV. During the academic year, he teaches middle school special education and coaches several different sports. During the summer, he works the GNTV summer run as a sound technician. He’s a sports nut, and you can’t go anywhere with him without some mention of Ohio State football. Flame is one of the most laid-back of the GNTV crew; his very presence lowers the stress in the room. Flame is working his normal, non-GNTV life this week.

Ratchet:
Ratchet is yet another VSU student—we’re really stocking up on those this year! He’s a Mass Media major and an IT employee who specializes in switching live video. He’s a problem solver who can fix anything as long as he’s allowed to fix it his way. Ratchet enjoys ska and dubstep, and you’re never bored when he’s on headset. Ratchet is in Americus for FCA camp this week.

There are more employees at GNTV than just this, of course, but I wanted to give everyone a shot to see what kind of folks we are. We’re nerds. We can’t go anywhere without asking about the local WiFi connection. We each carry a backpack full of cables, connectors, adapters, discs, and above all else, cable ties (reusable zip ties). When people pass our production area, they say it looks like one big Apple commercial thanks to the number of Macbook Pros we carry with us. We go out to lunch to take a break from work and spend the whole time pouring over the new Apple iOS update, or the Xbox One vs. Playstation 4 debate. We’re one big nerdy family.

I’ve got to get back to work, as usual, so here’s your farewell, courtesy of our last crew member: Girlie the office dog!