Illinois State University alum and nationally-syndicated broadcaster Sam Alex said he founded a camp for aspiring broadcasters as a passion project.
Camp Broadcast will start its fourth year of helping high school and college journalists and broadcasters learn about the industry. The camp hosts celebrity broadcasters and journalists who coach high school and college students pursuing broadcast careers.
Alex said “lifelong friendships” and “amazing networking opportunities” are the biggest takeaways that students get from Camp Broadcast.
“The self-esteem and confidence they get from me just handing them the mic, and they just gotta dive in and interview the news maker (or) celebrity. Like that’s the best way to learn,” he said.
Camp Broadcast will host “Stars and Guitars,” a country music concert, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at Braden Auditorium. Proceeds go toward student scholarships for students to attend Camp Broadcast.
In the past, the annual camp that started in 2020 held week-long sessions over Zoom with a new guest speaker mentoring the students each day.
This year, Camp Broadcast will host two in-person camps over two days. The first is May 13-14 at Northwestern University with the second June 10-11 at Vanderbilt University.
Students at the camp get to interview celebrities and learn how to do any type of broadcasting they’d like.
“A lot of our alumni are now working full time in the business,” said Alex, who wants the camp to feel like “an internship on steroids” to ensure students are absorbing the most knowledge and experience they can from Camp Broadcast.
The “Stars & Guitars” concert will include multiple country artists and will be hosted by Alex. Tickets are $25, and are on sale at the Braden Box Office in the Bone Student Center, or at ticketmaster.com. All tickets will be reserved seating. For more information, visit campbroadcast.com.
