Keira Stephens shares valuable insights and advice for students wanting to pursue Media & Communications
Choose Your Chaos
Choose Your Chaos
Keira Stephens is a soon to be graduate from the Media and Communications program at Assiniboine College. She has taken the path of Live Production and is passionate about being a leader. She previously completed a dual high school diploma in broadcast media arts at Vincent Massey High School in Brandon MB, where she took advanced media courses. In grade 9, she switched from band to broadcast and discovered that broadcast was her passion. Ever since then, she has pursued being in the broadcast world and media production.
Keira Stephens
How She Got Into Media
Keira’s first exposure to media came from a middle school field trip to the high school media arts room, where she learned basic camera and editing skills for a class commercial project. Later, the flexible structure of the high school program let her jump into grade 10 broadcast in grade 9, which led to completing all the courses a year in advance and doing projects like a school division video and helping with school productions.
Keira’s first exposure to media came from a middle school field trip to the high school media arts room, where she learned basic camera and editing skills for a class commercial project. Later, the flexible structure of the high school program let her jump into grade 10 broadcast in grade 9, which led to completing all the courses a year in advance and doing projects like a school division video and helping with school productions.
Early Professional Experience
In grade 11, Keira shadowed and then effectively performed replay operation for the Brandon Wheat Kings, guided by her teacher. Eventually she went on to becoming a casual replay operator and later taking on full-time replay responsibilities in college. She learned both secondary and primary replay, managing more camera angles and faster pace, which reinforced her love for live sports production.
In grade 11, Keira shadowed and then effectively performed replay operation for the Brandon Wheat Kings, guided by her teacher. Eventually she went on to becoming a casual replay operator and later taking on full-time replay responsibilities in college. She learned both secondary and primary replay, managing more camera angles and faster pace, which reinforced her love for live sports production.
Choosing the Chaos
In grade 11, Keira shadowed and then effectively performed replay operation for the Brandon Wheat Kings, guided by her teacher. Eventually she went on to becoming a casual replay operator and later taking on full-time replay responsibilities in college. She learned both secondary and primary replay, managing more camera angles and faster pace, which reinforced her love for live sports production.
In grade 11, Keira shadowed and then effectively performed replay operation for the Brandon Wheat Kings, guided by her teacher. Eventually she went on to becoming a casual replay operator and later taking on full-time replay responsibilities in college. She learned both secondary and primary replay, managing more camera angles and faster pace, which reinforced her love for live sports production.
College Experiences and Opportunities
She describes her two years in the program as “really great,” highlighting major opportunities such as volunteering with WCG for the men’s national volleyball tournament as a camera assistant and camera operator, which helped her build national broadcast experience. She also hosted a three-hour live election broadcast, managing an IFB with constant directions in her ear while staying composed on camera, which her instructor praised as impressive under chaotic conditions. During second year, she helped produce the Esports Westman “Button Mash” event and served as producer for college championships, working extremely long days from 8 am to 1 am for four days, which she describes as intense but valuable experience.
She describes her two years in the program as “really great,” highlighting major opportunities such as volunteering with WCG for the men’s national volleyball tournament as a camera assistant and camera operator, which helped her build national broadcast experience. She also hosted a three-hour live election broadcast, managing an IFB with constant directions in her ear while staying composed on camera, which her instructor praised as impressive under chaotic conditions. During second year, she helped produce the Esports Westman “Button Mash” event and served as producer for college championships, working extremely long days from 8 am to 1 am for four days, which she describes as intense but valuable experience.
Skills Learned and Program Impact
Keira notes that the program has enhanced her skills in areas like video editing and audio, including learning that she could set up and engineer band recordings. She emphasizes that many skills are transferable across media fields: live production skills can carry over into film and other roles, so students should “absorb everything” and not take any learning for granted.
Keira notes that the program has enhanced her skills in areas like video editing and audio, including learning that she could set up and engineer band recordings. She emphasizes that many skills are transferable across media fields: live production skills can carry over into film and other roles, so students should “absorb everything” and not take any learning for granted.
Advice for Future Students
Keira’s main advice to students is to come into the program open-minded and ready to work hard, because there are no traditional exams but there are long, time-consuming projects like four to five hour editing sessions. She stresses starting edits on time, staying organized, and not falling behind, since procrastinating leads to late nights and makes the work less enjoyable even though the final product is rewarding to watch back.
Keira’s main advice to students is to come into the program open-minded and ready to work hard, because there are no traditional exams but there are long, time-consuming projects like four to five hour editing sessions. She stresses starting edits on time, staying organized, and not falling behind, since procrastinating leads to late nights and makes the work less enjoyable even though the final product is rewarding to watch back.
Career Goals and View on Burnout
Looking ahead, Keira wants to work in live sports production for an NHL team, contribute to a show like The Amazing Race, work on at least one film in her career, and possibly fall back on radio if she ever leaves production because she enjoys being on air and sees radio as a stable media job. She chose this college program instead of a four-year university route because she felt burnt out from heavy academic study and AP exams and believes that media gives her a kind of stress that is demanding but energizing, so she feels tired at times yet never truly burnt out or tempted to quit.
Looking ahead, Keira wants to work in live sports production for an NHL team, contribute to a show like The Amazing Race, work on at least one film in her career, and possibly fall back on radio if she ever leaves production because she enjoys being on air and sees radio as a stable media job. She chose this college program instead of a four-year university route because she felt burnt out from heavy academic study and AP exams and believes that media gives her a kind of stress that is demanding but energizing, so she feels tired at times yet never truly burnt out or tempted to quit.
