T.j. McEvilly

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit: Canon Cameras, MacBook Pro With Avid Media Composer 10, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut 7, After Effects CC and Maya

I can use: Canon Cameras, Macbook Pro With Avid Media Composer 10, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut 7, After Effects Cc And Maya

About me

I absolutely love being in a control room. The energy that fills the room during a shoot is extraordinary. Ever since I stepped foot into one for the first time I knew that was where I belonged. I realized very quickly that I wanted to be a director. However, I know this is not an easy position to get. I decided in order to give myself the best odds of achieving this goal, I would learn as many positions as I possibly could. I got a job with Brookdale Television, and they started me at tape operator. I showed a lot of interest in all of the other positions. I always watched the other employees perform their job, and asked questions when the time was appropriate. In my free time I would go into the studio and learn the equipment. I advanced from tape operator to teleprompter to charter generator operator rather quickly. When ever I could I would speak with the director. We would talk about directing, and I would explain to her that I wanted to direct. After I built a relationship with the her she began to let me shadow the assistant director. Eventually she let me be the assistant director for certain segments. Which I really enjoyed because I was working hand and hand with the director. Then she began to let me shadow her, and over time she let me direct certain segments. I absolutely loved it! She was a great teacher and made me feel very comfortable. I was now certain this was what I wanted to do with my live. It became my passion, and my dream. I was going to do what ever it took to accomplish my dream!
Brookdale Television only shoots in the studio a couple times a month. I had to look for additional work elsewhere. There is no clear path to becoming a full time director. I knew I would still have to learn as much as I could about television production as a whole. I began applying for jobs and internships. I landed an internship at News 12 New Jersey where I shadowed the director and learned how to operate and code Ignite Konnect. I performed the role of Assistant Director by operating the teleprompter while programming the robotic cameras this was not an easy task, but over time I got the hang of it. I learned a lot from News 12 New Jersey. The most valuable education you can get is learning hands on from people that have been working in this industry for years. I talked to lots of people and listened to their stories, because I know that type of information is priceless. When you have opportunities like that in your life you can't let them pass you by you must seize them and learn from them. However, after I learned that a lot of the news industry is starting to use automated systems like Ignite Konnect I realized news was not for me. One day I was sitting in the lunch area at News 12 New Jersey, I was watching a sports talk show and it clicked I thought to myself I love sports and I love directing, I should be in the sports industry.
I began looking for companies that were related to sports that I could work or intern. I was fortunate enough to find this great company Manhattan Place Entertainment. They are a production company that mainly do field shoots. This meant I would be working out of the studio. That was ok, because I would be working in the sports industry. What an amazing experience it has been working with them. I’ve gotten to work with the NJ Devils, NY Rangers, Boston Red Sox, NY Islanders, NY Jets, NY Yankees and many other amazing clients. The clients are not the only reason its been an excellent experience. The owners Steve and Jamie Cohen are truly great people and I’ve learned a lot from them.
I was also fortunate to work with many talented people on these shoots. They taught me a lot about field shoots. I’ve learned about the gear we use, from C-stands, flags, diffusers, gels, diva lights, Fresnel lights, joker lights, camera’s (Sony F5), monitors, lavalieres, booms and sound mixers. During the shoots I pay attention to everything. I ask questions but only when the opportunity is right. I know the crew are busy and have to focus. However, they are usually always very nice and willing to teach me. I stay by the gaffer or director of photography ready to help them with whatever they need. I pay close attention when they are setting up the lights. I believe this is one of the most difficult things to execute. I watch where they put the lights and whether they use a diva or Fresnel light; if they use diffusers, flags or both. When gels are used I watch to see what color, and if they use full, half or quarter. I watch where they put the flags, what size they use, and how many are used. I watch the monitor to see the difference that each change makes. The knowledge that I have gained from this company is priceless.
Manhattan Place Entertainment also does post production, which I enjoy. I have taken advanced classes on Avid Media composer, and I’m efficient with this editing software. However, I believe you should know more than one editing software. I’m learning Adobe Premier. I believe this will be the editing software of the future. I’ve edited a couple sizzle reels for Manhattan Place Entertainment. I had the opportunity to edit a couple times while the owner Steve Cohen sat in on the sessions. The most memorable time for me was a sizzle reel we edited. That he was going to show to H.B.O to persuade them to become a client. This was exciting for me; he moved very quickly and wanted things done in a precise way. After about a couple hours we put together a quality sizzle reel, and he got HBO as a client. I learned a lot in those couple hours. I try to edit as much as possible. I own a MacBook pro which has Avid Media Composer 10, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut 7, and After Effects. Which makes it easier for me to edit on my free time.
I realized that if I want to be a director in the sports industry I should not limit myself to a talk show format. I should know how to direct live sports also. I found out that Brookdale Television shoots lives college basketball. I was able to get a position on the crew. Once again I started at the bottom working the re-play for the tricaster 450.
I then moved up to camera operator and I would occasionally do the sound. This is where I really started to learn about camera and sound. I found that I enjoy both. I decided to take a photography class and a sound class in order to learn as much as I can about using a camera and sound. I bought a canon 70d. I believe knowing camera and sound will make me a better director. It’s also another avenue to accomplish my dream of becoming a full time director.
Next I started doing the graphics for the college basketball games, I enjoyed this as well. I became fascinated with the 3D transitions in sports games. I began researching how to make them. I learned I would need to use Aftereffects, Photoshop, and Maya. I was already efficient in Aftereffects, but I had more to learn about Photoshop so I took a Photoshop class. Maya was new to me so I began watching tutorials on it. I was able to design transitions and load them into the Tricaster. I found this process intriguing, I decided to start taking classes for digital design and 3D animation next semester.
The producer seen how much of an interest I showed in the entire production and let me direct the games. I loved it! The director switches and directs for the sports productions so I wanted to learn more about the Tricaster 450. Whenever I got a chance I would go to the control room and study the Tricaster 450. This is an amazing piece of equipment. I learned a lot just from spending hours with it and practicing for the games.
I studied the NBA and college basketball games and realized that we were not following the format that they where using. I studied the shoot compositions used in these games and began teaching them to the camera operators. Eventually I changed the entire format of our production in order to make it as similar to the NBA and D1 colleges production. This basketball season Brookdale hosted the NJCAA D3 women’s basketball tournament. I was in charge of the entire production. It was a great experience!
I truly enjoy television production. I know that in order to accomplish my dream it’s going to take a lot of hard work, which I’m ready for. I know that I will have start at the bottom and perform any job that may be asked of me. I will continue learning about the production process as a whole in order to be ready once I get an opportunity. I’m certain that I have found my niche in life, and I will not stop trying until I become successful. Thank you for reading my cover letter and considering me for the position. My number is removed . My Email is removed












July 2015




County College of Monmouth
765 Newman Springs Road
Lincroft, NJ removed
Phone: (732) removed
Dear Colleague:

It is with pride that I take the opportunity to write to you today on behalf of one of my students, Mr. Thomas McEvilly. As Thomas’s educational development with Brookdale Community College comes to a close, he aspires to further his ability and expertise through any opportunities that can advance his knowledge. I have no doubts that Thomas is ready for these future challenges.
During his time here, Thomas showed the genuine enthusiasm and passion for learning that I hope for from all my students. His eagerness to learn and succeed is frequently unparalleled by his classmates, and he always expressed a willingness to help by getting involved with whatever project I gave to him. In the communication courses at Brookdale, I often test the students’ potential by giving them difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible assignments to complete.
Thomas McEvilly never backed away from a test of his ability and assured me that he would rise to any challenge that I gave him. Indeed, he achieved and often exceeded my expectations. In recent times, because of the exceptional work that Thomas has done in class, he has had the opportunity to work with our campus network, Brookdale TV. He’s performed camera work for various projects; and also assisted as part of the production crew throughout the last semester.
I have no doubts that Thomas will be a positive addition to your company and will continue to surprise and impress you as he has done for me during these past few semesters. I’m sure that you too will be able to take pride in knowing that you had an influence on the future successes that Thomas is sure to achieve. I give Thomas McEvilly my full recommendation and appreciate you taking the time to consider him for acceptance into your program.

If you have any questions regarding Mr. Thomas McEvilly, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
Truly,
Chad Anderson
Communication Media
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July 2015


Re: Letter of Recommendation for TJ McEvilly
T.J. McEvilly has been with Brookdale Television since October 2013. He started as a volunteer and in a short amount of time developed his skills and was hired. T.J. is also a member of the TV & Film Club at Brookdale Community College.
It has been such a pleasure working with TJ. I have noticed that he is a hard worker and very enthusiastic about his work. TJ directs LIVE basketball games and directed live-to-tape studio talk shows. He has proven over and over to be responsible, intelligent, creative, dependable, and fun to work with. He takes direction extremely well and always wants to learn more. As a crewmember for Brookdale Television he has been able to participate in all roles with great skill, i.e. director, associate director, camera operation, graphic operator, prompter, floor managing, and production assisting.
On a personal level, I have found TJ to be friendly, outgoing and positive. He has offered his extra time again and again to help out on various productions. TJ has also been very influential to other students and crewmembers. His hunger for knowledge and the desire to learn more has been a great moral booster to all of his mentors, especially myself.
TJ is a dedicated worker, growing stronger each day and I have every reason to believe that he will succeed at your company. I recommend him without reservation. If I can be of further assistance in your evaluation of T.J. McEvilly for a position in your company, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Lauren Watson (Concar)
Senior Production Specialist
Avid Certified Editor
Brookdale Television
Edit Suite C      removed
Office              732 removed  
Fax                  732 removed  
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Skills

Secondary Job Title	Editor
Job Titles	Video Editor, Production Assistant (PA), Camera Operator, Photographer, Camera Assistant
Years in industry	3 to 6 years