Story by Destinee Marking, Staff writer

John Morris, senior television production major from Nashville, Tennessee, was chosen by Waskul.TV and Broadcast Education Association staff members to be a 2017 StudioXperience intern.

Beginning April 22, Morris will spend seven days in Las Vegas working with the Waskul.TV production team to put on a live broadcast from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.

According to the StudioXperience website, Morris and other interns will be working with “state-of-the-art technologies and IP-based solutions that will dramatically change how news is collected, managed and delivered to audiences throughout the world.”

Leigh Wright, assistant professor of journalism, met Morris in 2012. She said she recommended this program for Morris because she knew he needed more experience and thought this would be an incredible way to get it.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Wright said. 

No Murray State student has received the opportunity to participate in this program before.

Wright said she believes Morris was chosen to be an intern because of his work ethic.

“He works hard,” Wright said. “He’s calm and he just kind of makes everybody feel better.”

Joshua Wilmer, senior from Millington, Tennessee, is a close friend of Morris’ and said he is someone people want to work with because of his motivation and ability to work in a team.

“John Morris is a very outgoing person with a creative spirit and reliable and professional attitude,” Wilmer said.

Morris said he has overcome some personal struggles over the past five years to be the person he is now. He originally came to Murray State to play football as a wide receiver but didn’t have any playing time during his freshman year. He said he felt down about that and his attitude toward being here took a toll.

He played the next year, however, and continued to play through his junior year.

Morris said he struggled with managing his time while he was a student-athlete. He said he made it work but decided to quit football and focus on gaining experience in television production and journalism his senior year.

In the future, Morris said he hopes to work in multimedia or sports broadcasting.

“TV has a big impact on our society, and I want to have a big impact on our society,” Morris said.

As someone who has been at Murray State for five years, Morris said his advice to students is to stay focused and work hard.

“Stick to what you’re doing,” Morris said. “If you have a passion for it, stick to it.”