Featured Volunteer: Stephen Leard

Featured Volunteer, Stephen Leard

Stephen on Camera at Georgetown Waterfront

Like I said in previous blogs, a producer would be nothing without a dedicated volunteer crew to make his or her productions possible.

One of the most dedicated volunteers I have had the privilege to meet and work with at Montgomery Community Media is Stephen Leard.

When I first met him I was helping a fellow producer out as a Field Camera Technician and Stephen showed up, fresh out of class, ready to operate an additional camera when the producer realized we did not have enough media (SDHC cards) to get us through the day with 2 cameras and Stephen volunteered to drive from College Park to Rockville to pick up some cards. He came back and simply started operating the camera without a break.

This is when I decided that I would have Stephen on my crew on my next production and fortunately enough for me, he has helped me out ever since on several productions.

Stephen is eager to learn and to advance his techniques, whether it is as a Field Camera Technician or as a Field Editor FCP. I have witnessed firsthand how he has spent countless hours in an edit booth to create the best television program he can, learning along the way to constantly improve his work and make it look very professional. This was not for my production, but I still like seeing him at work and I am already looking forward to that program (Yala Fitness by Laurent Amzallag, soon on MCM 21).

I can only hope that one day I can repay Stephen for his hard work on my shows, by helping him on his shows as I think he will be a great Field Producer.

About Robert Snip

Robert Snip is originally from the Netherlands, and is now living and working in Montgomery County. He became interested in MCM at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in August 2011, after which he signed up for certification as a Field Camera Technician and Field Producer. Since then he has worked on more than a dozen productions as a camera technician, crew manager, floor director, video director and Final Cut Pro editor, for which he received MCM certification in May 2012. His first production, the Messiah Sing Along was awarded an Honorable mention at the 2012 Monty Awards, after which he produced the National Christian Choir at First Baptist Church of Gaithersburg. In 2014 he has been working as the Executive Producer for the award winning TV series Lip Gloss & a Sander. Currently Robert is working as Producer and Director for On the Edge of Time, a documentary series on a woman and her journey with cancer, and for Kids With Learning Power, a children's show to be launched Fall of 2015. Robert is the author of the MyMcMedia blog The World of Volunteering at MCM.

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