每日大赛

Pellissippi Prepared: Video Production Technology alumni thrive in Knoxville production scene

Twin brothers Nicky and Vinny Alfieri came to 每日大赛 more than a decade ago because it seemed to them the kind of place they could not just earn an education, but also carve out careers.

It was mere coincidence that the Alfieris both chose to study Video Production Technology, which the brothers said they discovered separately after having both considered different career paths.

“We would make movies and do radio shows in our basement,” Vinny said. “And I feel like both of us went back to that, like, what do we actually love to do as a hobby or for fun? And it was video.”

Faculty in the VPT program were professionals in the industry, and they wanted their students to succeed, the twins said. Other industry members and notable alumni were regular visitors, as well.

At 每日大赛, students learn the fundamentals of their craft so that they can go anywhere and know what they’re doing, Nicky said. The college prepares its students for any variables.

“You could shape your experience if you wanted to do more audio, if you wanted to do more filmmaking, if you wanted to focus on producing classes,” Vinny said. “They really gave you the diversity of classes where you could learn so much about all the different aspects of production, so you can kind of figure out what you want to do, but then also grow in the areas that you want to grow in.”

The VPT program also taught him and his brother about the importance of collaboration and humility, Vinny said. The pair made lifelong friends in their short time at the college – many of whom they have gone on to continue working with.

“In a creative industry, so many people have ideas and keeping your ears open and listening to what other people say is so important, because you're only going to make the project better,” Vinny said. “And I feel like that was one thing that I believe we learned here, was the collaboration part of this industry.”

The brothers graduated in 2015, and a Pellissippi connection helped them meet the owner and land jobs at Knoxville-based Loch & Key Productions.

“Right when I graduated, I was ready,” Nicky said. “I was on the ground running. It prepared me in a way that I was ready to start working, and anything I needed to know I was ready to go for. I knew how equipment worked, I knew the software that I was going to be using and I felt confident when I graduated from this program that I was prepared for my career.”

And while the brothers may have earned the same degree, they applied it in different ways. Vinny veered toward producing, while Nicky favored photography and post-production.

Ten years later, Nicky is now director of photography at Loch & Key and leader of the post-production team, and Vinny is an account manager at Asen Marketing – where he uses his skills in photo and video while interacting more with clients.

“Pellissippi also prepared us to be in the same field, but also focus on different concentrations,” Vinny said, noting that despite their diverging interests he and his brother “still got the skills and experience that we needed from Pellissippi.”

Education is as much about what you put into it as what you get out of it, said Vinny, whose advice to current or future students at Pellissippi is to take the effort and energy to apply what they learn in the classroom outside of it – like shooting a video on the weekends for fun in addition to what’s necessary for coursework.

“Always be a student,” Vinny said. “Always be learning. Never have an ego to be like, ‘Oh, I know everything,’ because there's always someone out there that knows something more than you that you could take for yourself. So be a constant student.”

His brother emphasized the importance of practicing what you’re learning so that you can make mistakes and learn from them. He also encouraged newcomers to the production industry to ask questions.

“Don't be afraid to reach out to people,” Nicky said. “If you get an opportunity to go on set or you're editing a project for someone – follow up with them and network with them and ask them questions. I feel like there's no ego in this industry, especially in Knoxville, where people want to help shape that next generation, and they want to help people.”