The University launched Georgetown Everywhere, a new video service featuring Georgetown content for web browsers, smartphones, and Roku TV, on Friday. The service will host student programming, which currently only includes Georgetown Buzz, a new University-funded news show produced by the two-student team of Molly Mitchell (COL ‘14) and Calvin Jackson (COL ‘15).
According to Assistant Vice President for Communications Stacy Kerr, Georgetown Everywhere is designed to be a “one-stop shop” for information on the Georgetown student experience and events on campus, and Georgetown Buzz is intended to “allow students to tell their own stories” of Georgetown life.
Based out of the Hariri Building’s Marineau Media Center, Mitchell writes and hosts all episodes of Georgetown Buzz and Jackson films and edits the videos. According to Mitchell, although the University sponsors the production, she and Jackson have some autonomy in programming.
“It’s not supposed to be like the Voice or The Hoya. It’s coming from the University,” she said. “We talked about it [with administration], and they obviously approved the clips. … [However,] they want it to come from students so it’s more natural.”
According to Kerr, the University invited film and media studies minors, including Jackson, to apply to host the show. Mitchell is not in the minor but applied for the position after she expressed interest to the minor’s director in broadcast journalism.
Members of Georgetown University Television, the student media club that covers Georgetown events through video, welcomed Georgetown Everywhere but stated they were surprised they were not included in its conception.
“I think they should have involved us, because, as a student group, we’re more in touch with student-run events around campus that are as much Georgetown as any speaker that comes here,” GUTV General Manager Joe Laposata (COL ‘16) said. “It’s important to realize that Georgetown is not simply a lecture series by high-profile political figures.”
Laposata added GUTV has reached out to the Office of Communications in hopes of collaboration.
Kerr said that Georgetown Everywhere is not intended to compete with GUTV but is rather designed as an “infrastructure to host as much content as possible.” Mitchell, who said she participated in GUTV for two years, believes Georgetown Buzz differs from GUTV.
“[It is] student’s perspective driven by the University, whereas GUTV would just be however students want to react to what’s going on,” she said.
Laposata said GUTV will continue to produce coverage, out of the concern that varying perspectives will “completely disappear while Georgetown just continues blasting theirs.” Operations Manager Bailey Holtz (COL ‘14), however, said GUTV may shift its focus as a result of Georgetown Everywhere.
“If we can focus more on the shows that we’re producing, focus more on the creative content that the University can’t make, that’s where I see us going,” she said.
Kerr noted the University is still deciding how to open Georgetown Everywhere, which includes a submission form on its website, to original content submitted by the rest of the community.
