SWAU Comm Students Gain Production Experience on Australian TV Program

Southwesterner Staff

Radio/TV/Film students at Southwestern Adventist University are getting practical production experience through realized broadcast projects. Professor Brett Hadley and the SWAU communication department have officially become the U.S. production backbone for The Incredible Journey, Australia’s top-rated religious program.

The partnership has already resulted in 19 episodes across three high-octane production tours. The most recent circuit saw the SWAU crew trekking across Tennessee—from the neon lights of Nashville to the rugged landscapes of Townsend—to capture the legacies of American icons such as Davy Crockett, Wilma Rudolph, and Jesse James.

For Gary Kent, the show’s host, bringing the production to the States was a natural move.

Despite its Australian roots, the show boasts a massive American following drawn to its

"remarkable" storytelling format. Each episode spotlights individuals who have overcome

staggering obstacles or performed extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice.

“The Radio/TV/Film emphasis here at SWAU specializes in mobile media filmmaking,”

Hadley noted. This specialization in independent, high-mobility content creation

makes the department a perfect fit for Kent’s storytelling style, which often requires filming in

historic and remote on-location sites.

However, the real winners are the students. By acting as the primary production crew, SWAU

students are gaining "real-world" credits in location scouting, television production, and post-

production editing. Rather than just reading about cinematography, they are managing the

technical demands of a show with global reach.

As The Incredible Journey continues to chronicle stories of impact and resilience, the SWAU

communication department is proving that its students have the technical prowess and the

storytelling heart to compete on a world stage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D8s9WObhJI