If you look up the name Tom Schneller you will not only see that he is an Emmy winner Tom was part of the team that but also a West Chester University alumni. Scheller received the award for Outstanding Technical Team Remote for NASCAR on FOX Sports. Schneller graduated in December 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies. The summer before he graduated, he had an internship with Game Creek Video, Ltd. (GCV). He was so successful with his internship GCV asked him to stay for a full-time career.
Jackie Aliotta, a current communication studies major, had the opportuniy to talk to Schneller and found out more information about his job.
She found out that GCV supplies broadcasting for many major sporting events every year. Some of the major work GCV does includes NBA finals, World Series, BCS Championship, the Dayton 500 and last year they worked as the host truck for the Superbowl.
Schneller told Aliotta that GCV also does concerts and comedy shows, mostly with live TV. GCV is a very prestigious company. They have hired all the major networks like CBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC, and, FOX (who had the Superbowl). GCV supplies trucks with the technical necessities for television production, from cameras to communications equipment to a monitor wall where the directors and producers cut live TV shows.
This is the area Schneller specializes in; he works as an engineer on a team. He helps assist the production teams from the networks to build their shows, and to operate the truck equipment.
Schneller worked on the operation of the Hollywood Hotel from February 2007 to May 2007. This is a full TV studio in a tractor trailer used by Fox on NASCAR. During this project Tom, the FOX crewmember, and other GCV engineers did an outstanding job and were awarded with an Emmy for Outstanding Remote Operations.
At work, Schnellers main responsibilities include keeping television equipment functioning and he helps put together two to three different TV shows in a week. His career involves a lot of traveling, from New York, to Texas, to Canada, to California. Most recently he traveled to Denver to be a part of the Democratic National Convention television setup.
Schneller advises current students to have as much fun as possible and to enjoy college.
“It’s a once in a lifetime chance to learn about yourself, try new things and keep a good attitude. It doesn’t matter what your GPA is or your SAT score, when you leave school it’s about what you’ve learned and experienced,” Schneller said. “Hard work and social connections can get you anywhere you want to be. If you always try to do the right thing then life should work out as good as possible. Good luck.”
If you were wondering if Schneller got to meet any celebrities, he has. During this life changing experience Schneller has met many celebrities. He met Chevy Chase, Jeff Foxworthy, Justin Timeberlake, Troy Aikman, Steve Harvey, Jeff Gordon, Richard Petty, and many more.
Schneller is an inspiration to WCU students. We always love to hear success stories and great achievements. Congratulations Tom Schneller!
Elyssa Sobel is a fourth- year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at ES608235@wcupa.edu.