Since 1952, radio station WPRK has been broadcasting an eclectic mix of content across Winter Park and its surrounding communities. The station, owned and operated by Rollins College, offers everything from interviews, quiz shows, and of course, a wide variety of music-based programming. Over the weekend, WPRK hosted Fox Fest, an annual celebration of live music featuring local artists, food vendors, and more.

Full Sail joined forces with Rollins to provide a stage and technical support for the event. A total of 15 Show Production students and five faculty members lent their expertise to the the live production of bands including Duck Tails, Sales, The Groove Orient, and Ancient Sun.

“The show was on Saturday, but it did take a day to prepare the gear used and get it loaded onto a truck. We also had a load-in day to make sure that all the systems worked correctly, as well as using that day to extend the classroom and use the time with the students to further their learning in a different environment. It is great working with students outside of the normal classroom setting to show applications in different scenarios,” said John Sheldon, a Course Director in the Show Production program.

Rollins student Jonny Scoblionko served as the Special Events Coordinator for the event, which is currently in its fourth year. Jonny, a senior Communications major, has spent the last three years working Fox Fest in various capacities, and has seen it grow from a handful of bands on the college’s lawn to a full fledged community tradition. “Events have been something that we’ve really been trying to integrate into the framework of WPRK,” he said. “Considering all of the events that Full Sail is involved in, bringing them on fuel like a natural partnership.”

Show Production students behind the scenes at Fox Fest

“We were really happy to help out at Fox Fest,” added Dana Roun, Education Director of Full Sail’s Audio Arts degree programs. “Over the years Full Sail staff has worked in various ways to support WPRK — from technical support to on-air DJs. We wanted to take another step, so we brought along the Full Sail on Tour vehicle and set up our mobile Stageline for bands to preform on. The crew had a great experience working the show, and all agreed the bands were great!”