In his final semester in the Digital Media program at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC), Taylor Smith is busy with classes, projects and working full-time in the community as the Vice President of Communications for the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.
Taylor started the program at GCSC in 2015 after graduating with Honors from Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, TX in 2011.
Taylor has been involved in many organizations with Gulf Coast State College such as Student Government Association where he served as President and helped lead the redesign of the student courtyard. He has also served as the Vice President of Commodore Productions which helped him to produce content to be viewed in over 30-thousand households across Bay County, FL.
Since his enrollment in the Digital Media program, he has obtained two Digital Media certifications specializing in Web Design and Development and multi-media production. He has also achieved his Associates degree in General Studies and will obtain his Bachelor’s Degree, as well as one additional certification, in May of 2017.
His achievements in the field go far beyond the classrooms of the college. In his spare time, Taylor enjoys being active in the community, working with many local media partners and video production groups on live events such as the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and the Visit Panama City Beach’s Christmas Celebrations. He also interns with national design groups to produce content for national clients.
His love of Digital Media began around the age of 11 when he would run the PowerPoint presentations for his church, First Assembly of God, in Waycross, Georgia. After his family moved to Whitehouse, TX, he expanded his skills and became the Media Director of Whitehouse First Assembly. This is where he learned about set design as he completed sets for a sermon series and special events. Taylor played on the Worship Team and led the initiative to get a full lighting, sound and visual effect upgrade for the main sanctuary.
His career started during his first semester at the college when he obtained a part-time job as a Production Assistant at a local news station, WMBB-TV. He quickly rose to the role of full-time Content Producer at the station while continuing his classes at school.
In an interview, Taylor said, “Two of my proudest achievements are the successful coverage of hurricane Hermine and the production of the annual First Responders Appreciation video shown at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s First Responder Appreciation Luncheon”.
After two years at the station, Taylor decided to make a change in his career and accepted the role of Vice President of Communications at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce. There, he is responsible for being the voice of the businesses of Bay County. He actively works with businesses and county leaders to communicate issues in the business community and help to grow local commerce. He also serves as the executive editor of 7 publications annually and helps to design graphics and videos to help communicate the message of the chamber.
Taylor said the knowledge and skills he has obtained from working at the station and WMBB-TV is what helped him in his success. Taylor hopes to be at a fortune 500 company in the next five years while continuing his side business, Reactions Media Group.
Written by Michel Bass
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michel Bass
Student - Spring 2017
Michel Bass is a Web and Graphic Designer. She works full time as an Audio/Visual Technician at Gulf Coast State College as well as being a student there. She will graduate in the spring of 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Digital Media. Her plans after graduation are to pursue a Master’s degree in Digital Media. After attaining these degree’s, she will put them to use by running her own media business and is considering to adjunct teaching at a college.
