MDIA alumnus Patrick Evans on how OHIO-in-LA lead him to a career in post-production

Patrick Evans, class of 2018, studied integrated media in the School of Media Arts and Studies (MDIA) during his time at Ohio University. He also earned an entrepreneurship certificate from the College of Business. After having previous broadcasting experience, Evans came to OHIO due to his interest in digital media and the programs that are offered in that field.

Evans was involved in several student organizations such as AVW, Friday’s Live, and the 48-hour shootouts during his time at Ohio University. He spent a lot of time using the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab, too, so that he could learn more about 360-degree video development. Evans also collaborated with Ohio University’s Event Services by capturing campus events as their drone pilot.

“These learning opportunities allowed me to gain fundamental baselines working with digital media,” Evans says. 

Evans decided to apply for the Ohio-in-LA program after encouragement from his advisor and soon found himself immersed in the media industry in Los Angeles. The program helped Evans focus on his internships and projects while providing him with a structured living environment. As part of the program, Evans was paired with a “big sib” throughout the semester who was there to help him with any industry questions he had and to help him adjust to living in California.

“For me,” Evans says, “This program kicked my career off with great connections to our Ohio University alumni base, making LA feel like home in a way. And I felt ready to take on the industry once it was over!”

After the semester came to an end, Evans secured a full-time job at his internship in LA as a Post-Production Supervisor. There, Evans worked to bring the company’s post-production services in-house and expand their services. 

Today, Evans works for Goodform, located in Culver City, CA, as the head of post-production. He oversees the editor and finishing teams for projects and helps create around six Lifetime movies per year. Evans is now working on a feature documentary that focuses on farming and the global food supply chain, which was filmed in five different countries. In addition to these large projects, he helps create social branded campaigns for companies, such as Houseplant and EA Sports.

At Goodform, Evans recently worked on an Apple TV series called “Gamechangers”, which follows Major League Soccer players. Camera teams shot footage for this series throughout the country before sending it to Evans and his team.

“Once footage would hit our shop in LA, we would ingest/proxy it, and send it out to our editor who was located in New York,” he explains. “Along with the captured footage, we also had access to gameplay recordings which we pulled highlights from. Each week we would cut the five- to seven-minute episode and turn them around for color and finishing for delivery to the network. It was a great flex of our workflow to ensure we stayed organized and kept to a tight schedule!”

To learn more about Gamechangers, visit the Goodform website.

Evans shared advice for undergraduate students that he proudly tells his OHIO-in-LA “little sibs”:

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Everyone has this preconception that asking questions makes them seem dumb or lacking knowledge of a subject. To me, asking questions shows initiative—something that most employers are looking for. We, as employers, would rather answer a question and get you up to speed on something instead of you underperforming or showing a lack of interest in something. Ask questions! Questions lead to great learning experiences and opportunities!”