CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., March 22, 2011—If you’ve ever flipped through the television channels, chances are you’ve seen commercials, documentaries and much more created by four Southeast Missouri State University alumni.
After graduating from Southeast, Ryan Bury, Matt Hickey, Scott Huegerich and Alyson Phillips each went in their own direction. But as fate would have it, they now work as a team at Antidote Media Solutions in St. Louis. Antidote Media Solutions is a prestigious, fairly new video production company producing graphics, commercials, weekly syndicated programming, televised special events, feature-length documentaries, business communications, film shorts and more for clients such as Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Rawlings and more.
Scott and Ryan founded the company with fellow partner Michael Francis in February 2009 wanting to bring together their passion and creativity to produce inspired video, audio and animation work. Before they knew it, Antidote began working with the top advertising agencies in the region and had projects that aired around the world.
Although the company is just over two years old, they have completed projects for Microsoft and Momentum World Wide to promote Windows Phone 7, created animations for AT&T that were translated into seven different languages and shown around the globe and produced a series of animations promoting Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s sponsorship of the NHL which are displayed in hockey arenas across the country.
Despite the success they have already garnered, the employees at Antidote Media Solutions say they still have a lot they plan to accomplish. Scott says they “strive to make the next project better than the last, and we would love to see our work grow to a level of national prominence. Everyone here is highly ambitious and has high standards for the work produced.”
Matt and Alyson worked for Red Letter Communications, Inc. in Cape Girardeau before using their Southeast alumni connections to make the move to Antidote in St. Louis.
“Antidote was looking to expand, and Scott had e-mailed Dr. Jim Dufek (professor of TV/film production at Southeast) asking about any talented video editors who may be looking for a job. Dr. Dufek referenced me to Scott who was already familiar with me since we had met at Red Letter months before,” Matt said.
Alyson later took advantage of networking through Matt to land her client services position at Antidote.
“I wanted to work in St. Louis, so I contacted Matt, and he suggested I send my resume to Antidote, where he had recently been hired,” Alyson said, proving that networking, especially with alumni, can sometimes be the most beneficial strategy in a job search.
While their connections surely played a part in getting in the business, they agree the experience they received at Southeast is the key behind their success.
“I always knew I received a very unique education at Southeast. There is no better way to swim than to jump in the water, and that is exactly what Southeast’s TV/film production curriculum does,” Ryan said. “Southeast gave me a head start over the rest. I think people were impressed with my level of experience early on, and that opened a lot of doors.”
“The video courses at Southeast are just like my everyday work. In class we were assigned a video to produce, and then it was our responsibility to come up with a creative way to get our idea across. We had countless all-nighters editing in the lab and shooting video at locations that would only allow us to shoot at the crack of dawn,” Matt added. “The hands-on experience of working with a camera, computer software, lights and equipment gave me an edge in the business.”
While it may be small, the Southeast Department of Mass Media is one of the most successful in the country, with accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, which is something its students appreciate.
“It’s reassuring to see some of the top people in this business are Southeast alums. I always bump into Southeast graduates in the same line of work,” Ryan said.
Scott agrees that Southeast gives its students a solid foundation for their professional lives.
“Southeast felt like the right fit for me the first time I set foot on campus. It didn’t hurt that the Department of Mass Media was one of the best,” he said. “Every Southeast graduate I have worked with in this industry has a practical approach to the business.”
It wasn’t just the class time that provided learning experiences for these successful alumni. The time they spent outside the classroom was even more memorable.
As a resident assistant, representative of Student Government, president of Student Activities Council and a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Matt said he was busy but “got to meet a lot of different people and build people skills. Those experiences have helped me deal with the variety of clients I work with today.”
Alyson said being a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority provided her greatest memories at Southeast.
“It opened so many doors and friendships that I wouldn’t have today if not for the help of my sisters. The experience of being in a sorority strengthened my communication skills, which is key to working with our clients at Antidote,” Alyson said.
She adds that her time at Southeast taught her invaluable life skills as well.
“Independence, freedom, discipline and responsibility are just a few qualities I was able to strengthen while attending Southeast. I still feel like I can call Cape Girardeau my home,” she said.
Ryan had an even more cherished memory at Southeast.
“Meeting my wife—that was definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. Just ask Dr. Dufek,” Ryan said.
The building blocks provided at Southeast have served as the foundation for all of their careers.
“I see advertisements for my very first production job during college for STIHL, and I continue to get a sense of accomplishment,” Alyson said.
“I was in Las Vegas watching baseball in the sports book at Caesar’s Palace and saw three of my spots running at the same time in different markets across the U.S.,” Matt said. “It was pretty cool.”
Ryan, however, feels a little differently about seeing his work on broadcast.
“Most of the time I don’t like it. I’m very critical of my work, but if I made the client happy and was able to contribute to the creative process, that’s all that matters to me,” he said.
“When everyone in the equation is happy, I’m happy as well,” Scott added.
Scott and Ryan use their own experiences to offer advice to current and future Southeast students.
“Embrace every challenge laid out before you as your career develops, and never lose faith in your ability to succeed,” Scott shared.
Ryan added, “You have to take advantage of every opportunity, especially the early ones! You don’t realize what kind of experience you are getting until you take a step into the real world. It really has launched me into the career I have today.”