By LAUREN KASZUBA
Staff Writer
Often times, you will find Saint Rose student Samuel Lund in his office in the television studio in Hearst. If he isn’t there, he is most likely out and about in the television studio, a place he calls his home.
“I had the responsibility of making sure everyone was comfortable and knowledgeable with using the equipment,” said Lund. “ I love being able to teach others how to do something they might not have done before.”
Lund, who is graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in film and new media, played a prevalent role in the communications department at Saint Rose. He is the founder of the Saint Rose Television club and a co-equipment manager for the department. If you’ve ever walked through the Hearst building vestibule you will most likely have seen one of his films playing on the large screen.
“He would regularly spend his free time learning about the TV studio,” said Kimberly Van-Vloodorp, an alum and former executive board member of SRTV.
Born in Las Vegas, Lund moved to New York at just over a year old. He lived in Watervliet for a short amount of time before moving to Latham. Originally, Lund held interest in being a teacher for a computer-related subject. However, after watching a live broadcast of his morning announcements at his junior high school in the control room, he began to gain interest in the technical side of television. This marks an interest that would change his life completely.
“In high school, they have the same sort of thing with the morning announcements, so I joined the broadcasting club and over the years I worked my way up to co-president,” Lund said. “I became the resident tech support, and with the help of my friends in the club we were able to do a lot of new and exciting things that the school hadn’t seen before.”
Lund had gone on to intern with the NYS Senate Media, participating in “live C-SPAN-esque shows of Senate hearings.” In addition to the internship, Lund recalls visiting Saint Rose and being asked to run camera for a mock news show, which he said “meant the world.” After graduating high school in 2015, he wanted to bring a broadcasting club to the Saint Rose campus.
“There was this studio space that was only being used for classes, not to its fullest potential,” Lund said. Communications professor Karen McGrath had notified professor Liz Richards about Lund’s interest in starting a club, and Richards jumped on the opportunity.
“I approached him about his interest in TV production, and asked if the rumor I heard that he would be interested in starting a TV club was true,” Richards said. Richards met Lund as a high school senior; he sat in her “22 Minutes” class during a college visit.
Little did Lund know that he would be starting a club that would turn out to be a popular one on the college campus. Saint Rose Television went on to produce several shows, including popular “Knightly News,” “A Knight at the Movies,” “Grades of Our Lives,” and produce live shows in collaboration with Saint Rose’s improv comedy group, Crate of Apes.
“He could always be found in the control room in front of the switcher learning everything he could about it,” said Van-Vloodorp. “I have no doubt that he knows the television studio better than any current, or past student, and maybe more than the professors.”
There’s no doubt that Lund had started a legacy at Saint Rose and he’s more than proud to be the club’s founder.
“It just makes me happy whenever it clicks with them, because that’s how I know I’m making a difference. Seeing everybody come to club meetings each and every week with new ideas or different methods/perspectives on how to accomplish a goal or tackle an issue makes me realize that this club can be whatever it wants to be, and that’s the beauty of SRTV,” Lund stated.
Lund will surely not be forgotten by the club or his professors after he graduates.
“Sam has always been extremely eager and engaged, both in class and outside of class. You can always count on him to sit in the first or second row of seats,” said Richards. “I have been so lucky to know Sam and work with him closely.”
