Camp Out for Hunger is the largest single site food drive in the country. It is a weeklong event held in the parking lot of Xfinity Live! inside The Wells Fargo Center Complex. Hosts Preston and Steve of the 93.3 WMMR Preston and Steve show spend the week on site. They sleep in an RV, broadcast their show every morning, and invite people to come down to donate food for Philabundance.
This initiative all began back in 1998 when Preston Elliot, Steve Morrison, and Marilyn Russel started a charitable endeavor known as Camp Out for Hunger. The goal of the first COH was to raise one ton of food. This year they raised 2,821,949 pounds of food and $1,078,254 in cash donations. That is an all-time total of over 22 million pounds of food donated to Philabundance. While this event has evolved over the years, the focus has remained the same: Feed the food insecure of the Delaware Valley.
Neumann got involved with the event in 2016 by providing the video content for the show. Before Neumann, there was no live stream happening from the complex. There was just a camera rolling to get some b-roll and recap videos. Today Neumann Media actively works on-site, handling coverage so people who cannot make the event can watch via their phone or laptop.
Media students handle a variety of tasks during the broadcast. Sean McDonald, general manager of Neumann Media and a professor at Neumann University, explained that the most challenging task on site is not knowing what will happen next. The team must be ready for things to change on the fly. He explained, “Sometimes a segment is planned and then goes over time, and they have to pivot to something completely different.”
Neumann Media has gotten better at anticipating the show and makes sure they are prepared to cover stunts that occur, such as broadcasting from a carnival ride. McDonald also shared that he likes to be prepared because at any given moment something could go wrong.
While this may be stressful for some, he and the Neumann students thrive in this environment. McDonald shared that one of the most rewarding parts of Camp Out is getting through these moments. “Having someone throw an idea at you two minutes before going on air to over a million people in Philadelphia ... it's really rewarding when we can execute it calmly and as a unit.”
Another rewarding part of Camp Out for McDonald is his students’ hard work. He is always impressed that students run everything. While he guides them, students take charge and take care of camera work, switching, editing, working behind the scenes, and taking photos. According to McDonald, “It is most rewarding to see students in their element, learning and doing the job alongside a bunch of media professionals in the field that they’re hoping to get a job in upon graduation.”
While there are many great moments during Camp Out for Hunger, McDonald’s favorite part is seeing people come down and donate food. For McDonald, it is gratifying to see how generous people can be in a very divisive time. With the economy and everything going on in our society people still step up to help make a difference in the lives of others. “That has been the most rewarding thing to see,” he recalls, “that people are still good, and they still want to help and make sure that people do not go hungry in our area.”
Every year Camp Out for Hunger grows bigger and challenges Neumann Media to be innovative and think creatively. McDonald and the Neumann students welcome the challenges. One innovation is having robotic cameras in addition to people operating cameras. They have also tackled taking zoom calls on site and broadcasting both the video and audio to the listening audience at large.
This year McDonald was approached by Morrison to work on a unique project. Morrison sent a link to a game that he wanted captured on video and played on the video steam with audio. “It was a fun challenge that we took care of the Sunday before Camp Out,” said McDonald. “I love giving students the opportunity to take charge and get recognition for work they are learning in the classroom but doing in the media world.”
In his eyes, there is no better experience or better learning environment than on the ground. He feels it is important for students to have that experience on air when they do not have a second chance and cannot fix it in post-production. He finds these moments exciting and enjoyable.
In the end while entertaining the audience, doing excellent work for the show and their partnership with WMMR, and teaching the students something new is important, McDonald stated that the main goal will always and forever be to get rid of hunger in the Philadelphia area.
McDonald looks forward to participating in this successful food drive for many years to come.