From December of 2014, when Neumann Media started its partnership with WMMR’s Camp Out for Hunger, it was a match made in heaven.

Camp Out for Hunger is the brainchild of Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison, hosts of The Preston & Steve Show on 93.3 WMMR. Since its inception in 1998, the event has grown from two guys collecting canned goods in a parking lot to the largest single-site food drive in the country.

In the first year, Elliot and Morrison hoped to collect one ton of food to donate to Philabundance, the largest nonprofit food bank in the region. In 2024, now a household Philly name and five-day extravaganza, Camp Out donated 1.6 million pounds of food and $995,710 in cash.

Neumann Media got involved ten years ago thanks to the many connections that Executive Director Sean McDonald has forged in the radio industry. His students are now a vital component in the production of a wildly popular charitable event that is broadcast on the top morning show in the Philadelphia market.

“We are, first and foremost, in charge of all video,” explains McDonald. “That includes what’s being seen online by the YouTube audience and in-tent entertainment for people at Camp Out. Our students cover live stunt action like carnival rides outside the tent so that Preston and Steve can comment on them for listeners. They also capture b-roll and create social media posts. They’re running and gunning every day.”

Covering live events provides valuable experience for the students. Those opportunities let students apply principles taught in the classroom to real-world settings.

There is pressure, of course. “On a live shot, there’s no chance for a re-do,” cautions McDonald, “but there is no substitute for that kind of professional experience.”

In December, the 27th consecutive year of Camp Out, 14 Neumann students participated in the production, many of them on site from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. The majority are CDM majors, but the crew also included students studying medical laboratory science, pre-med, and sport management.

“As someone who’s been involved for three years, I’ve had access to amazing opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” says CDM major Anthony Lonetti.

“For example, I had the chance to take a camera on the Can Drop Ride and capture the reactions of not only The Preston & Steve Show team, but also celebrities like Robert Irvine, John DeBella, and Big Jay Oakerson ... This is an invaluable experience that lets students get involved, learn on the job, and contribute to a great cause. While what we learn in the classroom is important, events like this really allow us to apply our skills and discover new ones.”

The most celestial part of this heavenly match, however, is the career connections for students. The internship program that McDonald created with IMS Technology Services has resulted in nine jobs. IMS handles the event staging and systems integration for Camp Out.

The process comes full circle when alumni who are now professionals return to Camp Out and mentor current students who are at the event to learn.

“It was really neat being able to be on the other side of the conversation,” says Jay Schallmo, a recent graduate now employed at IMS. “I haven’t been a student in well over a year and have been immersed in the professional world. So being able to look at the students and the experience with fresh eyes was nice.”

Another company, Electro Sound Systems, did all of the graphics for the video wall at Camp Out, led by 2019 Neumann grad Michael Yarabinee, who is now COO of the firm.

“We worked hand-in-hand with Neumann students to create the content shown in the tent during the event. It was pretty awesome to realize that was where I was just a few years ago, and this is where I am now,” he recalls.

“I want to help other people who have the same interests get to where I am now. I’ve had so many opportunities, and I want to help other people in the same way that others have helped me.”

That’s the Neumann way, a match made in heaven.