Groundbreaking Montclair Reality TV Series to Feature Student Contestants and Student Production Team

Auditions for the Reality Show set for Dec. 4 and 6 in SCM’s Production Studios

Students, if you’ve ever watched The Bachelorette, Love Island, Real Housewives or Too Hot to Handle and dreamed of starring in a similar reality TV series, a new, groundbreaking show produced by Montclair School of Communication and Media students is giving you that chance.

On Dec. 4 and 6, all Montclair and Bloomfield students can audition for Montclair: Battle of the Schools, a series that will feature five student teams competing in academic, athletic and trivia-based challenges. A team of 22 other students will produce the series through a new special topics Film & Television course in the spring semester, FMTV- 434.

Students who are picked as contestants will be required to dedicate around 3-4 hours each week to production and competition related activities from January 31 through April 11. Contestants do not receive compensation for participating, but will have the opportunity to further enhance their personal brand, acting reel or professional portfolio through their personal social media accounts and other promotional activities. 

Open auditions for the show are Wednesday, December 4, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in Room 1131 (Studio A) and Friday, December 6, from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. in Room 1130 (Studio B) in the School of Communication and Media. Each student will answer a series of short questions during their five minute audition to showcase their personality. Registration is required through this link and students must be signed into their Montclair email to access the form. Judges will cast three or four students from each of Montclair’s colleges, including Bloomfield.

The show is the brainchild of SCM Animation, Film & Television Professor Stuart MacLelland, who says the reality TV concept is another way to enhance learning opportunities and real-world experience for Montclair School of Communication and Media students. “Like our other classes, media organizations, or co-curricular activities, it’s important that we create unique, hands-on learning opportunities for our students. Montclair: Battle of the Colleges will be a tremendous learning and growth opportunity for students who are cast, and for those who work in all facets of the operation, including camera work, lighting, sound, location scouting, post-production and creative concepts for the team challenges. It will be a fun and unforgettable experience for our students. We hope that prospective students considering Montclair look at this and other opportunities at the School of Communication and Media realize they want to be part of a program that will give them the best possible chance at landing their dream job.”

To add to the authenticity of the show,  FMTV- 434 will be taught by NYC-based writer, producer and editor Casey Connor, who has worked with Paramount, A&E Networks, AMC Networks and NBCUniversal. 

Show organizers are also asking for assistance from Montclair faculty, staff, administrators or alumni to serve as volunteer judges for approximately eight weeks. Judges will be asked to commit to a 30-minute zoom session once a week once filming begins. Anyone interested in this opportunity can contact Professor MacLelland. 

The series culminates with the winning team being crowned champion in April during a live streamed event on Hawk+, SCM’s official streaming platform. 

I’m a ______, tell me more…

Prospective Student / Parent:
Learn more about the School of Communication and Media or the Film and Television program. or take the first step in applying to become a Red Hawk!

Journalist: Contact the Media Relations team for more information or to schedule an interview.

-30-

About the School of Communication and Media: The School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 2,000. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA devoted to strategic communication, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper,  Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Story by Keith Green, School of Communication and Media