A Slam Dunk Opportunity

Alum Feature: a slam-dunk opportunity! When David Luehring (‘14) was offered an internship with the Milwaukee Bucks shortly after graduation from Bethany Lutheran College in May 2018, he couldn’t pass it up. “I was applying all over the country for jobs,” he says. “I settled on the Bucks because it was close to home and a good stepping stone to working full-time in sports.”

What does a Bucks intern do? “As a video intern, I was responsible for filming and editing much of the content that goes out on the Bucks social media channels. From simple highlight videos, to community relations recaps, and full on cinematic mini movies, I was a part of it all.

“I was surprised with how involved they allowed me to be. I was able to work on some of the biggest marketing pieces of the year. From day one, I was involved with great projects like: jersey releases, behind the scenes coverage, The Road to Playoffs, and a personal video that was used in Khris Middleton’s contract negotiations.”

What’s it like on the other side of the camera? “My favorite memory of working with the team comes from the playoffs. It was always an amazing atmosphere. We would always film on the floor during game intros up until the tip off. It was always amazing how deafeningly loud the crowd could get right before the tip. It was a really cool experience.” Check out his Road to the Playoffs video at bit.ly/2n2RjKk

Fave player? “My favorite player, as most would guess, is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s just a fun guy to be around at various events. He’s always happy and enjoying the moment, plus he’s REALLY good at basketball.”

How’d you get started? Mr. Hackbarth’s videography class was the spark that started it all. “I was a teenager who didn’t really know what profession I wanted to get into. Then my senior year, I took the videography class, and was hooked. Advised by Mr. Hackbarth, I ended up studying Media Arts at Bethany Lutheran College, and the rest is history.”

Fave Lakeside memory? Luehring was active in cross country, track, A Cappella choir, and band. “I have great memories from Lakeside.” He notes that “kinda spearheading the student section ‘heads’ craze in 2014 was one of my favorites.” >>

Career advice? For a student looking to get into the videography world, Luehring recommends: “Get inspired! Find something you are passionate about, and suddenly the videos will be easier to make.”

Career goals? Work for a major sports broadcasting company such as ESPN or Fox Sports

Other video experience Luehring worked Maverick Hockey Weekend, an event of Minnesota State University Division 1 Men’s Hockey, where he gained “real-world” experience as a camera operator, technical director and video editor. He also continued to be a part of video production working with KTV, the Mankato public access channel run and managed by the production studio at Bethany Lutheran College. In fall of 2017, his senior year at Bethany, he interned at Reach Records, a music label in Atlanta that focuses on Christian rap and hip-hop. He worked with the label’s social media and e-mail campaigns, made promotional videos, animated gifs, boomerangs for instagram, and other assorted graphics.

Next step? “As the internship ends this fall, I will be moving on and looking for other opportunities in media and video fields.”

Lakeside Lutheran Link | 2019 Issue 2 | llhs.org | page 5