Devonte Goodwine had his eyes set on a career in movies and television when he graduated from Valdosta High School in 2011. After graduation, he enrolled at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College for summer semester to get started on his core classes before transferring to a four-year university. Before he could transfer to another college, his mom, Angela Brantley, who is a Business Education Instructor at Wiregrass, brought home information on all the programs Wiregrass offers. “Being an employee of Wiregrass, I knew first-hand the quality education we provide and the many program options available, so I brought home program brochures on all the programs and let him find the one that spoke to him,” shared Angela Brantley. After going through the brochures, Devonte knew the Digital Media Production program (now Design and Media Production) was the right step toward his career goals.
The Design and Media Production program prepares students for employment in a variety of media production industries. “My instructors were great at Wiregrass and helped lay the blueprint as I continued my education in Atlanta,” shared Devonte. “They were very detailed and pushed us very hard. They made sure that you didn’t submit work just to say you completed it, they made sure we put our best effort into our work every time.” Another asset Devonte felt helped him was the fact that most of his instructors at Wiregrass were still in the industry. He was able to get up-to-date information from industry professionals on a daily basis. After graduating from Wiregrass in May 2014 with his Associates of Applied Science in Digital Media Technology Devonte moved Atlanta where he enrolled in the Art of Institute of Atlanta and entered the Digital Filmmaking and Video Production program. Devonte is now an In-house Videographer and Editor at Tyler Studios in Atlanta, as well as the owner of his own business, Visionz by Von, LLC.
He feels his investment in himself was worth it and continues to work at perfecting his craft. One day he would like to own his own production company. For now, he is working on building clientele as he offers video and photography services through Visionz by Von, LLC. He still remembers a quote that was shared at his high school graduation that has stuck with him over the years, “You either follow your dreams or work for someone who did.”
Wiregrass will be hosting Free Application Week June 14-18 for Fall Semester; classes begin August 19. Last Fall Semester the college expanded the Video Production program to create a new program, Design and Media Production. This program combines interests in graphic design and video design into one program. The program is being offered as an Associate Degree where students can choose from two specialization tracts, Graphic Design and Prepress, and Video and Film Production. The program is also offered as a Diploma with several imbedded Technical Certificates of Credit. Classes are offered as hybrid program meaning some courses and content will be online and some face-to-face required. To learn more about the Design and Media Production Technology program or other programs, visit Wiregrass.edu.