Meet MCM’s Trainer
As part of the “Inside MCM” blog, I am going to profile some of the people who make Montgomery Community Media (MCM) such a special place in Montgomery County. These profiles will spotlight the dedicated employees and volunteers at MCM.
Ellen Donnelly is the Trainer at MCM.
I begin with Ellen Donnelly, who is the Trainer at MCM. For two years, Ellen has taught field, studio and multimedia classes at MCM. She also helps develop new classes for students (adults and teens) to keep our television station innovative and up to date with the latest technology.
“We’ve made the transition to HD [high definition] in Studio B and it is in Studio A’s future as well,” she said.
One of her most popular classes last summer was the DV (Digital Video) Camp for teens. She also teaches final cut pro, studio classes and field production classes. Ellen enjoys spending time behind the camera and she enthusiastically shares her TV expertise and knowledge with her students.
“I love teaching,” she said.
When asked to describe the average student at MCM, Ellen said that’s difficult.
Behind the camera, Trainer Ellen Donnelly teaches a class at MCM where she’s worked for two years.
“There is no such thing as an average student at MCM,” she said. “I am so happy that we have intelligent, professional and ambitious people taking our classes for various reasons. One of my students is a film maker from India and wants to learn our terminology so he can advance his career in the United States. Our students want to learn field and studio production to be able to produce for their church or start their own business. I find our foreign students come to MCM to become certified for half the price of college courses. We are a good value for the money.”
Before Ellen started working at MCM she owned her own company: Pangea Video Productions. “I was a one-man band producing, shooting and editing corporate and event video. I won a Telly Award and was a National Finalist for a Vision Award” for my work on ‘This is My Story’ (the history of the Millian Memorial UNC in Rockville).
Ellen graduated from the College of Saint Rose for Television Production with a degree in Public Communications.
Today, she describes working with the diverse Montgomery County community “interesting.”
“I think my experience as a business owner and mother helps me understand the many personalities that walk through our doors,” she said.
When she’s not working, Ellen lives in Rockville with her husband Patrick and three teenagers: Kevin, Daniel and Molly. They also have a dog (Miles) and two cats (Elvis and Angel). Ellen loves to cook and photography is her passion. She also enjoys swimming and walking “to keep sane.”
You can find more information about MCM’s upcoming classes (many of them taught by Ellen) on our website at this queue: Upcoming Training Classes
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