Construction of the studio portion of the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center will be finished in February 2024, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

“It’s going to be a game changer from a visual media standpoint,” Péwé said. “You don’t have to set up a studio in different places and try to make that work. It’s all there. You have all the equipment. It’s state of the art.”

The building at the intersection of Fayette and Union streets requires two construction phases: one for the studio and one for the surrounding office spaces, which will come at a later date. Director of Visual Media and Marketing Mark Waters said production for outreach videos will begin in the studio in early 2024. 

“Because the college has been doing an increasing amount of media, we need a bigger space,” Waters said. “The media portion of the college is meant to address that audience who won’t go to Hillsdale but still wants to learn all that Hillsdale wants to teach them.”

Pewe said the 10,500-square-foot visual media studio will be completely soundproof, featuring smooth floors for rolling cameras, a green room, and room for sets, makeup, and equipment. 

According to Waters, the usable studio space is 80 by 60 feet, and can hold four to five filming sets. This will allow the visual media team to work on more projects at a time, including commercials, online courses, and videos for K-12 outreach.

While the building will primarily serve the media and marketing teams, students will also have the opportunity to use the space to film documentaries. 

Junior and photographer Jack Cote said he was impressed with the building’s design as suitable for filming professional videos. 

“Lots of people that I’ve talked to haven’t been impressed with how the building looks, but that’s actually very intentional,” Cote said. “It’s pretty essential that no outside lighting interferes with the sets. While it may look bland from the outside right now, I’m confident it will match the rest of the buildings on campus when it’s finished.”

Waters said the studio will enable the college to reach and educate a greater audience.  

“We’re having an increasing impact on that audience that wants to learn from Hillsdale,” Waters said. “Our bottom line goal is to be more and more effective, always reaching a broader audience with the content we have to offer, and the studio’s a step in the right direction to increase the amount of content.”