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January 13, 2022As a teen, Century College alum Patrick Frost was always using a camcorder or camera to capture the world around him, but didn’t realize he could have a career doing what he loved.
In high school, he had enrolled in Century College’s 916 Automotive program; however, after taking a photography class through the Visual Communication Technologies (VCT) program, he decided to switch direction. Century’s campus was close to home, so when he was ready to attend college, he continued his education at the College, and got his degree in Filmmaking and Video Production. While at Century, Patrick also realized that he could combine both his love of photography and sports in one exciting career path.
Work Experience Prior To Graduation
As he was learning more about video production in his classes, Patrick was also gaining valuable work experience. “One of the VCT class assignments was to share 10 hours of your time as a volunteer or intern with a business or organization,” Patrick remembers. He strategically reached out to local businesses, and soon found a video production company based in Hudson, Wisconsin, and offered his help. As a result of his volunteer experiences there, he started to get entry level and assistant jobs through that company.
Additionally, a former Century College student contacted VCT faculty member Mike Eddy when they needed camera operators for a soccer tournament at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Mike knew that Patrick was interested in sports, and told him about this opportunity. Patrick was in the right place at the right time. His education and volunteer work prepared him well for this opportunity.
Ready for His Dream Career
As a result of this job, Patrick ended up working for Minnesota United. He started as a runner, setting up cables, and learning the business from the ground up, and by the following year, he was working as a camera operator at TCF stadium. Patrick also met many others who were working in the field, and began networking his way through the local sports community, which lead to another job working for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. He has worked with them for years, including filming hockey, and men’s & women’s basketball games.
His boss ended up getting a job with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Patrick was soon working for that organization, too. Patrick works with the Minnesota Vikings, and all the other teams, as well.
Patrick’s high energy is well suited to working in sports. He loves filming a game from the fan’s perspective, and part of his “on-field” education was knowing how sports are played, observing and paying attention to all the plays. Through understanding the rules of the games, reading body language—especially with soccer—and learning to pick up on how players kick the ball, and knowing what to expect, Patrick can predict where the ball will go,
Additionally, Patrick has to understand the sports where there’s penalties, and, while filming, he needs to know which player has earned one. “That’s the pressure with live sports,” Patrick says. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Advice for New Students
Patrick recommends that new Century College students embrace every aspect of what they are learning. “Be sure to understand the value of what you’re learning, while you’re learning.” He advises. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you don’t need to know something, just because you may not be interested in it at that particular moment. You may be playing catch-up later on.”
Future Career Plans
With his experience and degree, Patrick is optimistic about the future. He loves sports, and currently works in-house, directly for various teams. He would like to branch out to do more work with television networks, and he is also looking at career possibilities moving into digital media work for a sports team as a content creator. Thanks to his Century College education, and the College’s flexible class schedules, he was able to balance both work and school and graduate without debt.
“I’m so glad I chose Century College,” Patrick says. “Education is important because it connects people to industries in which they hope to work. That was certainly the case for me at Century College.”
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