By Brianna Lopez
Barry is officially offering a new course: COM 356 Editing Digital Media, in which students learn video editing on Avid Media Composer and get the opportunity to take the official Avid certification exam.
Avid is a software company that dominates the television, internet, film, and music industries. Their editing technology is used by more than 95 percent of today’s film and television production companies. Studios worldwide seek out creators and editors who are Avid certified.
Luckily, for Barry students, Professor John Musulin of the communication department attended a special training in Hollywood where he became an Avid Certified Instructor (ACI). This allowed the university to become certified as part of the Avid Learning Partner (ALP) Program and be authorized to offer the official Avid training and testing.
Musulin conducted a virtual beta test of the course with former Barry undergraduate student Mateo Gomez at the beginning of the pandemic. The following fall, he had five students who did independent studies in the Avid Video Editing Certification course, the success of which enabled the department to officially offer the course as a requirement in the television & digital media major.
COM 356 first ran last spring, and six students earned their certification.
Nehemiah Reid, a television and digital media junior, was one of the first students to earn the certification. He is certain that this will benefit his career.
“This class [is one] I knew I needed to progress in the career that I want further in my future,” said Reid. “And it was fun, being able to know how to make different video clips come together into one whole package. [It is] a skill worth knowing.”
Besides the chance to earn certification, the course gives students a general introduction and overview of how to edit using Avid Media Composer software. This, according to Musulin, is crucial for students’ careers.
“Being certified on Avid will undoubtedly help those interested in pursuing a career in film, internet, TV, and media because it is the industry standard editing program,” said Musulin. “That’s where most jobs are.”
Reid agrees.
“Being certified can bring so many different things into fruition for me,” said Reid. “I now have a resource I can use to help me create a further career for myself.”
Confident in his skills, Reid adds: “If anyone needs editing, hit me up!”
In fact, Musulin notes that the Avid certification can sometimes be the determining factor when an employer decides who to hire or who to promote. This course, then, puts students one step ahead in their career.
Students are also likely to earn more money as an Avid-certified editor. Musulin learned this at the Avid film & broadcast seminar taught at Barry in January 2020.
“At the seminar, [we learned] that Avid editors, over the course of their careers, will earn $1 million more than editors who spend their career working on other editing platforms,” said Musulin.
This statistic is based on the average career length—about 40 years—which means Avid-certified employees may earn up to $25,000 more a year than their non-certified counterparts.
Such benefits make the course desirable even beyond students. Industry professionals can take an accelerated version of the course at Barry. They attend an eight-hour course for five days straight to earn their certification. This suits working professionals who do not have time for a 16-week course.
In fact, one working professional, Dyaundra Stroman, found out about Barry’s course all the way in Hollywood. As an Avid Learning Partner Program, Barry’s information can be found on Avid’s official website, allowing industry professionals everywhere to attend Barry to get certified.
In January, the communication department will begin training employees from Spanish-language network Univision. With over 100 editing stations at Univision, their employees will take the accelerated course and earn their certification at Barry in order to operate them.
“[The Avid Learning Partner Program] will draw positive attention to the university and to the communication department,” said Musulin.
Reid encourages anyone interested in the course to take it.
“Be prepared to struggle just a little bit, until you understand it completely,” said Reid. “[But] it’s useful. If you want to make your own videos, create your own content, this course can help you.”
For more information about the Avid Certification course, contact Professor Musulin at jmusulin@barry.edu.
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