Since its inception, The Davidson Show has proven to be a major hit amongst students on campus, humorously highlighting many of the subtleties of Davidson life that often go unnoticed. Every couple of weeks a new episode premieres in the 900 Room and a small television in the Union runs the show continuously. I recently sat down with Austin Bell '10, the producer of The Davidson Show to ask him about the influence the show has on the school.
Clint Smith: So, where did the idea for The Davidson Show come from?
Austin Bell: To be entirely honest, it came to me in a dream; I woke up shouting about The Davidson Show at the top of my lungs. It scared the [Hades] out of the rest of the Economics 101 class. After that, I went out and bought PVC pipe and green fabric from Lowe's and Wal-Mart, and the next day, I had constructed the coolest green PVC sailboat you had ever seen. Two weeks after that, I had shot and edited a pilot for the show.
CS: I can only imagine the class's reaction. Is this how you usually come up with your ideas for the show?
AB: My ideas for the show now usually come from situations I observe around campus as a Davidson student. For example, when I went to "Waiting For Lefty" and got panhandled as I entered, I imagined what it would be like if students did that in normal Davidson situations that required change, such as paying library fees. When all else fails, I'll just lock myself in a room and read Voltaire until I'm pretty sure I've gone crazy, and I write down the first thing that pops into my head and call it a script.
CS: Well, I'm sure that you're not the first person to do that…actually you might be. Do you receive funding from school or does this come out of your own pocket?
AB: The Union Board, specifically William Brown, pays for our Chick-Fil-A at premieres, and due to a fairly minor contract stipulation, I am required to say that he is the handsomest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet at least once per interview. Otherwise, everything up to this point has been done entirely without school support. Other than occasionally using editing computers in the media lab, we've been using personal equipment and tapes.
CS: I'm sure that William will be flattered to know that you think he's so handsome. So, who helps you write the show?
AB: We have a very dedicated and entertaining team of writers that come together and toss around ideas and their execution before each show. Ultimately, we do as many of the more popular ideas as we can. When that doesn't work, I try bribing them with candy, and if they get too rowdy, I spike their Kool-Aid.
CS: Sounds like a pretty unique group of individuals. Are they volunteers or did you pick them yourself?
AB: All are volunteers, but some I definitely "voluntold" to do it. Anyone can be a writer for The Davidson Show, though. Just shoot me an email and we'll let you know when the next party happens. There will be candy and punch.
CS: Which show that you have made so far is your favorite? Why?
AB: I would say overall my favorite show has been our latest one, because I feel like we're getting consistently better. However, I hold a special affinity for the Game Show night commercial, the Jackson Court segment, and the Team Davidson Show's domination of Davidson Basketball in pickup 2-on-2.
CS: That episode did receive a lot of positive feedback…although it might have just been the free chicken. Speaking of which, how did you decide on Chik-Fil-A as the food for your premieres? Were there any other choices before this one came about?
AB: I once ran into a guy in Chambers who said he couldn't come to the show because he had to study for a test. I then mentioned to him there would be free Chick-Fil-A, and he pondered it, and responded that he probably would be there, because free Chick-Fil-A was better than getting 5-8 extra points on a test. Originally, we were trying to offer free Olive Garden. That didn't work; that stuff's like crack. You take 10 average Davidson students and put them in a room with seven Olive Garden breadsticks, and three people are going to get killed. So we switched to Chick-Fil-A. So far it's gotten us pretty good turnout, and we've had a lot less casualties at the premieres.
CS: Well that's a relief. Don't you hold an official position with the College Communications Department?
AB: Indeed I do. I work as a student photographer for Bill Giduz.
CS: Does this help you with what you're trying to do with the show?
AB: Definitely. It's given me a good idea of what not to put in the show, such as encounters between alums and frolickers. CS: I'm sure a lot of students are reassured in hearing that. In closing, what can students expect to see from the next show?
AB: I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you this, but on the next episode of "Naked at the Movies," the reviewers will no longer be sporting the waist-down body paint, knee high stockings and oversized bowling shoes that they have been seen in on previous episodes.
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