Other Accomplishments

SKILLSUSA: CHAMPIONS AT WORK, 2008

Tempest Pictures team members Gregory Austin McConnell and Lance Little were selected this year as representatives of Ozark Technical Community College in the 2008 SkillsUSA Television/Video Production Division, winning many of the nations top honors in the field… even though they were still in Secondary Education.

The dynamic duo first showcased their excellent skill in Television/Video Production by placing first in the Southwest Missouri Regional Competition. Combined with Austin’s expertise in quick planning and well written dialog, and with Lance’s mastery of speedy editing and solid visual effects, the two were able to create a slick commercial that wowed the judging panel, and scored even higher than the Post-Secondary competitors: all under 3 hours.

With the regional championship and competition experience under their belt, the team went on to compete at the State Championship in Jefferson City, Missouri. Despite facing a large group of talented representatives from all over Missouri, Lance and Austin again created an appealing product (a 60-second piece on the entire SkillsUSA organization) that not only took first place in their division, but once again scored higher than any Post-Secondary representatives.

Lance (left), Austin (right), reviewing footage during SkillsUSA State Competition 2008

After a grand showing of versatility and skill, Lance and Austin traveled to Kansas City to compete in the SkillsUSA National Championships. Here they represented not only their home town, their college, and their region, but the entire state of Missouri in a competition made up of competitors from 52 different states and provinces. Through a week of intense competition and hard work, Lance and Austin created what is now a winning, nationally ranked product (an advertisement for the Steamboat Arabia Museum). During their week of competing, Lance and Austin left their mark on the Television/Video Production division, winning the respect, keen interest, and high hopes of judges from all across the country as to what they would be able to accomplish next year during their freshman attempt as Post-Secondary students.

It is worth noting that the SkillsUSA competitions are designed to simulate, and at the National level, emulate what a work environment for a video professional is like. The actual product that the competitors must design is kept completely hidden from them, until a specific time window is opened, lasting anywhere from 3 to 8 hours depending on the level of competition. During this small window, teams must plan, shoot, edit, and finalize the entire product into a single package. All entries are then screened before a large panel of industry professionals, who judge each video in specific categories.

Lance and Austin’s ability to place so high in such a competition shows not only their powerful ability as filmmakers, but also their ability to create above-satisfactory products within extremely strict time tables. Such skill shows their keen capability of participating, and indeed excelling in the modern work force, despite their age.

This accomplishment has gained not only the respect of the community at large, but also shows the driving force that Tempest Pictures can have in the world.

SKILLSUSA: CHAMPIONS AT WORK, 2009

A year later after placing on the SkillsUSA National Circuit, Austin’s appetite for competitive television/video wasn’t fully satisfied. Enlisting the help of lifelong friend Steven Hutchison (who, at the time, was working with Moonlight Films in Missouri), the duo decided to try their luck at another year of contests.

Moving up to a Post-Secondary bracket, the competition the team faced was much tougher than the previous year. Nevertheless, after some hard work at the first District competition, Steven and Austin qualified to compete in Jefferson City for the State title.

At Jefferson City, Steven and Austin stood against some of the toughest competition seen in years. The contest called for an advertisement for the Missouri State Capitol to be created in under 6 hours. A grand display of teamwork was shown when Steven and Austin blew away all competitors, and placed first with the highest score overall.

Jefferson City proved to be very beneficial for both Steven and Austin, and their first place victory by such a large margin helped boost their confidence for the undoubtedly difficult teams they would face at the national level.

Austin (left) and Steven (right) joined forces to create Team Missouri for SkillsUSA '09.

In the summer of 2009, Steven and Austin packed their bags and headed out to Kansas City to compete in the 2009 SkillsUSA National Championships. Representing their home town, and the state of Missouri, they locked themselves in ‘game mode’ for the whole week.

When all was said and done, the team finished in the top 7 of the total competition, made up of numerous teams representing the 52 different states and provinces of America.

The big question was ultimately posed as to whether or not Austin would consider a third and final run for the 1st place finish, and while he hasn’t given a straight-forward answer, he has been quoted as to saying “Anything’s possible. I’m not going to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ one way or the other, because I might change my mind several times by the time 2010 rolls around…who knows? Maybe I’ll sit back for a few years and come back when there’ll be a whole new lineup of guys to face. Competing against the same ones over and over tends to get a little old.”

Whatever the ultimate decision is, there’s no doubting that Tempest Pictures once again made an impact at SkillsUSA in 2009.