When participants return in person for the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) from Feb. 18-20, the team of students driving the livestream of the 46-hour event plans to be there every step of the way — working to bring a sense of the atmosphere inside the Bryce Jordan Center to viewers across the globe.
“It’s an exciting opportunity, and we’ve been preparing for months,” said Michael Yarabinee, a senior telecommunications major and one of three student executive producers for the livestream. “Plus, we’ve been really working closely with THON, which should make things feel even more engaging from start to finish.”
Viewers may watch the livestream at THON.org beginning at 6 p.m. on Feb. 18. It runs until the event concludes at 4 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Penn State alumni and friends, as well as people supporting the battle against childhood cancer, tune into the livestream every year from dozens of countries. Because the coronavirus pandemic prevented in-person participation last year, THON attracted a record number of viewers.
That success prompted closer interaction between THON and 46 LIVE, the livestreaming group from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications focused on the event. As a result, more support activities — including the annual 5K and the 100-day countdown to THON itself — were livestreamed in recent months.
In previous years, THON ran the dance marathon’s on-stage activities and exclusively coordinated the timeline of the effort while the team from 46 LIVE simply covered and shared what happened. This year, there has been closer collaboration from start to finish.
“The students have been working together and finding ways to make THON, and the livestream, even better,” said Bill Hallman, a lecturer in the Bellisario College and faculty director for 46 LIVE’s streaming division. “It’s really a testament to the commitment of all Penn State students who are involved in THON and want to make it better.”
About five dozen students participate in 46 LIVE. The livestream will feature five camera positions, with hosts working in three-hour shifts. Hallman said 12 to 20 students will be working to bring the livestream to life at any given time during the dance marathon. That’s a mix of hosts, camera operators, a team that records and produces special segments, a social media team and a technical support team.
Dayni Clark and Grace Tomlinson serve as the other executive producers for 46 LIVE. Tomlinson, a senior, will be joining the livestream behind the scenes Saturday after she arrives back on a campus after completing an internship with NBC Sports during the Winter Olympics. Clark, a junior, said the expertise of the rest of the leadership team has made her transition into that role easier this year. She especially excited about the enhanced collaboration between THON and 46 LIVE.
Part of that means the livestream production team will be on the floor side-by-side with THON’s technical team, sharing the same audio and video feeds. In previous years, 46 LIVE worked from a separate location.
“The collaboration has allowed us to do so much more that should make things smooth for people watching,” Clark said. “It should be a more engaging and positive experience to reflect the impact of THON, and that’s the most important part.”