Regan Holgate from Stevensville wants to be a storyteller. She admits, “I want to wake up every day, not knowing what will come next,” and adds, “The idea of the unknown that journalism inhabits is exhilarating.” Oh, and there’s something else that is exhilarating of late for Ms. Holgate. A first place victory in heated competition for a highly prestigious award.
Holgate, a 2018 graduate of Lakeshore High School, is celebrating her junior year at Michigan State University having garnered a 1st Place national win for the Broadcast Education Association’s 2021 Student Competition for Short Feature Reporting.
Her broadcast video features a story regarding the manner in which the pandemic challenged many small businesses, but specifically the business of a resale boutique in downtown Williamston forced to innovate in order to continue creating relationships with their customers despite the impact of COVID-19.
Regan says, “I actually reported regularly on Williamston, which is like 20 minutes outside of Lansing. I had that beat two semesters ago, and I had met these store owners who had just celebrated their six-month anniversary right before COVID hit and I wanted to go back there.” She goes on to say, “Since I’m focusing on broadcast — I have a broadcast minor at Michigan State — I really wanted to go in-depth with them and find out a little bit more of their story.”
The award winning video is a 90+ second wrap titled, “This Was Kind Of Our Wish.” Regan says, “I knew the background of the store, because I had talked to them before, but I just wanted to learn more and we got into this whole Facebook Live and how that’s the manner in which they were showing their merchandise throughout the COVID shutdown, revolutionizing the platform to use it in a way that they could still stay open, still sell merchandise to their customers, and survive as a small business which is really hard for a lot of small businesses through the pandemic.”
Holgate produced the entire piece from voice tracking, to video shooting and editing, including an on the scene stand-up outside of the shop. It’s her final product from beginning to end, and features great creative video content. Regan admits, “I didn’t necessarily know going in what angle I was going to take on the story, but then as I was talking to them…it’s a mother and son…I wanted to make sure I included that fact and then I really just wanted to focus on their use of Facebook Live and how the community members were continuing to support them throughout the pandemic. I thought it was a really cool story.” Clearly the national Broadcast Education Association judges concurred, granting her 1st Place Award for Short Feature Broadcasting.
Regan says the project was originally produced strictly for a class assignment, largely to earn a grade from the Michigan State University School of Journalism. She says, “I love talking to people, and I love interviewing them, but my professor came back and said he loved the story so much he wanted it to air on Focal Point News, our Friday newscast here at Michigan State.” She readily admits, “That was really exciting for me, something totally unexpected going in, but then we ended up submitting it into a few competitions and it won first in the nation.”
Regan didn’t learn that she had won the prestigious award until she heard the news from her professor. She says, “I cannot even explain to you the shock that I got when my professor texted me, in all caps, telling me that I had won first place in a very competitive field for short feature reporting which is something that is done a lot across newscasts in college every day, so there are thousands of stories.”
You can watch the award-winning video at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P91ms-t-Js
Regan Holgate is majoring in journalism with a minor in sports journalism and broadcast journalism. As for her future, she says, “My career goal would be to either be reporting or producing anywhere in the sports industry, specifically in golf. I love golf. I love talking about it. I love playing it. So that would be the dream goal, but I think right out of college, I really want to focus — because I love being on camera, and I just I just love telling stories — on being a multi-media journalist at a local station. That’s something I see happening right out of college and then moving on from there.”
I asked if her drive toward journalism stems from influence by her father, David Holgate, who is the Group President at Paxton Media Group and Publisher of The Herald-Palladium newspaper in Southwest Michigan. Surprisingly, she says, “No, it doesn’t, and I get that question a lot, but I was actually really big into marketing in high school, and I always thought I would go into business. However, journalism is always at the back of my mind. I love being in front of the camera and I visited the University of Oregon’s journalism school and then Michigan State and when I met with some professors at Michigan State when I was a senior in high school, I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. That’s how I decided on Michigan State and honestly could not have made a better decision.”
Holgate’s resume is rapidly filling with work as a Production Intern at HOMTV in Meridian Township, her work as a Producer at Focal Point News in East Lansing, stints as a Videographer Intern at WILX Channel 10 in Lansing, and a Producer Internship at the Big Ten Network Student U, as well as community leadership roles including her current Vice Presidency at the Association for Women in Sports Media’s MSU Chapter, and as Chief Recruitment Officer for KAPPA ALPHA THETA, BETA PI Chapter.
Regan’s motivation is decidedly locked in. She says, “I’m really passionate about journalism and telling stories, whether that’s short stories or news stories like this one and I just really want to continue doing that. This (her 1st place award) has kind of really gotten my foot in the door. I just want to continue growing and getting better from here.”
Looking at her career options, Ms. Holgate says, “I love sports, but right now there’s so much going on in news, and I honestly have to say that these past two semesters with everything going on with the pandemic and storytelling being different with having to find a more unique way to continue talking to sources and continue telling those stories, I think it’s given me a greater appreciation for news and that’s really something I want to continue pursuing.”
Looking behind the scenes at her personal life, Regan says, “I love my family, and Stevensville, Michigan will always be like home to me. As I said before I love golf, that’s my big thing.” She’s still an Honor Caddy at Point O’Woods Golf & Country Club in Benton Harbor, and a scholarship recipient of the SW Michigan Caddy Foundation. She adds, “As a woman golfer, I think I do have a greater appreciation for the LPGA. I know they have an internship program every summer which they aren’t doing this summer because of COVID, but that’s definitely something that really interests me.”
There’s not much doubt that the future is bright for national award winning broadcast journalist Regan Holgate, so pull up a seat and let’s watch her career soar in the role she so clearly loves. Or, as they say, Stay Tuned!
