Paine College students go behind scenes at Masters TV operation

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s been a pretty special couple of days for three students at Paine College.

They won a storytelling contest that CBS Sports and Augusta National Golf Club teamed up to make happen.

Students attended a storytelling workshop, and the winning team of three got to come to Thursday and Friday tournament rounds for the Masters.

They got to take in the course, golf, and get a behind-the-scenes look at CBS Sports’ production team in action.

“We created it from scratch. Just had the idea of coming into communities underserved communities underserved schools, we started in the Bronx and the tentacles kind of stretched out here to Paine,” said Kevin Major, assistant director and broadcast associate at CBS.

DeJuan Lockett, a junior at Paine College and aspiring media producer, said:

“I’ve been all through the place. It’s been an amazing experience. Gotten to see all of the equipment, people who work here at the top and bottom level. It’s amazing.”

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Sammy Smith, associate producer and writer at CBS, said:

“Golf is a sport that can be a little exlusive. It can exclude people who look like us. It was important for us to get students here to be able to see things, so they know there are opportunities out there for them.”

The winning entry shed light on the difference in funding and struggling athletic departments at historically Black colleges and universities.

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