Tom Post isn’t afraid to take the road less traveled.
After developing his technical skills in North Lake College’s Video Technology program, he got an offer that most students would jump on: an internship with a major television news affiliate. Which he promptly turned down. As it happened, his program coordinator and mentor Andy Chiles had found an even more appealing internship opportunity that would offer a faster track of actual experience into the business.
“NBC 5 offered me an internship, but they said I’d be stapling scripts and filling coffee cups while working my way from the ground up,” says Tom. “Andy Chiles hooked me up with an internship at the Irving Community TV Network (ICTN) while I was still a student at North Lake. At ICTN, I got to shoot, edit and even direct — I really got my feet wet in the video business, and it allowed me to move forward much faster.”
Moving forward indeed, he was soon producing two highly rated real estate shows on major networks in Austin and San Antonio. But when he became swept up in a major layoff by the production company, he again chose the less traveled route by packing up and moving back to Dallas to start his own business. Postman Productions was launched in January of 2007, and he hasn’t looked back.
“It’s gone amazingly well,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed working for myself more than when I worked full time for someone else. I do a little bit of everything — from rodeos to concerts to corporate events and commercials. One of my primary clients is the National Spirit Group, which includes all of the major organizations coordinating cheerleading and dance events across the country. We do the majority of their online videos and editing, and attend their major events to capture live performances for the Internet.”
Tom attributes much of his success to the education he received at North Lake College. “I love the hands-on aspect of my education, as compared to my friends who went to four-year universities,” he says. “They had horror stories about sleeping in the hallway to get lab time and sometimes not even touching a camera until their third year,” explains Tom. “At North Lake, there was always lab time and equipment available when I needed it, and the one-on-one attention from instructors was amazing.
“The first year I attended North Lake, 2000, was also the first year the Video Technology program went digital, and we began to use computers for nonlinear editing. It was a big plus to have that kind of equipment to work with; it was the way the industry was going, and North Lake was keeping current with an industry that moves at lightning-fast speed. You need to stay on top of your game to keep working in this business.
“We also had quite a bit of freedom with projects, like writing our own scripts and choosing our topics. It’s nice to leave college with more credentials than just the degree. We actually got the experience. I’m much happier with my associate degree and internship experience than I would be with a four-year degree — on top of the fact that I didn’t spend $30,000 on my education!”
For Tom Post, it all began here.