For the past 11 years, Glendale College has provided members of the community with an engaging way to learn about events and affairs on the campus without ever having to leave home.
“Gateways to Glendale College” is a public television program, produced by Scott Stalnaker, which airs on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at noon on Charter Cable Channel 15.
Segments from the show have also been available on Youtube for the past three years.
The program was the creation of current GCC Board of Trustees member Ann Ransford, who proposed the idea for the program while she was serving as director of communications, marketing and foundation.
Ransford’s purpose for the show was to keep the public informed of activities on campus and to attract possible students to enroll in the college.
“Gateways” features a wide range of topics in every episode.
“It is an objective to mix things up so that our viewers see different types of shows and never get bored,” said Stalnaker.
One of Stalnaker’s favorite moments of “Gateways” was from a 2009 episode. In the segment, goats were used to clear brush surrounding the college to prevent fires in an environmentally friendly way.
“Another one of my favorite shows was when we had our music department chairperson, Dr. Peter Green visit our television studio to talk about the music department.”
At the end of the interview, Green revealed his passion for motorcycles.
“I also ride, so naturally, we inserted a short but adventurous video of him riding that I taped with a helmet-cam,” said Stalnaker.
Andra Verstraete, director of student employment, was the program’s host for five years.
“I loved getting to know all of the programs and events on campus. It was a lot of fun,” said Verstraete.
One of Verstraete’s favorite moments from the show was a cooking segment in which she and a chef prepared Thanksgiving dinner. Another highlight for her was interviewing the coach of GCC’s golf team, Greg Osbourne, and assistant coach and actor James Caan. At the end of the segment, Osbourne taught Verstraete how to swing a golf club.
“In an episode about the dance department, I participated in ballet and jazz dance classes and performed in a live number with the students.”
Verstraete recently stepped down as the program’s host due to an increasingly busy schedule.
Sharis Aghoorian, 24, biology major, thinks that a program about the college is beneficial to students.
“Watching a program about club activities, music performances, interviews with administrators, and conferences would be very interesting to watch,” said Aghoorian.
Students in media arts classes can receive credit as well as experience by participating in the production of the program.
“When a student is interested in TV, I’m very happy to take them aboard and show them the ropes,” said Stalnaker.
Aspiring student film makers can also submit their short films to Stalnaker and their work might be featured on the program.
“Gateways to Glendale College” can be seen on Charter Cable Channel 15 in the Greater Los Angeles Area on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. The highlights from the program can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/user/ScottStalnaker.
