Full Sail Stories

Recently, Full Sail hosted the 2024 USA Memory Championship, an annual tournament where Mental Athletes compete in a series of challenging memorization events. The event – hosted on campus for the third year in a row – featured contestants from across the United States, who gathered at the Full Sail Live 1 to compete for the first place trophy.

As contestants battled through rounds of focused memorization, show production students worked behind the scenes in various important positions such as Video Director, Front-of-House Engineer, Lighting Designer, Graphics Operator, and more. They assisted the USA Memory Championship team through complications and ensured seamless transitions, using the skills they learned in their classes to professionally navigate a high-stakes live event.

“Show production students played a crucial role as crew members in various audio, video, and lighting positions for the USA Memory Championship, providing them with invaluable real-world experience that they can proudly showcase on their resumes prior to their graduation,” said show production course director Sydney Cochran. “This hands-on opportunity allowed students to apply their classroom knowledge in a professional setting, honing their skills in a dynamic environment.”

“Over the past three years, the [show production curriculum] has been integral to the USA Memory Championship’s competitions, continually enhancing the production quality and ensuring a seamless experience for both participants and spectators,” she continued. “Each year, the student and staff contributions have elevated the production, reinforcing our commitment to excellence and providing students with a platform to demonstrate their capabilities in the fast-paced world of live event production.”