Biography
By Jim Hague
Brian Coulter first found out that he had a love for video production when he was still a high school student at Mainland Regional in southern New Jersey.
“It definitely started when I worked for the school TV station,” Coulter said. “I would videotape all sports games, like football and basketball. That’s when my passion developed.”
After high school, Coulter attended Atlantic County College, then later Rowan University. While attending Rowan, Coulter was fortunate to have two internships that fueled his passion.
“I worked for a local production company,” Coulter said. “I was doing commercials. I really got a lot of experience in high-end production. I was able to do hands-on work in many different aspects in video production.”
Then, Coulter received his big break.
The Somers Point, N.J. native earned an internship at then Wells Fargo Bank Center in Philadelphia, where he did work for Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers games.
“I helped with game production,” Coulter said. “It was definitely a different experience and definitely fueled my interests in working in athletic video.”
Last spring, as Coulter was poised to graduate from Rowan, he noticed an advertisement for a graduate position at Rutgers-Newark to handle the athletic department’s video production department.
Since September, Coulter has been in charge of RaiderVision, the athletic department’s popular and successful video production operation. Coulter has been in charge of recording, editing and distributing digital media on the R-N athletic website.
“It was a perfect fit for me,” Coulter said. “I definitely wanted to stay in athletic video and this was perfect, a great opportunity.”
Coulter was given a two-year commitment to pursue a Master’s degree while at Rutgers-Newark.
It’s been a bit of a change for Coulter, who grew up at the Jersey shore in Somers Point.
“I really like the city,” Coulter said about living on campus in Newark. “It’s been different for me, but exciting.”
Much like the work he’s done so far.
“I love it,” Coulter said. “I love it, because it’s not just one sport. I’m diving into all different kinds of things. (Rutgers-Newark athletic director) Mark (Griffin) has been great, giving me the freedom to do some creative things, show off my creativity.”
One of the finest productions Coulter has done was with the cross country team, showing coach Juan Edney’s teams in training on campus, with in-depth interviews of the student/athletes.
Coulter utilized different camera angles to get interesting shots, making it a high level production not readily seen on athletic websites.
“It’s nice to have the chance to test my creativity,” Coulter said. “I really have a lot of good ideas.”
Coulter is in the process of doing more student-athlete interviews, as well as in-depth features with the R-N coaches.
“I want to do more interviews,” Coulter said. “I also want to do more promotional videos.”
The biggest move that the program will make – under Coulter’s guidance – will be the launch of the live stream aspect of the website. Fans from all over the country will get the chance to watch Scarlet Raider games live on the website, so parents and family members can enjoy games without having to come to the Golden Dome.
The live stream, set to be launched Jan. 22, will be provided at a small fee. It should totally enhance coverage of Rutgers-Newark athletics.
“It’s really exciting,” Coulter said.
Coulter will also do more video highlight clips for the website.
“We’re starting to do that already,” Coulter said.
Another aspect will be facility shots around the campus for prospective recruits.
“I definitely love doing that,” Coulter said. “It’s definitely a challenge, but I’m getting great help from all the coaches and players. All throughout, I keep coming to Mark with ideas and he’s easy with me, saying ‘Why not try this?’ Everyone has been giving me ideas. It’s been tremendous and very helpful.”
Coulter doesn’t know what the future will hold after he obtains his Master’s degree in liberal studies from R-N. For now, he is enjoying the chance to be creative with camera and microphone in hand.
“When I graduated in May, I had no idea what the future held,” Coulter said. “This has been a great opportunity, working in athletics. There aren’t a ton of opportunities like this in the athletic field. This has been great for me.”
