One might hear the title of “materials manager” and assume that that person maintains the broadcast equipment in an orderly manner. However, it is evident that there is a real icon in the class when the title begins to take on an ironic tone. Caleb Sutton, serving as BRN News and BCSN materials manager for the past two years, is certainly a class icon.
As materials manager, one of Sutton’s principal jobs is to charge the batteries. Despite this fact, though, Sutton describes a complex attitude between himself and his responsibilities.
“The batteries and I had a love-hate relationship,” says the materials manager. Often, we would go to set up for a broadcast and realize that the batteries were dead. Sutton often received the blame when the batteries were not on the charger, but it was not necessarily his fault. After all, there are many instances of batteries getting up and walking off of their chargers.
While Sutton may have struggled with forgetfulness when it came to batteries, the BCSN crew must give him props for being one of the few people who actually knows how to properly and efficiently set up the full broadcast, from the cameras, the rodecaster, and the Mac studio, to whatever it is that is referred to as “the dongle.”
Sutton’s ability to set up the broadcast equipment comes with the contingency that it may not always work, even if it has worked in this exact way countless times before. If a cord has broken or a button just won’t press, Sutton credits BCSN for teaching him perseverance in the event of technical difficulties.
“Now instead of thinking all is lost, I try to find a solution to the problem, no matter how odd the solution sounds,” Sutton explains.
Sutton brings a lot of fun to the BCSN atmosphere, always cracking jokes and lightheartedly making fun of his friends, and always willing to share one of his Five Star breakfast sandwiches with an expectant Colin Wise or McClain Denney. Sutton retains the necessary duality to work when it is time, though.
With his funny and giving attitude, Caleb takes his own advice, passed on from Coach Fei, to “Always be a fountain, don’t be the drain.”