With a vibrant online presence that showcases everything from campus life to compelling narratives, Parris Bowles is not just an alumnus of Virginia State University, he’s a beacon of inspiration for current students navigating their own paths.

Bowles and his family have a rich history at Virginia State University.

““My grandmother, aunts, uncles , mother, father, brother, sister and myself… I have deep rooted family on the Hill,” Bowles said.

Bowles first discovered his love for videography in his early teenage years, then continued to work on his craft post-college.

“I got introduced to film at the age of 13,” Bowles said. “I had an older mentor that did videos for weddings and HBCU events as a hobby. I started to tag along with him and got invested into it. I’ve been working in media since that time.”

“After graduation, I started my own production company – a small time production company where we focused on event coverage whether it be photography, videography, even some music production,” Bowles said. “We’re talking about weddings, birthdays, retirement parties, athletic events, things like that.”

Even with starting a company, Bowles found the industry difficult to navigate. However, his work was his saving grace.

“It was hard – over that span of time I did a lot of networking and made a lot of connections just from the quality of my work,” Bowles said. “It was easier for me to branch out and do my own thing.”

His high quality work landed him a job at VSU.

“My job now is the multimedia content creator for the Office of Communications. I also hold a part time position as the media specialist for the Trojan Explosion marching band. That position opened the gateway for me to obtain the position I have now,” Bowles said.

Some may think content creation is just about gathering video and audio. Bowles explains the challenges he faces on the job. 

“The main challenges would be during live, unscripted shooting,” Bowles said.  “Even though I have in mind what I want to shoot, sometimes that goes off plan because of what’s going on in the game or certain activities. The other challenge is finding people who are ready and willingly able to communicate their feelings or ideas about what’s going on.”

Despite these challenges, Bowles enjoys his work.

“My favorite part is the editing process when I can sit down and watch everything and make it come together. The other side of that is seeing the response of people that didn’t experience it live, so they can live it, and the people that were there can relive it,” Bowles said.

“Our job is to tell the story of VSU – everything we do is in that mindset – I don’t just want to tell the story, I want to do it in a way that is entertaining, and thought-provoking.”

Bowles wants students who wish to pursue this career field to keep a few pointers in mind.

“Get a tangible product. That product should do two things, it should reflect the norms of media at that time and it should reflect your own personal style. That way when people see it, they’re able to pull your own uniqueness from it,” Bowles said.

“It takes dedication, it’s not easy. But if you’re serious about it, you have to put your head down and focus and just get it out.”