As a high schooler who was grounded for something he couldn’t recall, Baylor alumnus Ted Harrison, BA (Film and Digital Media) ‘11, never would have guessed that this time of punishment would lead to discovering a passion that would eventually gain 1.5 million views on his content.
While he was banned to his room without anything to do, Harrison discovered his old video camera and decided to create a stop motion LEGO animation video. He posted it online and discovered a new way to display his creative talents to the cyber world.
“I realized you can create a whole new world even if you’re stuck in a room,” Harrison said. “You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg or Wes Anderson to put amazing content out there. You can post it online, anyone can see it and the best stuff gets to ultimately rise to the top.”
Knowing he had a passion for film and video production, Harrison chose to attend Baylor as a student in the Film & Digital Media Department. He attributes much of his success to the professors in the department for their well-rounded program and wide variety of creative opportunities.
The department provided him with the opportunity to participate in the Baylor in New York program and to spend four months in Iraq doing video work for the Preemptive Love Coalition, founded by Baylor alumnus, Jeremy Courtney, M.Div (Theology) ‘04.
“I got to learn a different culture, a different pace of life and got to do some video work for them while I was there to help promote what they were doing mostly at the time which were heart surgeries for children in Iraq,” Harrison said. “Their motto is to ‘Love first and ask questions later.’ I think that was a fantastic learning experience for me, not just from a global perspective but also just as a human being.”
Along with his memories in the Film & Digital Media Department, Harrison said he developed a love for Baylor athletics the moment he set foot on campus. He has never supported any other Big 12 team and even made a bet agreeing to eat a cactus if the Bears finished in the bottom half of the Big 12 in 2016. Harrison has always admired the way Baylor football games unite the community.
“It’s such a cool opportunity to see everyone come together,” Harrison said. “It’s not often that you get 45,000 people in one place that all have something in common, especially today.”
During Harrison’s senior year, Baylor’s football team was rising on a national level. His growing love for Baylor Athletics inspired
him to create hype videos. Harrison’s first videos were promoted by ourdailybears.com, then grew to gain recognition from various websites across the internet including Grantland and ESPN.
Harrison continues to create these videos out of his love for Baylor athletics and developed a massive following, accumulating 1.5 million views on his Baylor related content. He uses a specific pattern for each video to captivate viewers with a visual story that fosters the same sense of community that is seen at Baylor football games.
“It makes you feel like you’re involved with the team, it makes you feel like there’s a story that you can be a part of and it makes you want to go out on a field and run through a wall yourself,” Harrison said.
After graduating from Baylor, Harrison did freelance work and worked creating videos for various creative and digital agencies from 2012 to the beginning of 2017. He and his wife, Baylor alumna Susan Harrison, BA (International Studies, Journalism) ‘12, moved to Brooklyn, New York in 2017 because he landed a job with Twitter, where he currently works as their Head of Content Optimization.
Harrison would encourage students who are currently pursuing a degree in film to expand the scope of their talents by exploring the different ways they can use film to make a difference.
“There’s more than one way to make a mark in the production community,” Harrison said. “Find the ways that your passions merge with business and if you find yourself really enjoying it don’t be afraid to just jump in and do it.”
