Become a “Dancer to Watch”
Jordan Demetrius Lloyd ’16 has made a name for himself in the world of dance, landing on Dance Magazine’s 2023 25 to Watch series.
Read the storyBecome a “Dancer to Watch”For over a decade, communications alum Paul Overacker ’94 has helped direct worldwide attention to the Oscars (also known as the Academy Awards), in a variety of roles. During his first Oscars in 2008 he assisted an international broadcast for Holland because of a Dutch nominated film.
“Over the years when you work with so many people, they all show up at one event,” said Overacker. “It was like a reunion for many people. I worked with so many people that I passed by working the red-carpet cameras to people behind the scenes.”
“It was like a reunion for many people. I worked with so many people that I passed by working the red-carpet cameras to people behind the scenes.”
Paul Overacker
This year Overacker’s work at the Oscars was focused domestically and he knew many of the broadcasters despite a high volume of production trucks on site. He was the network coordinator for KTLA’s broadcast with many clips syndicated across the country.
“Essentially I was coordinating from the live truck to the master control in LA and to the affiliates around the country who picked it up,” said Overacker. “There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in Hollywood. We show you what we want to show you.”
The sequencing of events shown on television may not be in real-time because the Oscars are a multiday production. Equipment is set up and tested ahead of the event, and rehearsals are used to iron out wrinkles from newly assembled production crews.
“Chances are you’re working with a new director, new producers, new camera operators, new tape operators,” Overacker disclosed. “It’s like there is a mesh that happens to get everyone on the same page on how everyone works so when it happens, it’s smooth.”
Following time as a technical director at news stations in Utica, Rochester, and Buffalo, Overacker moved to Los Angeles looking for work. Word quickly spread about his valuable technical directing skills and reliability.
“When I first moved to town, I realized people either want to be a director or they want to be an actor, so coming straight from Buffalo to LA as a technical director it was easier to find work,” Overacker shared. “Finding work out here is like you get one job and it’s just a referral after that. Your name gets passed along.”
Attending a video switcher training in Los Angeles further enhanced Overacker’s marketability. He shot a handful of Oprah events and worked for several years on NFL Network’s RedZone and Dr. Phil.
Paul Overacker at the Oscars
Overacker has worked alongside or met numerous Hollywood celebrities and executives in nearly 30 years of living in the Greater Los Angeles area.
“Meeting all these top tier professionals, I’ve always asked what’s the best advice you can give to someone that wants to make a movie,” said Overacker. “90-to-95-percent of the time they say, ‘go make the movie.’”
In 2019, Overacker followed the advice by producing his first feature film, “Bottle Monster.” His second film “Immortal Thieves” will be releasing this spring.
“That’s where everything changed when I started working on my own productions as opposed to working on other people’s productions,” explained Overacker. “Even as a director when I direct somebody else’s production, it’s their production.”
As the producer, cinematographer, and editor of the feature film “Bottle Monster” Overacker considers it the highlight of his career. It’s available on a variety of streaming platforms including Tubi and Prime Video.
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