Reporting live has always been part of new tribe talk teacher’s life

Whether it is a princess, astronaut or celebrity, every child has a fantasy of what they would like to be when they grow up. For Media Arts and Tribe Talk teacher David Lemacks, that was becoming a DJ.

“I loved music and I loved listening to the radio and following DJs,” Lemacks said. “I just thought it would be a cool job.”

However, this dream was “not just a phase,” as most adults would put it.

“I fulfilled that dream,” Lemacks said. “One of my very first jobs was working in a radio station and that was a lot of fun.”

Not only was Lemacks reporting for the radio station during his time in high school but he was also writing with the guidance of some of his teachers. He also would help work in his school’s library with technology.

Lemacks received his Bachelor’s Degree at the College of Charleston for music while also still being very interested in technology.

“My degree is in music, but again I was very interested in the technical and recording aspect of music,” Lemacks said. “[The College of Charleston] had a recital hall and we had a soundbooth.
My college professors got me into doing recordings of different productions and performances.”

Because of his background in technology and recording, Lemacks was able to find a job at a production company fresh out of college.

“It was a lot of fun,” Lemacks said. “But I realized I wanted to take it to the next level.”

With that, Lemacks made his way to grad school at Savannah College of Art and Design and got out of it with a Master’s Degree in video production.

Flash forwarding it to years later of continuing his career in technology, Lemacks worked for CCSD as a special education teacher assistant but also focused on work of his own.

“I’ve been doing freelance work for years,” Lemacks said. “I’ve been doing weddings and a lot of corporate events.”

When the time came, Lemacks was excited to see that there was a job opening for a Media Arts teaching position at Wando. He hoped that he would be a perfect fit for the profession.

“When they called me for the interview, I was pretty excited,” Lemacks said. “When I came and saw the studio [along with] the space and everything I thought it was great.”

Even though this is Lemacks’s first year as a teacher at Wando, he has already managed to make the most out of his job.

“Taking students to Chicago [and] to the NSPA [National Scholastic Press Association] conference was a lot of fun,” Lemacks said. “Tribe Talk came in second place [for Best in Show] so that was really nice.”

Although Lemacks is now a full time teacher at Wando, he still is able to continue freelance videography of his own, including recording weddings for family and friends.

Lemacks’s dedication to his job has already shown as he is trying to get more equipment for his classes from administration and the community to make it “bigger and better” in years to come.

“[Wando] is a great school,” Lemacks said. “The fact that we can have classes like this and do hands on is a lot of fun and the students are great.”