MU’s President, Frederick Bonato, pictured speaking with The College Tour’s executive producer, creator and host, Alex Boylan, during filming.
ANISSA LATIF / COURTESY
Maddie Rosado & Laili Shahrestani, Staff Writer & Features Editor
Amazon Prime’s original series “The College Tour” filmed an episode at Manhattan University last week, working to highlight not only what the university has to offer, but also allowing for a number of Jaspers around campus to have the opportunity to be featured in the production.
“The College Tour” is a television series aimed at visiting various university campuses and showcasing everything the institution brings to the table, from campus life and academics to student experiences and much more. The series incorporates student-led segments in hopes of giving viewers and prospective students alike a more accurate idea of what each university experience consists of, from a current student’s perspective.
The Quadrangle had the opportunity to speak with Alex Boylan, executive producer, host and founder of the series in regards to his inspiration behind creating the show.
“A little over five years ago, my niece was trying to figure out where to go to college… my sister gave her one trip to go take a look at college campuses,” Boylan said. “Isabel, my niece, is like 99% of high school students that are out there, where her parents don’t have the money to go visit every single state and every single school.”
Boylan had many positive things to say about the Manhattan University campus. He spoke about how he hopes the episode will bring more recognition to the institution and allow the public to gain more awareness of all it has to offer.
“Manhattan University is a phenomenal institution,” Boylan said. “We hear it all the time, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re a hidden gem.’ Well, we don’t want Manhattan University to be a hidden gem.”
For Boylan and his team, the mission was simple. They wanted to capture the authentic student experience and share the stories that make the campus so special. With many diverse student backgrounds and programs to choose, the most challenging part of production was deciding which stories to feature.
“There was an open casting call that went out months ago for students,” Boylan said. “We attack this like we attack any television or reality television show, where students are to put in their audition video.”
For Ioannis Rountos, a sophomore civil engineering major, the opportunity felt like a natural fit. As an admissions ambassador, he was already comfortable speaking on behalf of the university, so participating in the casting call felt incredibly natural.
“The admissions office was the one to originally let us know about this opportunity,” Rountos said. “Although it’s not part of our job specifically, they reached out because we’re used to being in front of cameras, not often, but enough, and talking about the school. So this felt almost second nature to us.”
Before filming could begin, Rountos had to prepare carefully for his on-camera appearance. This meant writing a script that captured his personal perspective and highlighted what he felt was most important about Manhattan University.
“It began with me having to write my own script, which, of course, had to be approved by both a representative from the school and one from ‘The College Tour,’” Rountos said. “But it was still my writing, and I got to talk about what I wanted to share.”
Writing the script was just the beginning of the process. Even with guidelines and approvals in place, Rountos appreciated having the chance to share his story in his own words, giving a personal touch to the segment.
“A lot of things were done on the fly while filming certain segments, since things can look a bit different once you’re actually on set,” Rountos said. “They [Amazon Prime’s production team] were super flexible, creative and open-minded with the types of shots they wanted to capture.”
Once filming began, the experience became more dynamic. Many scenes were adapted on the spot as the production team adjusted to lighting, angles and the natural flow of the campus environment.
“For one scene, we simulated a meeting between me and Nicole Brosnan, who runs student engagement, which was something I didn’t expect but thought was really cool,” Rountos said.
Brosnan was brought in on the fly and expressed enthusiasm for the project.
“I just got pulled in right now, so I don’t know everything that they’re filming, but obviously, we have such an amazing campus,” Brosnan said. “We have lovely students, amazing professors, staff and administrators, so any way that we can highlight them, I’m sure it’s going to turn out amazing.”
Despite being brought in unexpectedly, Brosnan quickly adapted to the project and emphasized her admiration for how her everyday responsibilities were naturally integrated into the filming process.
“I think it’s really nice getting to showcase a conversation between myself and a student in a club because that is how I spend a good chunk of my day,” Brosnan said. “I love getting to interact with the students, so it meshed really nicely with my typical responsibilities.”
Brosnan’s reflections on her daily interactions with students highlight just one layer of the experience captured on the show. For Daren Woolsey, the show’s director and producer, the focus extends to the broader narrative.
“What actually is great about this show in particular is that, because we are telling essentially different stories for students, here [at Manhattan University], we have five different students who are sharing their own personal stories,” Woolsey said.
Woolsey emphasized that the heart of the show lies in its ability to give each student a platform to share their unique experiences, and in return, filming the series gives him hope for future generations.
“I really appreciate and enjoy [my job], given the state of the world that we live in,” Woolsey said. “I’m seeing the quote-unquote future of our country working on this show, and it makes me feel good.”
By helping amplify the voices of students, the experience reinforced for Woolsey just how meaningful his work is.
“More than anything, I’m just here to help support the students who have kind of put themselves out there to be a part of this, and to help them feel comfortable and supported through the process of telling their story,” Woolsey said.
To Rountos, that sentiment resonated deeply. Being part of “The College Tour” allowed him to experience firsthand the spirit of collaboration, growth and opportunity that makes Manhattan University truly exceptional.
“You get out tenfold what you put in, and I think that applies to life in general, but especially here, when you’re involved, opportunities just happen,” Rountos said.