Wagner College is a frequent host to film and television shoots. (Don't believe us? Check out our Wikipedia Page!) On June 13, 2019, Wagner welcomed the cast and crew for Judd Apatow's upcoming film starring Pete Davidson to film scenes in Foundation Hall. Knowing that they were working at an active educational institution, members of the production generously invited students to spend the day on set.
Wagner students Colleen Kelly '21, Alexandria Subbotin '20, Reilly Dolan '20 and Shaelynn O'Keefe '20, who are spending their summer working on campus with Residential Education and the Department for Lifelong Learning, eagerly accepted the invitation.
Wagner College Conference Assistants and Students pose with Assistant Location Manager Chris Britton
The four were given the opportunity to stay on set from noon through filming, wrap and load out around 7 p.m., which included time to eat lunch with the cast and crew, tour the set and network.
"We were able to speak to a variety of people in different departments, all of whom were more than eager to share advice and answer any and all questions," Subbotin says.
"This allowed me to understand the fact that producing a film has many different facets that those who were not given this opportunity may not understand," O'Keefe adds.
"Everyone on set treated us with so much kindness..." recalls Kelly, "I hope to keep in touch with some people we met that day, and if an opportunity was given to us to shadow any other film shoots on Wagner, I would take it in a second."'
While productions always benefit the college by generating revenue, this production was even more valuable to these students who walked away from set with a priceless, educational experience.
June 12, 2020 Update: The King of Staten Island is now available on digital.
Written by Cass Lang, Assistant Director of Marketing and Special Projects for The Department for Lifelong Learning