2026 Team Leaders Engage in Workshop with Creative Pros

Returning members of Alabama A&M University's Crew 75 internship program recently spent three days in Philadelphia, PA sharpening their storytelling skills through an immersive professional development experience. The training, created in partnership with award-winning production agency JTWO Films, presented a one-of-a-kind opportunity for AAMU students to gain hands-on instruction from industry professionals.

Workshops focused on interview skills, lighting techniques, documentary videography, editing and collaborative content creation throughout the city. The experience also served as a leadership retreat for the returning members, who will help lead the program's newest students when the fifth cohort of Crew 75 begins this fall. 

"This year, our team will include 13 students, with the majority being newcomers," said Team Lead Jay Mayes, a senior from Montgomery, Alabama. "It was important for the returners to have an experience like this where we really gel and gameplan for the upcoming school year. We get the opportunity to represent Alabama A&M every day through our content and share with the world what it’s like to be on The Hill. Opportunities like this help us become better storytellers and continue pushing our skills and platforms to new levels."

Returning Crew 75 interns include Mayes; Keshon Oates (Junior, Montgomery, AL); Jailah Richie (Sophomore from Murfreesboro, TN); Sanaa Reaves (Junior, Atlanta, GA); and Leilani Whetstone (Junior, Nashville, TN).

The training builds upon Crew 75's growing impact on the Alabama A&M brand. Last year, Alabama A&M was ranked No. 1 among HBCUs and No. 27 nationally among more than 350 NCAA Division I-affiliated colleges and universities in the Quid RivalIQ 2025 Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report. The University also ranked No. 1 among all colleges and universities in Alabama, reflecting the significant role Crew 75 plays in elevating the institution's digital presence.