Hawk's Eye View: Parker Silver '26

Parker Silver ’26 has turned his passion for video production into a career behind the camera. As a Video Production Intern with Disney Destinations, he helps create content showcasing vacation experiences across the Disney portfolio, from theme parks and cruise ships to destinations around the world. A Communication Studies graduate, Silver built his skills through leadership roles with TealTV, award-winning productions and hands-on experience in broadcast and freelance media. 

In this latest Hawk’s Eye View, Silver reflects on the experiences that shaped his creative approach, the lessons he learned through student media and professional production and how UNCW prepared him for a career in visual storytelling. 

You’re now a Video Production Intern with Disney Destinations. What kind of projects are you currently working on? 

Disney Destinations focuses on the sales side of the Disney Portfolio, including theme parks around the world, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions. Our videos showcase everything from resort and ship tours to new experiences and excursions all over the world, most recently a river cruise through France. Our content can be found across social media and many different internal and external sales platforms to help travel agents learn more about Disney vacation offerings. 

You served as studio director and executive board member for UNCW TealTV. How did leading studio productions shape your storytelling and leadership style? 

I would say that I gained a good sense of confidence in my ability in the production world through my years at TealTV as well as improved my ability to communicate with people from different backgrounds and departments.  

How did your experience working in live broadcast at WWAY differ from student media and what did it teach you? 

The live world was extremely different. The stakes were much higher since if you mess up live, that mistake will get seen by everyone watching in that market. However, at the same time people there were more dedicated, which gave me more confidence in the people around me and their abilities to produce a professional looking show. Coming back to student media after that really motivated me to try and tighten up my core group and find others who were committed to making a good production and not just there because they wanted another cord at graduation. I think UNCW would benefit greatly from showing the TealTV stuff somewhere live, even just on a TV in the student union. I think it would motivate everyone to produce a better show and bring much more attention to the club itself!  

Between directing, camera work, editing and audio roles, which most influenced your creative style? 

My editing has without a doubt changed a lot and gives me a certain style. I have a tendency to follow the beat of music through cuts and transitions (largely thanks to my time playing in Fudge… go stream the album, Silver Bullet!) Additionally, my time as director throughout my years at UNCW has made me much better at multitasking and staying aware of what everyone is doing on set to piece together the whole project.  

How has running SilverShots Media shaped the way you approach client work and storytelling? 

Having my own media business expanded my appreciation for media production of all kinds. I would shoot promos for dentist offices one day then film a metal band in a dive bar the next, so I became very well adjusted to contrasting environments but had a wonderful time getting to share their respective stories. While the stories are drastically different, you still need to meet an understanding with each client, so you can fully understand what it is that they want to convey to their audience. 

What project are you most proud of from your award-winning portfolio, and why? 

Throughout my senior year I worked with Evan Woodall '26 on two of my favorite productions from college. The first being our final from Field Production II with David Pernell. We made a 20-minute documentary with our friend Alexa Tretola '26 about the local jazz scene and how it is ever changing thanks to the involvement of UNCW.  

Woodall and I also wrote, shot, edited and acted in a proof of concept called “Ill Advised.”  What started as a Dazed and Confused tribute morphed into us trying to produce a video with only one camera, one lens, one camera-mounted shotgun mic and no additional lighting. Because of these constraints it may not be technically perfect, but it was a ton of fun to put together. 

Lastly, I would say just about any videos I worked on with Digital Drip. I was largely involved with all the odd numbered episodes of Season 7. The episode featuring Anywhere Else won a bronze Telly award, and the Bella Peadon episode received an award of excellence from the Broadcast Education Association! Additionally, some of my personal favorites were the “Digital Trip: Digital Drip on the Road” videos where we got to step out of the studio and really push our knowledge. The "Passenger Seat" video is probably my favorite from that category since I got to try mixing audio from scratch by myself, and I don’t think it sounds half bad. 

What moment at UNCW made you realize you wanted to pursue video production professionally?   

I have been hoping to do video for a long time, my father is a 44-year producer/videographer/editor for ABC news in Raleigh and I have grown up watching him work which first caught my attention and sent me to UNCW chasing a film degree. Eventually I made the best choice and switched over to Communication Studies and never looked back. Honestly throughout UNCW I find it hard to pinpoint a direct moment that brought me fully to media production, but I have no doubt it was some project in one of Pernell and Robert Seagles classes. Not only would they push me to push myself, but they were all about teamwork and that is one of the biggest elements of the media world. If you can’t work with others, then you can’t work. So, a very special thanks to those two for everything they did for me throughout my four years! 

How do you hope to stay connected with UNCW? 

I absolutely loved my time at UNCW, so I hope to come and visit some of my younger friends as they finish their years in school. Additionally, keeping my eye on the TealTV and Digital Drip YouTube channels will be a pleasure to see what they do next.