Senior Spotlight 19: Jaryn Homiston
By Shalom Baer
University Communications Student Assistant
publicinformation@minotstateu.edu
MINOT, N.D. – Jaryn Homiston’s decision to attend Minot State was last-minute.
“The night before I needed to apply for colleges I was watching TV, and Indiana Jones came on. I thought, ‘You know what, let’s do that. Let’s go be a history teacher,’” Homiston said. “Minot State has a good teaching school, so I figured that would be the best fit.”
Before long, he found himself taking a different path.
“I took one communications class, and I went back home for the summer and thought, ‘Man, I really enjoyed that,’” Homiston said. “I’m gonna go back. I’m gonna switch and do what I want to do for the rest of my life and, lo and behold, instead of being the history part of the movie, I ended up becoming the movie-making part of the process.”
During his time at Minot State, Homiston, a broadcasting and professional communications major from Watford City, directed MSU Inside Out for a year and half. MSU Inside Out is a weekly student-run show aired on Minot State’s TV channel, KMSU. He also made a movie. “Hellbent” is a Western that Homiston wrote and directed over the course of two years. He presented the movie as his senior project this semester.
“When I got here, I didn’t realize how many opportunities there were. Things like my movie just kind of spawned out of the fact that I had the equipment and I had the talent to back me up in this department. I was able to use audio equipment from the department and audio equipment from some of my professors, and I was able to use my friends through the department to come make this movie,” Homiston said. “And KMSU has been great for me because I’ve been able to direct, and I’ve been able to kind of get my foot in the door and put that on my resume as a skill that I have. It’s something that I can do moving forward.”
Homiston said that Lee Johnson, KMSU station manager, influenced him the most during his time at Minot State.
“He just has so much knowledge on this stuff, from technical stuff in terms of the equipment and the theory behind it to why certain things happen, and he has just really guided me along,” Homiston said. “Anytime I’ve hit a roadblock, he’s just been able to be there and helped me get over that block and really move forward and enhance my skills.”
While he has interviewed for some advertising jobs in Fargo, Homiston hopes to ultimately work in the movie industry.
“It isn’t exactly where I want to be, but I still have a camera in my hand, and I get to tell a story,” Homiston said. ”At the end, I’d really like to be part of film — somehow, some way — whether it’s directing or being a cameraman and just being on set. Even if I’m rolling up wires and I just get to view the whole thing happen, I want to end up in film,” Homiston said.
As graduation approaches, Homiston reflected on the lessons he learned during his college career.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is to just put the time in, to be able to sit down and know that you might have to spend an extra five or six hours, but at the end of the day, that’s going to translate into a much better product,” Homiston said. “If you’re learning something, don’t hesitate to take your time with it because the next time you use that skill, it’s going to take half the time.”
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
| Published: 05/06/19 |
