When Braeden Landry first joined the Sanford Mainers' broadcast production crew, he admitted he didn't know much about baseball and wasn't sure he knew enough about cameras either. Now, after one summer operating equipment for games broadcast on major streaming platforms, the senior Sanford Regional Technical Center student is returning with an expanded role and a growing passion for live sports production.
"At the start of the summer, I was like, I don't know anything about baseball. I might not even know how to use a camera fully," Landry said. "I only had one year of video production under me at that point."
Landry's path into video production started with a chance visit. Two years ago, he walked into SRTC's Video Production Program during an open house, and what he saw changed his plans entirely.
"Before that night he didn't think of video production at all, but after seeing some of our work, our equipment, and our facilities, it flipped a switch for him," said Video Production instructor James Harmon. "I've only known Braeden after the switch went on, and he has been locked in from the start."
In his time in the program, Landry has written, directed, and handled lighting on numerous productions, and Harmon said the growth has been remarkable to watch. "He has fully engaged with all of our projects, filling his videographer toolbox with personal learning at every opportunity," Harmon said. "I'm so proud to see how far he's come."
Landry's internship came together through SRTC's Extended Learning Opportunities program, which connects students with real-world experience in their chosen field while earning school credit. The Sanford Mainers are among the local partners who have built pathways for SRTC students to take their classroom skills beyond the building. Jacob Ouellette, Chairman of the Board for the Mainers, said Landry stood out immediately.
"He showed up ready to learn and was invested right from the get-go," Ouellette said. "He really became one of the most reliable people we had on our staff."
On game days, Landry arrived around 4 p.m. to help set up cameras and get his assignment from director Ethan Snow. With Mainers games airing on ESPN+ and Amazon Prime, the stakes were high. He tracked batters, pitchers, and baserunners in real time for a national streaming audience, and on other nights worked the graphics board, updating scores and base runners on the fly.
"It does require you to constantly be thinking. Am I the one being viewed, is he about to switch to me?" Landry said. "He gives call-outs, like 'ready, camera one,' and you've got to get ready and do a smooth shot."
Landry credited his SRTC training with giving him a head start. "Cameras are complicated. There's so much stuff you need to keep track of," he said. "Mr. Harmon made sure we all knew how to operate it, and that made what we were doing at the Mainers so much easier."
By the end of the season, Landry's confidence had grown considerably. When director Snow was unavailable for a late-season game, Ouellette called Landry to step in. A last-minute substitute handled the role that night, but the call signaled how far Landry had come. This summer, he will return with expanded responsibilities.
For Landry, the experience changed more than just his skill set. A self-described non-sports fan, he found himself checking Mainers scores on away game nights, something he never expected.
"I found myself after recording for them, if they had an away game, I'd be checking the score," he said. "That's not stuff I'd usually do. It just got me feeling more involved with the team."