Kaori Thomas, a Creative Media Production major with a minor in Digital Marketing, graduates this semester as a trailblazer. The very model that makes the Media department at the University of Oklahoma’s Esports and Co-Curricular Innovation shine, Thomas brings the department together with ease. In an epic conclusion to his senior year, Thomas leaves behind both a legacy and the doors to a new era of the Media team in OU ECCI.
From the Houston Skyline
Hailing from Houston, Texas, to Norman, Oklahoma, Thomas has always been passionate about videos, movies and editing. The triad of interests eventually led to him picking up and discovering his major: Creative Media Production.
However, it took some time for him to figure out what major was right for him. Thomas states, “When I first applied to OU, I was actually an FMS [Film and Media Studies] major… But to me, I really did not know the difference between FMS and CMP [Creative Media Production].” He goes on to state that there was a lack of clarity between the two majors, but once he finally found Creative Media Production, Kaori Thomas knew he was set.
Hi[story] with Gaming
Growing up, Thomas found himself enamored by the world of Nintendo. From “Mario Party” to “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” the world was his oyster from a young age.
With influence from his older sister, Thomas found himself following in her footsteps with her interest in gaming. Thomas states, “…She was the one who got a DS first, or got the games, then I’d be like, ‘I want to play the same game as her.’” This eventually led him to obtain his first game: “The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.”
As such, his journey led him beyond the familiarity of puzzle and platformer games, and he later discovered “Mario Kart 7” for the 3DS, and even shared the experience of “Pokémon Diamond/Silver” with his older sister. Through his experience with gaming, Thomas has been introduced to a world that allowed his passion to thrive into leadership.
Making of a Leader
Becoming the Media Lead was a testament to Thomas’s passion. When he joined the Media team as a freshman, he found that the team was small, but that smallness allowed him to move in bursts of passion.
As such, when the opportunity presented itself for him to cover an event or perhaps a creative endeavor that called for the media team to lay the foundation, he was there to make that happen.
His undying eagerness, coupled with his heart filled with passion, allowed him to move forward in the ranks, and he finally found himself seated at the head of the Media branch. Thomas proudly states: “You know, I wanted to really get my foot in the door and also get my skills growing fast, or start learning.”
Achievements
Across Thomas’s four years at OU, he has helmed many projects, especially within the Media team. The majority of the projects he took upon himself were led with passion and created with just about the same amount of love. But, when it comes to the projects he has taken for OU ECCI’s Media team, one video stands out amongst the rest as Thomas’s magnum opus.
When asked which projects were the ones he was most proud of, he said, “I really like the Minecraft cooking show, I’d say that was definitely a highlight of my career there.”
Thomas follows up with how he always desired to film and direct a cooking show, and doing that with video game cookbooks solidified his peak as the Media lead and as an editor.
Looking Forward
As Thomas looks towards the end of his Senior year and the beginning of his life in the workforce, he said, “…Personal goals for me: I would like to keep growing, learning, and finding really cool opportunities.”
Thomas states: “Like, recently, I’ve just started to get into sports, not like, necessarily videography, but like sports [as] a big entertainment kind of thing.”
Thomas later mentioned his desire to try out new things and experience more action behind the scenes and behind the camera. Every bit of exploration behind the scenes and in front of the camera is what Thomas enjoys and loves about media production.
Final Word
As Kaori Thomas goes into the workforce, he leaves both the Media team and fellow readers with a final word: “Join the Media team. Even if you’re just remotely interested, it’s a good place to start. It’s a good place to learn and a good place to grow.”
