Charlene Belew
Managing Editor
@CBelew15
Over the past three semesters, Film Geek has given Cameron Aggies the ins-and-outs of the best movies hitting the big screen.
Ashli Mathiews, the producer and host of Cameron’s television show “Film Geek” said goodbye to her viewers, cast and set during her last episode on Nov. 20, 2014, after providing weekly top-notch reviews, celebrity news and guest interviews.
Her last episode of “Film Geek” featured a review of “Dumb and Dumber To” and a set filled with mixed emotions. While the entirety of those involved were excited for the final episode, Mathiews could not help but shed a tear or two as her time came to an end.
“This show meant a lot to me,” Mathiews said. “I’ve put a lot of hard work into it. [Director] Jereme [Cobb] and I had great times. There were a couple of times that we disagreed … but in the end I couldn’t have asked for a better director. I really appreciate all of his help.”
During her last episode, she broke her traditional style. Usually, she begins the episode with celebrity and television news, shows the trailer for the day and then begins her interview with a guest.
This time, she began the episode with the trailer for “Dumb and Dumber To” and followed it with a review and an interview with “Film Geek” guest Justin Winters. To wrap up her final episode of “Film Geek, “ Mathiews interviewed Dr. Matt Jenkins, her mentor and favorite professor.
Jenkins said Mathiews did a nice job when she took it upon herself to develop the show technically.
“She changed the whole look and feel of the show,” Jenkins said. “The other thing that she did that I really liked a lot was that she had guests from [the communication department] every week. She did everything that you would do for a TV show … and I think that’s a great experience.”
Film Geek November 20, 2014 from Aggie Central.
After about 100 hours of work throughout this semester and 34 total episodes from the beginning of her “Film Geek” career, Mathiews said she hopes the person who succeeds her will dedicate him or herself whole-heartedly.
“I just wish that somebody will pour their heart into the show like I did and make it even better,” Mathiews said. “I have made sure that ‘Film Geek’ is first and foremost, at all times, before anything. I made sure ‘Film Geek’ was done, and done on time, and that everything was ready.”
Mathiews discovered her love for RTV during one of her first classes with Jenkins and eventually began working behind the scenes on “Film Geek” when former CU student Britany Pyfer ran the set. After Pyfer’s graduation, Mathiews stepped up to the plate and brought a new sense of style to the TV show.
She transformed the original show, which was complete with puppet reenactments, to a more technologically based show that featured trailers, guest interviews, computer graphics and green screen.
“I’ve looked at shows from day one,” Mathiews said, “and I’ve looked at shows from now, and I’m like, ‘Wow, there’s a big difference.’ [The final episode] was emotional. This is something that I have worked on for a year and half now.
“I want this to be my baby show, and one day, eventually I would like to do a bigger show. I’m glad I have this as a guide and some way to show people what I’ve done and how I’ve progressed.”
Cobb said one of the highlights of the show was working so closely with Mathiews and watching her develop into a new character each and every week.
“[It] has been a very neat experience for me,” Cobb said. “Watching this show evolve, along with all the other CUTV shows, gives me a sense of pride in the work that we do and makes me excited to see what we can do in the future.”