The Digital Video Technology Program at Florida Panhandle Technical College in Chipley, Florida encompasses photography, video production, audio production, television production and the basics of drones as a production platform, including the FAA Part-107 Remote Pilot’s License.
The class size is very small, and dual-enrolled high school students can attend FPTC for half of each school day, starting in their Junior year, or the age of 16, with a 2.0 GPA, at no cost to them.
Adults will find the program challenging and even intermediate-level photo, audio and video creators will benefit from the deep-dive, challenging environment.
FPTC students gain hands-on training in ‘Studio B’, FPTC’s very large and well-appointed production studio, with green screen, a variety of professional lighting options, grip and gear, post-production capabilities and a stimulating educational environment.
A separate classroom environment furnishes each student with a state-of-the-art desktop computer with the latest Adobe software, inclusive of Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Audition and other production software.
Student time is also spent off-campus, covering local events, businesses and points of interest.
Instructor Paul Goulding’s classes emphasize real-world workflow, commercial production, basic marketing and promotion, responsible social media and website population, all operated in a real-world business environment.
Students ‘clock in’ and ‘clock out’, gaining credit for their hours of actual production, much as they would when employed by a brick-and-mortar business. Punctuality and attendance, attention to detail and the ability to follow instruction are all necessary for success.
Although students must ‘check all the boxes’ in the program- and must complete the photography, video and audio basics- they can concentrate on their main interests when the basics are completed. In this way, a student with a bent for photography can learn and excel at that craft, while a videographer can spend extra time on that endeavor.
Students, during the 900 hour program, shoot and edit tens of thousands of photos and many hours of video and audio content, mirroring, in a truncated fashion, the ‘10,000-hour rule’ for mastery of these techniques.
Goulding’s teaching philosophy and methods create an explicitly workplace-oriented rather than a purely academic environment.
Goulding says, ‘My philosophy is that my job as a post-secondary teacher is to make my students uncomfortable, so that they eventually become comfortable with being uncomfortable’, and students, upon completion and graduation, wholeheartedly agree.
Students are responsible for an entry interview as well as an exit interview, both times sharing their experiences, from the perspective of a new student as well as a highly-accomplished graduate, and the stories are fascinating. Plus, the students immediately get an appreciation for being both in front of as well as behind the camera, invaluable once they take off on their own.
On Day One, students learn to shoot in Manual Mode, learning the basics of Exposure, Cameras and Lenses, and the next few weeks are a whirlwind, as they progress quickly.
‘Success breeds success’, says Goulding, ‘and students are allowed to succeed as quickly as they would like’.
By the same token, Goulding believes that a person learns by failing- not succeeding. Students are allowed to gain traction at their own pace, and soon learn that they don’t necessarily ‘know what they don’t know’.
‘Everyone starts as an unconscious incompetent’, says Goulding, ‘but soon progress to a conscious incompetent and finally to a conscious competent, and it is here that they truly start to learn and commence their apprenticeship’.
Students learn technical skills (hardware/software proficiency) alongside ‘soft skills’ (communication, deadlines, teamwork, client interaction). They also receive professional development training in resumes, interviews, taxes, forming LLCs, and contracts.
‘Many of my graduates go on to self-employment’, says Goulding, ‘and they must understand licenses, taxes, contracts, liability, model releases and so forth, or they will find themselves in financial hot water before they get started’.
Projects mirror professional demands: green-screen work, event coverage, interviews, set-building, and community service shoots. Goulding regularly challenges students with themed assignments, such as event promos, holiday videos and commercial production.
The FPTC DVT program has earned recognition as Northwest Florida’s Best Regional Photography Program (awarded April 2026) and Goulding notes the growth in ‘the quality of our graduate students, but also in the successful placement of these students in well-paid jobs in the region’.
Graduates enter the fields of television, radio, audio production, online content creation, and documentary work as entry-level technicians or semi-professionals. Many alumni return to mentor current students and these visits highlight long-term program value and real-world applicability.
Goulding and his students provide free or low-cost professional services that directly benefit the local community and Washington County School District.
These initiatives give students immediate client-facing experience while filling a regional gap in affordable professional media services. Goulding frequently posts compilations of student work on Facebook and Instagram, expressing pride (“Am I proud of my students? You bet I am”).
Goulding’s teaching has transformed FPTC’s creative arts offerings into a standout regional asset in a rural Northwest Florida area that previously lacked accessible, hands-on training in these fields.
By integrating his professional network and facilities, he creates a pipeline from classroom to paid regional jobs, while fostering community goodwill through student-led projects.
The program’s emphasis on collaboration in a ‘real-world job environment’ equips students not just with technical proficiency but with the resilience and soft skills needed for sustained careers.
Alumni success stories, recent awards, and ongoing community service demonstrate measurable impact: higher graduate employment rates, skill-building that extends beyond paid work (e.g., hobbies or side businesses), and strengthened local media infrastructure.
Enrollment for these programs remains open for qualified, motivated students as well as adults wanting to improve their craft or find a new outlet for their creativity.
Campus tours are available upon appointment and financial aid is readily available.
Call 850-638-1180 Extension 6317, stop by 757 Hoyt Street in Chipley or mail [email protected] for more information about the Photography, Video Technology, Audio, Drone and Television Production offerings at Florida Panhandle Technical College, with financial aid available, but limited seating.
