Drew Duke: 'The Goosefather'

In high school, senior communication major Drew Duke enjoyed producing, directing and editing films, but he never realized that he could make a career out of it until he came to George Mason University. Now on campus, Duke has developed a reputation for his work and has been recognized by students on campus for his achievements.

Last year, a resident advisor that came to Duke’s dorm recognized him as the Goosefather and complimented him on his video. The Goosefather, which Duke wrote, directed and produced, is a spoof of the classic children’s tale The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg.

In the video, which has been aired on GMU-TV (channel 89), Duke plays the main role as the Goosefather. Duke enjoyed working on the video because it allowed him to be creative and he was “able to make it his own since he was in total control of the project.”

But producing films wasn’t Duke’s first choice at Mason. Like many students here, he changed his major. His first major was mechanical engineering, but he discovered by his sophomore year that it was not for him.

Duke’s roommate, Andrew Clark, helped inspire him to find his new major. Clark’s major is film and video studies.

Duke realized for the first time that he would be able to do something that he enjoyed as a major and possibly a career. He decided to change his major to communication with a concentration in media production and criticism, because he could “direct and edit videos, but also have a broad communication degree.”

Now as a senior, Duke still enjoys his major. His latest project for his visual communication course included working on graphics and shooting and editing for the Fairfax Choral Society. The project consisted of making a promotional video for the group that will be featured on their website and uploaded to YouTube.

For the project, Duke attended a concert by the Fairfax Choral Society and edited different clips together. Duke enjoyed the project because it allowed him to “work with a real life client.”

This summer, Duke is looking to expand on his media production experience and find an internship. He is hopeful that his future internship will “allow him to gain hands-on experience and network with professionals in the industry.”

Ideally, he would like to be able to get out and shoot stories in the local community.

Duke plans on graduating in August after the completion of his internship, but will be walking in the May commencement ceremony. He is happy to be the first member of his family to graduate from college and his family is proud of him for such a remarkable accomplishment.

Duke is hopeful that he will be able to find a job in media production after he graduates and someday start his own video production company.