Digital media club What’s Up Wootton is trying to usher in a new age of digital media output through staff and student interviews and unique and fun activities.
The club was founded in 2023 by alumni and filmmaker Brandon Estrada, and has since transitioned to new leadership under president Max Nguyen. Based on the TV-film club, What’s Up Wootton has emerged as a key news source of the school as well as a way to introduce new staff members to the students.
However, one of the main goals of the club this year is to shift to a more entertainment-based platform. To do this, Nguyen listed several stepping stones that the club wants to implement this year. “We’re trying to release one segment per two weeks, delegate more tasks, [and] encourage team members to create their own content,” Nguyen said.
Another way that What’s Up Wootton is trying to transition to an entertainment-based platform is through the role of the Vice President Deepak Somasundar. “We want to follow the model [where] the president takes a backseat and moderates the vision and steering wheel of the club,” Nguyen said.
With Nguyen overseeing the direction of the club, Somasundar is tasked with executing all of the ideas that he and the club leadership have envisioned for the year. The discussion of ideas and their implementation has led to increased productivity for the club. “[We’ve done well with] communication with the other leaders, making sure everyone is on the same page,” Somasundar said.
Similar to Nguyen, Somasundar said he has interest in attaining several goals to reshape the structure of What’s Up Wootton. Somasundar said he noticed that the content was the same, and he wants to have more student-based interviews with staff, post more frequently, and organize special events, such as a collaboration with the Multi-Leadership Student Association in the coming months.
As for Nguyen, his interest in the creation of digital media began at a young age. “[I] started in second grade, I grew up with Legos…created a YouTube channel, basically made stop-motion with my Legos in second grade,” Nguyen said.
This passion carried over into Nguyen’s high school career, as he was involved in Seneca Valley’s morning announcements process throughout his freshman year. Once he transferred to this school ahead of his sophomore year, he found the perfect opportunity to continue engaging in his interest in content creation with the newly reinstated What’s Up Wootton, at the time under the direction of Estrada. And now that Nguyen is the new leader, he said that Estrada would be proud of how the club has carried out his visions for the school’s entertainment landscape.
Additionally, it seems that the students are taking notice of What’s Up Wootton’s impact and the efforts of both Nguyen and Somasundar to reinvent the club’s purpose. “I like the fact that they talk with the students about their opinion and get people excited about things,” senior Bella Monarez said.
