The Expo Fest is nothing to do with the dry-erase markers. But it has everything to do with the Hawk Productions crew at Woodland.

The Expo Fest is a two-day long competition for schools around Connecticut to compete film club against film club. The club is critiqued, scored, and compared for all the work they do: from the branding of the company, to the videos which it produces.

Ralph Riello, Woodland’s Hawk Productions director, knows the Expo Fest gives students real world experience.

“The Expofest is an excellent opportunity for students to experience a real Business Trade Show environment focused around academic excellence and competition,” says Riello. “The Red Carpet Event allows students to see their work on the big screen at the Toyota Oakdale Theater of Wallingford.”

Riello knows the amount of work students have to put into this big event.

“Digital Media competitors are tasked with producing a multi layered project that includes a web site, a social media presence, a decorated 10×10′ trade show booth, a documentary, and a timed presentation by a small group of students to a panel of judges,” says Riello. “The projects are judged in total, and winners announced in various categories.”

To the festival judges, it’s all about how the company brands themselves. This competition is meant to give real life knowledge on how to build oneself in the market of film and media.

Nicolas McCusker, a senior involved in the Expo Fest, understands how the competition pushes them to be more knowledgeable and more susceptible in marketing.

“When we compete, we strive to be the best,” says McCusker. “We love to win and this challenge helps to keep us determined and focused.”

The competition also shows what a job in media is like. Students have a chance to find what they want to do after high school and it gives a fun and creative way to express the love of media.

Jillian Plante, a junior, shares how this competition has its perks, even with being a elaborate competition.

“Sometimes the competition’s complexity gets frustrating,” says Plante, “but I love the challenge because it pushes me to break boundaries and do better than I think I can.”

This year, Hawk Productions hopes their hardwork and dedication will present itself when they come home with an armful of trophies.

“This event is an excellent way for students to collaborate in a competitive environment, with a clear outcome that is mostly determined by their hard work and dedication to the process,” says Riello.

Even though this competition doesn’t have to do with whiteboard markers, the Expo Fest has a lot to offer to students at Woodland and students all around Connecticut. The Hawk Productions team compete May 18th and May 19th, to show off their skills, brand themselves, and most of all, have fun.