Kris Kelly

Kris Kelly builds a career while boosting community coverage at Marshfield Broadcasting

Ever since graduating from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Kris has been developing her own video production business, Split Hare Animations, which specializes in post-production, motion graphics and 3-D animation.  Volunteering at Marshfield Broadcasting (MFLD-TV formerly known as Marshfield Community Television) has fit into her career plans perfectly.  Not only does it give her a chance to hone her craft, it also has allowed her to make connections in the community, some of whom are becoming clients.

“Marshfield Broadcasting helps organizations get a voice and it’s really interesting work.  I especially like doing productions for the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hub City Times,” she said.  Producing programs for the Chamber – Kris recently covered the Firm of the Year Dinner -- has introduced her to the local business community.  The Hub City Times television series has made Kris aware of the many non-profit organizations serving the area.  “It’s shown me a side of town I haven’t seen before and didn’t know existed and it’s led to connections that I had never thought about before like Shirley’s House of Hope,” she said.

Shirley’s House of Hope is a local women’s shelter that takes in women who are escaping abusive relationships.  Kelly met the executive director through her work putting together the Hub City Times studio production where she handles all technical aspects of the show -- setting up the in-studio cameras, directing the production and editing the final piece.  The shelter was featured on an episode and now Kris is working with it as Split Hare Animations to produce live on-site programs for Facebook.  The goal of the video series is to raise awareness and funds.

She also works with a local dairy farmer, who does a video series on YouTube about daily life on a dairy farm.  She is excited about a program she wants to do on Jurustic Park, a site populated with iron sculptures created by a local artist.  “If I don’t have an idea, Tom will have one for me.”  Tom Loucks is the Director of Communications for the City of Marshfield.

“Kris is a huge asset to our organization and I commend her on seeking us out first back in 2019.  She has developed into a solid volunteer for the station and is willing to take on just about anything when asked,” said Tom.

Kris talked about the competition for attention that is so difficult for non-profit organizations and Marshfield Broadcasting to navigate.  “There is so much out there on YouTube and Facebook.  Marshfield Broadcasting has a challenge to cut through all the competition and get its name out there.”  The City of Marshfield’s demographics skew older.  About 35% are over the age of 55 and Marshfield’s three cable channels on Charter Spectrum, 989, 990, and 991, are much more likely to be viewed by this age group than YouTube and TikTok.   “Marshfield Broadcasting wants to keep serving these classic media users but they also want to reach a newer generation,” Kris said.  Marshfield Broadcasting’s Apple TV viewers can now download an app and view shows on their iPhones.

Kris is slowly purchasing her own equipment and getting her legs as a small business.  Thanks to Marshfield Broadcasting, which has paved the way for many starting out in a media career, Kris is learning more about the community she is living in and how her professional videography business can serve its needs.  And thanks to Kris, Marshfield Broadcasting has the good fortune to have this NTC grad as a production volunteer to help it cover the community. 

This video is presented by Hub City Times featuring Kaylin Wise who is a local author from Marshfield. It's a short interview discussing her book and the steps she took to become a published author.