Every year, the city of Las Vegas rents out all of its convention centers and hotels to the largest film, media, and broadcasting event in the whole world: The National Broadcasters (NAB) conference, a film student’s dream, and LT’s very own LTTV has the opportunity to go this April 17-22. 

“The NAB show is massive; it takes over the entire Las Vegas Convention Center, inside and out, and almost all of the hotels in Las Vegas,” Supervisor of Television Services Bill Allan said. “It is the premier event where every company, big and small, reveals its newest products, with guest speakers and experts from all across the world sharing their knowledge and insights.”

A huge part of the convention is networking, which consists of speaking with executives from popular companies and gaining connections with people in the industry who could provide internships and mentoring for prospective students, which is what Matthew Badrov ‘28 said he hopes to get out of the trip.

“[I hope to get] some connections with some of the locations here in Chicago,” Badrov said.  “Just knowing if I could have direct connections with them already to get internships later.”

Connections like this are entirely possible for the committed TV students who travel to NAB. LTTV alums in the past have made critical connections that affected their career at the convention, proving how crucial networking is for the trip, Allan said. 

Comparing equipment at showcases and looking to upgrade LTTV’s current setup is also a big part of their trip, Andrew Shepard ‘27 said.

“I’m mostly looking forward to all the upgrades and items for purchases, and upgrades to our current equipment,” Allan said.

With all the important networking, seeking new equipment, and making other valuable connections comes great responsibility. Not all LTTV students can go on this trip; only dedicated members, who are active participants of LTTV and who likely plan to pursue a career in the industry, Shepard said. 

In fact, the students on the trip were in charge of fundraising for their own tickets. They had to reach out to local businesses for sponsorships, hoping to reach up to the lump sum of $1,000 for a ticket, in exchange for advertisements that LTTV would incorporate into their livestreams, Badrov said.

LT is actually one of the only, if not the only, high school getting the opportunity to go to the convention, which only makes matters more exciting for the LTTV students and staff involved.

“Going to a different state for the biggest convention in the world at a young age is such a privilege,” Aidan Brandstedt ‘26. “It’s really nice that we’re going to go and experience that, and it’s probably going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”