Reynolds School of Journalism alumnus Brent Kirkland (’13) is now an Emmy award winner for his work on the Gamecocks+ network covering the University of South Carolina Athletics Department. Kirkland was awarded an Emmy in the Southeast region for his original short documentary entitled “Small Town, Big Dreams: Darius Rush’s Life Calling.”
The film follows Darius Rush, cornerback for the Gamecocks, on his journey to playing in the NFL. Throughout his life Rush overcame challenges both personally and on the field, but his strength, determination and support from his community helped him to ultimately achieve his dream.
It's like you never know when you're going to get recognized, so there’s disappointment there,” said Kirkland. “To win that award made me realize I am doing the right thing. It was validation for myself and the journey I've gone on more than anything else for me.”
“Small Town, Big Dreams: Darius Rush’s Life Calling” is available to .
For filmmaker Brent Kirkland, the path to achieving his dreams wasn’t always linear either. Kirkland grew up in Reno and attended McQueen high school and came to the Reynolds School with aspirations to be a broadcast journalist. It wasn’t until he took a sports reporting course with Professor Paul Mitchell that Kirkland was able to incorporate his love of sports into his storytelling.
The turning point was when Kirkland decided that instead of profiling football or basketball for his assignment in Mitchell’s class, he was going to make a documentary about the University’s little-known bass fishing team. “I just remember that was kind of when I knew that documentary was my thing, and that's what I wanted to do,” said Kirkland. “You know, he really gave me that confidence.”
During his time at the Reynolds School, Kirkland continued to gain experience through an in internship covering high school sports for the Reno Gazette Journal. “Basically I'd go out like Friday nights and shoot highlights,” said Kirkland “Instead of just doing like a TV broadcast, I would kind of try to tell stories beyond just in that game.”
After graduating in 2013, Kirkland stayed on campus working at USAC and ΒιΆΉΣ³» Athletics all while continuing to produce more films. Kirkland credits his mentors, like Mitchell and Reynolds School Assistant Professor of Race and Media Myrton Running-Wolf, for inspiring him to continue to pursue his passion for documentary work.
Kirkland went on to earn his MFA in Documentary Production from Wake Forrest University in 2021 and then started working at the University of South Carolina. His thesis film “Kegheads Last Ride” won a Best Director Award at the Wild Rover Film Festival (Tampa, Fla.), and was accepted into the Cordillera International Film Festival (Reno, Nev.) and Best Dam Short Film Festival (Boulder City, Nev.) in 2024.
Today, Kirkland is a senior producer managing longform content for all sports at the University of South Carolina. He also directs and produces a weekly docuseries following various sports teams for the Carolina Gamecocks. In his current position, Kirkland often refers to advice he received when he was an undergrad, “I'm always looking for story ideas. That's one thing Paul always taught me is you should have at least two or three story ideas ready to pitch at all times.”
