By Christina Loforti
Kip Krumwiede thought it would be fun and educational to have his accounting students participate in a national video competition.
“I wanted to see how well we could do,” Krumwiede said.
More than well is exactly what four students did.
Jason Smith, Shonn Stahlecker, Andy Wycherly and Scott Williams placed first at the finals of the Institute of Management Accountants 2003 National Student Video Case Competition in Nashville, Tenn.
As part of the competition, the students were given two weeks to make recommendations to prevent a made-up company from going out of business.
The team also had to find an effective way to communicate their findings in a video presentation.
The format they used was of a live cable news show, similar to “Larry King: Live.” The host was “Harry King,” played by Wycherly; with guests “Max Profit,” Smith; “Les Cost,” Stahlecker; and “Ben Schmark,” by Williams.
The group took a futuristic view and said how the company had already turned around and was successful.
“The four of us worked so hard during the two weeks to prepare a script, rehearse, record and edit the video,” said Smith. “We wanted our video to stand out from others.”
After a second round of judging, the team was invited, along with four other college groups, to perform live at the IMA Convention in Nashville.
A live performance presented the team with new challenges because many video effects were lost, Smith said.
In addition, the team ran into trouble right before they performed.
Wycherly noticed the pants he was wearing were missing buttons for suspenders he had to wear as part of his costume. According to Smith, the students had to switch pants just minutes before they performed.
“We were a comedy of errors before we got on stage,” said Smith. “I was wearing baggy pants and [Wycherly] was wearing high-waters. Fortunately for us, they enjoyed it and we came in first.”
Krumwiede, the student”s adviser, attributed the group”s success to the creative approach they used.
Krumwiede has been an IMA judge before and said most of the videos are traditional business-type presentations.
“I”m really proud of these guys for taking a class assignment so far above what was expected,” Krumwiede said. “I think the experience of going to a national competition, representing BYU and doing so well will be a fond memory for them.”
Wycherly agreed and said creativity is what made their presentation effective.
“We worked hard to ensure that the content of our presentation was solid, but the fact that we made the presentation enjoyable to watch really distinguished our group from the rest,” Wycherly said. “Our enthusiasm shined through and was apparent to everyone who participated.”
This was the first time BYU students entered the competition.
“A BYU education can compete with an education from any other university in the country,” Wycherly said.
The students competed against North Carolina State University, Wright State University and Culver-Stockton College.
The team won $5,000 and a scholarship to take the Certified Management Accountant exam for free, which costs about $250.
