Reba McEntire and Cody Johnson filmed their music video for “Dear Rodeo” at MTSU’s Tennessee Miller Coliseum.
Via the MTSU website, they shared about the making of “Dear Rodeo” stating that after searching online for rodeo arenas, the producers came across MTSU.
“I knew that once they (McEntire’s team) saw the Tennessee Miller Coliseum that they would fall in love with it, and that it would be their choice,” said Beverly Keel, dean of the university’s College of Media and Entertainment.
Not only did they use the MTSU campus, but they also utilized alumni and current students in the production of the video.
The interesting part is that students had no idea it was Reba and Cody Johnson until they arrived to film the video. And they weren’t able to talk about it until the video released in December, shared alumni Kobe Hermann, whose role was the field producer who hired the student crew and coordinated MTSU’s efforts.
For the look of the video, the students had to make the Coliseum look like a dream, which they created by blacking out the windows and using fog machines as the bright lights shone on the dirt floor.
Comments from one student who worked on the project: “This is something that looks great on a resume,” said Jo Litzenberger, a senior student worker studying video and film production.
“Everything that I’ve learned throughout these past four years have all been MTSU,” said Litzenberger. “I really credit the university for everything that I’ve achieved…. Not only did I get an education, but I met all the people who will help me further that education and also help me put it to use.”
Watch the video above. Since its release in December, the video has been viewed over 1 million times.
