Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.

High School: Westside High School in Macon, where he was student webmaster, a member of the drama club and coordinator of Westside Improv Theater.

Family: Parents, Eric & Brenda Thompson; sister, Brandi Malloy; brother-in-law, Brad Malloy; nephew, Tyson Malloy.

Current Employment: Program coordinator for MSC-TV at Macon State.

Degree Objective: Bachelor of science in communications & information technology with a major in new media.

Class Rank: Junior.

Macon State Activities: MSC-TV, Matrix student newspaper, Mac Users Group, Honors Society, Phi Theta Kappa.

Career Goals: “My goal is to work in television or film. I enjoy and am comfortable with being on camera and doing behind-the-scenes work. So, I don’t know what position I may end up with, but I know that I’m going to have fun doing whatever I do.”

He chose Macon State College because … “It was a good school that was close to home from which I could get my associate's degree and transfer to a larger university. But I decided to stay at Macon State for my bachelor’s because no other college in Georgia offered such a robust and practical communications degree.”

The one thing that surprised him about Macon State was … “The great communications degree. It is a hybrid degree that no one else in Georgia has. It gives you the theoretical basis of knowledge while also giving the practical, hands-on IT experience. As with all Macon State degrees, it is designed to prepare you for a career. Many other communications degrees only give you the theoretical basis and do not provide the practical experience that you need for a job.”

His favorite professor during spring semester 2008 is … “Dr. David Sidore (assistant professor of English). I have known him as the advisor for MSC-TV for a couple of years, and I also had him for advanced video production last spring. Right now, I’m taking survey of film from him, which is a fascinating class. I always enjoy conversations with him to learn his insight on the latest movies.”

His favorite place to study is … “My desk at home, on my computer, in front of my 22-inch widescreen monitor. Most of my work or study materials are electronic anyway, so it’s all there in one place for me. If I’m not at home, then I’ve probably got my Apple Mac Book Pro with me.”

One thing people don’t know about him is … “I’m a bit OCD (obsessive compulsive). I’m not saying it’s anything extreme but just some little things. For instance, if a room has two light switches for one light, I want the one I use most often to be in the conventional on or off position, even if it means walking across the hall to fix it. But, ultimately, it helps me keep neat and organized. Then again, you know what they say… one man’s organized is another man’s anal.”

His friends make fun of him because … “My friends don’t make fun of me. They’re too scared to. No, not really. My friends and I are always finding things to crack up about. It really just happens in the moment. My sister, however, makes fun of me because I get too technical. When she’s trying to tell me a story, I’ll get caught up in the little details and it’ll just derail the whole story.”

The one person he would most like to meet is … “Jack Bauer, who is a fictional character, played by Kiefer Sutherland, on the show '24.' He’s just so cool. I would settle for just meeting Kiefer, though. Then again, I wouldn’t mind meeting Halle Berry.”

Five years from now he sees himself … “Working on a large-budget, well-known TV show or film. Between now and then, I’ll be doing my trench work; that is, working really hard for little or no money for long hours in order to build skills, make contacts, and build credibility. But in five years, I think I’ll be established enough to be working on some good projects. Who knows, if '24' is still around then, maybe I’ll be working on it. I’ll have to get Kiefer’s number when I meet him.”