Some students enter college with a clear vision of who they want to become, while others are left at the whim of their college experience to figure it out.
For Farnsworth Hendrickson, the future didn’t always look so certain as it did while he was trailblazing to the SuperBowl in February.
Now, as he heads toward graduation, he’s reflecting on his time at Seton Hall.
“I took some time to myself and realized, who is Farnsworth? Who does he want to be in the future?”
A senior visual sound media (VSM) major with a film concentration, the first Seton Hall student to be sent to the Super Bowl, SHU TV producer, member of WSOU, student in Buccino leadership, Residence Assistant, and RISE representative—Hendrickson called his busiest year his greatest.
Hendrickson’s face can be seen around campus, whether it is on the Center for Sports Media’s Instagram or SHU TV’s. However, he didn’t always have a love for the camera.
“Funny enough, film wasn't my first passion; it was either robotics or welding,” Hendrickson said.
However, Hendrickson described that neither of these options came easily to him.
“In tech school, you have to be very quick, and I was not quick,” he said.
While attending Camden County Technical School in Gloucester, New Jersey, Hendrickson tried to find what sticks. He landed on film.
“Last option left was video production, and I was like, ‘I don't want to do this,’ and then all of a sudden, I liked it. I loved it,” Hendrickson said.
His love for film only grew stronger when Hendrickson came to Seton Hall. Because of the opportunities at SHU, Hendrickson said he was able to submit several of his films to the Cranford Film Festival and connect with major television networks like Fox, Paramount, and CBS.
Hendrickson added that this wouldn’t be possible without his roots in SHU Television.
SHU TV began as Pirate TV, but when attendance dwindled, a few students majoring in VSM wanted to reignite the TV flame. Hendrickson described how students like Graham Marshman and others reached out to him to bring back the TV program with a whole new look.
“I always wanted to be a producer, but unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to because…no one really gave me a shot,” Hendrickson said. “But Graham Marshman was like, ‘We need Farnsworth. I want Farnsworth.’”
After an interview, the new faces of SHU TV brought Hendrickson on as a producer, and he dug into the program with creative shows. Hendrickson originated productions like “SHU Fishbowl,” his own podcast called “SHU Cinema” for movie reviews, and other new programs like “SHU Games” for sit-down board games between students.
“I only have [a little] amount of time here at Seton Hall, so I’m trying to get as much stuff to happen as possible,” Hendrickson said.
He directed the most recent show for SHU TV, which brought on Louis Pasculli, a SHU alumnus and former executive producer of Pirate TV. Hendrickson said he believes the former member was proud of him when he had asked Hendrickson, “Why have you never shown me this side of you before?” The answer to that held weight for him.
“I hid myself for a little while,” Hendrickson said. “But I was able to grow.”
In letting go of control, Hendrickson has seen his life take off. “Let your story flow. You don't know what your life will be in five years…let your story flow and see where it takes you,” Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson’s drive just so happened to take him to the SuperBowl with the Center for Sports Media.
BJ Schecter, director of the Center for Sports Media, developed the initiative “Pirates in the Field” to provide more real-world experience to VSM majors and SHU students. This initiative sends Pirates to sports games, like the Final Four and the Super Bowl in particular.
Schecter paid particular attention to Hendrickson in his work editing a Bob Picozzi and a Dorris Burke video, two individuals heavily involved in the sports editing scene.
Hendrickson said Schecter approached him and asked, “‘Hey, wanna go to the Super Bowl?” Hendrickson said, to which he responded: “F**k yeah I do.”
This opportunity allowed Hendrickson to meet sports royalty.
“I saw Rob Gronkoski, I got to meet Michal Straihand, I got to meet Jimmy Johnson…The way I would say it, it was a good way to close out the senior year,” Hendrickson said. “Just going out with a bang, you know what I'm saying?”
After seeing a lot of the behind the scenes work for Fox, Hendrickson said he was satisfied with the results of the Super Bowl and was grateful for the opportunity to attend.
“The Super Bowl show? Excellent. The Chiefs getting slammed? Loved it,” Hendrickson said.
Hendrickon’s gratitude extends to programs like Resilience, Integrity, Scholarship, and Excellence (RISE) as well, which he has been a part of since his freshman year.
The RISE program assists low-income, first-generation, or students with disabilities to graduate from Seton Hall. Hendrickson attributed his GPA and general grasp of campus resources to the program.
“Mr. Brandon Larmore—he has been my idol, my superstar,” Hendrickson said. “He’s been my number one guy…he made this Seton Hall journey better.”
Hendrickson described how initially he felt alone, but being a part of RISE has now come full circle as a senior, with him inviting VSM majors from the program into SHU TV.
“I just like helping people get to the next step,” Hendrickson said. “There were people that helped me out [and were] able to advance my career forward, now I'm able to offer the same opportunity.”
Hendrickson said he looks forward to starting up a multimedia film company after graduation that relies heavily on collaboration with companies like Paramount.
“Mainly, it's just to support films and make films grow,” he said.
Hendrickson added that he wants to continue working within action and drama films, write screenplays, edit videos, and relax.
“I feel like doing all this stuff my senior year has been a lot, and I'm tired,” Hendrickson said with a laugh. “I'm pooped; I want to relax and chill. Can't relax too much, but just a little bit.”
Hendrickson also holds space for childhood dreams throughout his vision of post-grad ambition.
“I'd like to start my own cinematic universe,” Hendrickson said. “That's one of the dreams [you think of] like as a kid like, ‘Oh I wanna make films, I wanna make my own characters and stuff.’”
Hendrickson had two pieces of advice for freshmen. The first was to not sit in their bed.
“Go out on campus, meet people, talk to people,” Hendrickson said. You're going to fall back into your same habits if you do not make yourself active within college life, because sure you can be the smartest person in the world…but if you don't know how to effectively communicate, you're not going to make it in this lifetime.”
Hendrickson emphasized a student’s own responsibility to move themselves through each challenge of their life.
“Your whole life is a storybook. You have a beginning, middle and end. It is your job to finish each of those pages within your story,” Hendrickson said.
Rhyleigh Russell is the assistant editor for The Setonian’s Campus Life section. She can be reached at rhyleigh.russell@student.shu.edu.
