Yajaira draws a head. The head appears to be bald. Then she draws a plus sign. Next, a bird. The children’s voices suddenly ring out.
“Brain…bat?”
“Batman?”
“Bird brains.”
“Bald eagle!”
Pictionary may be a widely recognized game, but this version is slightly tweaked. Yajaira stands in front of a camera that is broadcast throughout Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to draw her clues. The studio is located in the hospital, so patients are able to interact in person or call in. Most contestants of the game make their guesses over the phone, and if they’re lucky, will have a prize delivered to their room after the game is over.
This is just one of many games and activities put on in a day by Yajaira Gonzalez, an intern at Seacrest Studios, and her coworkers.
The Ryan Seacrest Foundation brought Seacrest Studios to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas to provide hospital patients with a source of entertainment during their stay. Four other pediatric hospitals across the country are home to Seacrest Studios. At Children’s Medical, Seacrest Studios broadcasts radio and television shows through The Red Balloon Network, an internal multimedia broadcast network.
The studio produces daily interactive programs for the children, from game shows to science experiments to just dancing in front of a green screen.
“It helps kids have an outlet to come do something fun, watch something fun, because the hospital is probably not the most fun thing for them,” intern Will Beeson, a student at TCU said.
They like to keep things fresh in the studio, so staffers are always looking for new ways to entertain the patients. Student interns who receive credit from colleges in the Dallas area are largely involved in the production process. Full time Media Programs manager Chance Harris recruits and manages interns.
“We have a lot of free rein as interns because we’re able to bring in…someone we know who has talent,” Collin College student Gonzalez said.
Beeson says he enjoys putting on the “Good Morning” show, which highlights current events that would interest the children.
Children’s Medical Center regularly brings in celebrity guests and entertainers, so the station is able to broadcast these events into the patients’ rooms.
Guests such as TV personality Ryan Seacrest himself, singer Selena Gomez, and professional athletes like Dirk Nowitzki have made appearances at the studio.
Some children are able to be a part of the interview process by sitting in the studio and asking questions.
Other special events are often put on by Children’s Medical, and studio staff members are always there to televise the excitement so that all patients can participate. When penguins recently came for a hospital visit, children stuck in their rooms could still watch the animals play thanks to Seacrest Studios.
On Oct. 4 The Red Balloon Network began presenting a fall concert series, which has a different band perform every Friday at noon for six weeks. Seacrest Studios broadcasts these performances as well.
Another vision for the studio is to introduce children to the mechanics of media production. The doors are always open, so patients are free to walk in and learn how to use the equipment, observe the production process, or even have their own time on air.
While the staff members may enjoy a fast-paced media setting, they all agreed that making a patient smile is the best part of the job.
Harris said that he loves working in an environment where the main goal is to cheer up children. “On numerous occasions, parents have told us that their child’s visit to the studio was ‘the highlight of their day’ or ‘the first time they have smiled all week.’ It’s hard not to remember things like that,” Harris said.
After an hour of Pictionary, one in-studio participant’s score stood out among the rest. With a big smile on his face, a young boy claimed his prize. He may not have been thrilled to be in a hospital, but that shiny new water gun seemed to make him forget.
