On Monday, July 29, 2024, Williamsburg Technical College had the privilege of hosting the filming of an ESPN Special about the late Buddy Teevens, produced by Rob Harvell, a familiar face of the area. Rob is the son of Bob and Martha Neal Harvell of Manning (Lake Marion), where the family owned and managed Scarborough’s Marina for quite some time. Originally, Rob grew up in Laurinburg, NC and attended Appalachian State University where he graduated with a degree in Communication Broadcasting. After college, he accepted a position at NASCAR helping with productions for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Shortly after, Rob went out on his own and started doing free lance work and now resides in Nashville managing his own producing company, RLH Producer. Rob has traveled worldwide producing a variety of films, mostly with a sports element ranging from Football to UFC Fighters and more! He has been Emmy nominated for best long format sports documentary for his work on “Nature Boy.”
Rob traveled to Kingstree, SC to film portions of the story because he was aware of the high school with the green and white color scheme he needed for the film to imitate Buddy’s time at Dartmouth. With familial connections to Williamsburg Academy, he called in help from the community to find supporting roles needed for the special. Many local high school boys are shown in the film as well as a home that was staged for the time period that belonged to the late Bill Horton.
Buddy Teevens was involved in a biking accident and spent extended time in the hospital leading to his eventual death due to the injuries sustained from the incident. Rob needed a hospital scene to recreate moments after the crash and death. After some brainstorming and conversations with the locals, Williamsburg Technical College was suggested as a potential site. WTC has simulation labs that are made to emulate a hospital room that the nursing programs use to practice clinical training. After speaking with Dr. Lee, WTC President, the site was eagerly approved for filming.
The film crew arrived with a director, two cameramen, one makeup artist, two co-producers, a props manager and assistant, and all assisting actors and actresses. Every detail of the scene was precisely coordinated amongst the team. The filming lasted for most of the day including setup and completion. The professionalism of the crew was commendable as many of the staff and students popped in to see the action and the crew was willing to discuss what was happening and walk them through different pieces of the process. After filming was complete, the make-up artist, Megan Deputy graciously offered her time speaking to the cosmetology students about working in the film industry and techniques she has found successful. She offered many industry secrets and tips for creating dramatic make-up and lifelike bruises etc.
The film was purchased by Peyton Manning and aired on ESPN2 January 29 at 5:00 PM. The buzz amongst locals to see friends and family starring in this documentary generated much excitement. This film is now available to stream on ESPN+. Keep an eye out for your local college and its big debut!