Reservoir senior Tevin Son randomly took his dad’s camera to a football game his freshman year. He took pictures with friends and was immediately hooked.
Son then began bringing the camera to volleyball games and into boys basketball season, where he served as the team’s creative director. Through his blossoming interest, Son was inspired to create a place where Reservoir students who shared similar media- related passions could thrive.
In January 2023, Son and good friend Cheren Song co-founded “Gator Productions,” a new club at Reservoir and fully student-run media organization. The club is leaving its imprint on Reservoir athletics and the greater community through creative photography, video production and more.
“As someone who’s been here at Reservoir for such a long time, that extra kick of school spirit has kind of been missing,” Reservoir volleyball coach Carole Ferrante said. “I feel like Gator Productions has really created this excitement. I love seeing how many kids are getting involved because it was a kid that came in with a camera and just started doing stuff and now, we’ve got this whole entire crew.”
Gator Productions has three main branches, one for short and feature films, another for sports and a third for the organization’s live show, which the school airs every Wednesday and highlights different events in school and around the area
Across those three branches, Gator Productions has 3,636 Instagram followers. They have accumulated over 10 million views all-time across their social media platforms and already surpassed over 1 million in the last two months, according to Son.
The sports department is the club’s largest with 15 to 20 core members.
Gator Productions routinely receives 30-40,000 views per video on social media, with their coverage extending beyond school and to commissioned projects for local businesses.
“It’s really crazy. I honestly sometimes have no words,” Son said. “Seeing the numbers on our social media is really mind-blowing because back when I was a freshman, I used to think 1,000 or 2,000 views was crazy that many people were watching our things. We even have TikTok videos going viral with millions of views. I’ve experienced this, too, but a lot of our members talk about random people in public just mentioning Gator Productions and how they’ve seen our work.”
Their rapid membership growth and social media traffic can be attributed to a seminal moment in the fall of 2023. Reservoir football coach Matt Banta took over the program and wanted to form a new identity ahead of his first season.
What better way to do that than a new jersey reveal and preseason hype video. Banta was impressed with Son’s work during basketball season and approached Gator Productions about making the team’s hype video.
He suggested an idea similar to what the Appalachian State University football team produced in 2020 where the players emerged from underwater in their new uniforms. Son and his team brainstormed for weeks, running with the idea.
They ultimately decided to film the video in a swampy area of the Patuxent River as an homage to Reservoir’s gator mascot.
“I was standing in the water in the Patuxent River when he showed me some of the replays of what we were doing,” Banta recalled. “He’s holding this expensive camera over his head in three feet of water, filming this video. He showed me what he just shot and I said, ‘That’s incredible.’”
The video quickly went viral on social media throughout Howard County and to date has 1,876 likes, 165 comments and 632 shares on Instagram. That widely circulated video brought increased interest to the club and was a tremendous recruitment tool in bringing on new members.
“We won a county championship that year and he followed that video up with a county championship video that got a bunch of more views,” Banta said. “He just really adds to the culture and the program. The kids get invested.”
The hype video even caught the attention of two-time Super Bowl Champion and former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith who commented on the post. In January 2025, Gator Productions connected with Smith and filmed a Level 82 football practice at the Ravens Under Armour Performance Center.
While the club’s social media following is expanding exponentially, they’re also making a difference for every athletic program at Reservoir. Gator Productions athletics videos help amplify each respective team’s presence.
“When you watch that [football] video and you look at the quality of the production, the feeling, the music, this is next-level stuff,” Ferrante said. “I feel like I just watched something like a movie preview. It gives you that feeling, you’re just sucked in. There are so many of his videos that I have watched over and over again because you’re like, ‘[Dang], how did he do that?’
“When you see someone creating these videos, then kids want to be a part of it. You’re seeing bigger crowds at all games across the board because maybe they’ll be featured on the video or just seeing how hyped the crowd gets and thinking, ‘Oh, I want to be a part of that.’”
Banta joked that every year the football team’s senior class wants to outdo the year prior as Son and his team continue to elevate their level with each production. This year’s football preseason hype video received 1,865 likes, with 144 comments and was shared by 1,352 people.
In today’s age of social media, Gator Productions’ value can’t be overstated. For Banta, the videos and heightened social media attention are a valuable recruiting tool. Many incoming middle schoolers have watched those videos, which helps bring added excitement to the program.
However, their value extends even beyond that. Former Gators basketball coach Justin McCoy explained to Son years ago that some college coaches told him their first exposure to Reservoir came through a Gator Productions video.
Son’s influence is evident throughout the club since its founding. In a leadership role, his current duties fluctuate daily. He is often coordinating and instructing several of his colleagues at games on the season. Meanwhile, when it comes time for bigger projects like preseason hype videos, Son is the director.
Graduating in May, Son is in the college application process and plans to study film after leaving an indelible mark on Reservoir athletics. He’s built a diverse and talented team, confident that even after graduation Gator Productions will ascend to new heights and maintain their immense impact on the greater Reservoir community.
“I genuinely hope Gator Productions continues and I know it will because we have a lot of strong younger members holding their roles down,” Son said. “I have no doubt that it will continue for generations, and I really hope it continues to grow and impact our community. We just hope to continue to innovate and pave the way for students like us to be able to do crazy things that we do.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
