Inside CASL: Meet Rick Morrone

Harrison Stidolph Editor-in-Chief

Photo//Harrison Stidolph

For Rick Morrone, working in media production was always in the cards. 

He says it all began with home video: his granddad’s love of cameras was passed on through his father, with tapes dating back to the 50s: “[You could] pick a year from 1957 to now [and see] what the Morrones were up to,” Rick says about his family’s sizable archive. 

Growing up, his shenanigans helped him figure out how to edit, record audio – all the crafty things it takes to become an amateur filmmaker. From bribing family members to pose as callers on Ricky’s Radio Show, to films made and edited with his cousins, he became the video guy.

Even in school, he was always working on video projects: “[in high school] anytime there was a project or a presentation due in class… I would raise my hand and [the teacher would] be like, yes, Rick, you can make a video.”

When it came time, a college degree in Media Production seemed like a no-brainer – finding himself caught between a career in radio turned out to be perfect for UM-Dearborn’s Journalism and Screen Studies (JASS) program, which teaches both.

Rick moved on to graduate in 2011 from the JASS program, and held several jobs over the years in advertising, acting, and different production jobs in the creative industry. Now he’s on his latest venture, working as an Instructional Learning Assistant in CASL’s new Journalism and Media Production program. 

As an instructional learning assistant, he uses his production experience to assist faculty with the technical aspect of their classes; he gives students the resources, equipment and expertise they need to produce everything from a short film to their own podcasts.

Beyond simply filling his role teaching students audio and video production skills, he keeps a good example for students who want to start living the gig life: he manages his own private commercial video service, acts in commercials and still plays live music – from live request drum-and-piano shows across metro Detroit to DJ shows or playing bass in his 7-piece traveling funk band.

He also does occasional gigs for the university; throughout the year, you can find him or his students operating cameras at fundraisers, or even DJing black-tie events. Rick notably DJ’d at UM-Dearborn’s Soirée in the City event in Michigan Central Station as a part of the university’s new Look to Michigan Campaign. 

This year Rick has had a highly-decorated fall semester, having won CASL’s Internship Office Mentor of the Year honors, as well as the Chancellor’s Recognition Award for outstanding work in student success. 

“He will often participate in student projects as an actor or join in class activities with students to demonstrate the spirit of collaboration, but also because he enjoys the experience,” one staff member on stage said while presenting his Chancellor’s award.

His colleagues further attested to his staunch dedication to his students: many said he’s known to drop everything just to help a student who asks for it. Students who have worked with him in the past noted that they feel they can e-mail him at any time, and expect a passionate and prompt response.

“My mantra is students first and everybody else second,” Rick says of his teaching philosophy. [So] even if I'm really busy on something and they're having a crisis, I put it all aside and I help them,” he says.

“I do put students first, even over my own workload and priorities. While I'm here, like the whole reason we're all here, is for the students,” he adds: “So it's like, you know, we should always prioritize their needs before ours, as we offer.”

Although he still his original duty of teaching audio/visual workshops and crash courses on editing, his role is beginning to look a little different: he now additionally serves as the Production Lead for UM-Dearborn’s Inclusive Storytelling Hub (ISH).

Working together with the faculty running the university’s Inclusive History Project (IHP), he now oversees the work of student interns, helping them sharpen their production and editing skills in the process.

Together, his team of interns helps to bring simple archival sources to life: they make bite-sized collections from never-before seen pockets of mixed media and interviews related to the university’s history.

In his latest project with IHP, he is producing a feature documentary about former UM-D Chancellor Blenda Wilson; the first woman to lead a Michigan public university and the first African American woman to lead any of the University of Michigan campuses. The documentary is set for its first official screenings in February 2026.