Staff Stories: Corey Kile and Sal Garcia

Corey Kile and Sal Garcia looking at a tablet in a studio

Corey Kile and Sal Garcia of Multimedia Services play an integral role in telling the College of DuPage story through design, creation and distribution.

Kile, a writer, director and producer, credits Garcia, production supervisor and sound engineer, for helping him land his dream job at COD.

"I met Sal at a wedding nearly 10 years ago," Kile said. "He was one of the only people I knew who worked in video production, and I began reaching out to him for advice after graduating from Northern Illinois University. He was working at COD at the time and always told me it was the ideal place to work."

A few years later, Garcia asked Kile if he would be interested in interviewing for an entry-level position.

"I already had a job lined up with the Illinois CPA Society, but for some reason I accepted the interview to see if the College was a place I would want to work in the future," Kile said. "And I'm so glad I took that interview. I was in awe of the state-of-the art production studio, editing suites and advanced equipment. I kept the visit in the back of my head from that day forward and made it a point to keep in contact with Sal throughout the years."

In 2014, Garcia again reached out to Kile to let him know there was an opportunity at COD.

"I was amazed at how the campus had grown," Kile said. "COD was exactly where I wanted to be. I knew I could grow so much more at COD than at my previous job, and I would have the opportunity to help others grow as well. To me, the possibilities were and still are endless."

Like Kile, Garcia always had aspirations of working at COD. Before landing a full-time position as a videographer, Garcia worked as an intern in Multimedia Services and went on to freelance as an assistant producer, editor and videographer for six months after his internship to stay connected to the College.

"I had such a great experience interning at COD," Garcia said. "I knew COD is where I wanted to continue my career. My colleagues Paul Thompson and Kevin Willman were my mentors, and I credit them for helping me navigate my way through those early days. I have held several positions at COD and now, in my current role, I get to lead and manage production crews. I love my coworkers, student employees and the College community. There is always something fun happening at COD."

Garcia enjoys watching students grow in their educational journey.

"Producing and creating multimedia content for students to enhance their learning or promoting the College for student engagement are just a few of the reasons I am so passionate about my job," Garcia said. "I really enjoy training and mentoring our student employees to succeed in the media industry. Having a mentor can make all the difference."

Watching students and alumni succeed in their personal and professional lives inspires Kile to look inward and focus on his own professional aspirations.

"I'm a strong believer in lifelong learning and feel that the opportunities to achieve that, as well as being able to try new things at any point in life, are what keep me motivated," Kile said. "It pushes me to think differently. Or maybe not differently all the time, but at least feel confident in trying different angles that don't fall in line with a direct path. Working at COD inspires me every day to push past my limits and think outside the box."