Man brings ‘special kind of magic’ to Novi’s Communications Department

NOVI — Many people might have noticed short videos appearing on the city of Novi’s website offering insight about the various places, services and things available in the city of Novi.

The videos are created by video production assistant Jason Nunez, 26, of Novi, a young man with a unique skill set who brings forth a “special kind of magic” in his short videos on the happenings within the city.

Nunez has special needs and graduated from the Novi Adult Transition Center in June. During his time at NATC, Nunez had many different jobs in the Novi area, including working for the city of Novi as a building attendant, a position he has maintained for six years. While working at the city offices, Nunez would frequently stop by the community relations department and talk with staff about what they do.

In March of 2023, Sheryl Walsh-Molloy, director of communications for the city of Novi, and her staff asked Nunez if he would be interested in a job with the community relations department filming city meetings, which he accepted. Nunez is one of two people responsible for filming the seven city meetings each month including the City Council, Library Board, Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Parks and Recreation.

“He loves video, so he would be interested in what Josh (Buscher) … and now Trevor (Walega) do and approached us and we asked him if he would consider working and doing some of the meetings,” said Walsh-Molloy.

“We quickly found out that he is very technically proficient,” said Buscher, senior video production specialist.

However, staff is on hand to assist him with troubleshooting any problems that might occur, such as microphone issues.

Shortly after Nunez graduated, Walsh-Molloy said they asked Nunez if he would like to do contract project work. Walsh-Molloy said it is working out pretty well, and Nunez agreed.

“It’s a great way for us, our video team, to tell the story through a fresh set of eyes,” said Walsh-Molloy.

So far, Nunez has done a video on the city’s butterfly garden, recycling and the new firetruck. For each video, Nunez is provided background information, and he writes a script with the assistance of an artificial intelligence app. He lays out what his shots will be and after approval will go out on location, film his story and edit it. The process to create an approximately two-minute video takes about two days to complete from start to finish.

“His approach is very wholesome,” said Buscher. “So it’s what kind of projects kind of fit into his vibe. What’s kind of a cute story that maybe we don’t have time for because we’re focused more on construction and police stories?”

According to Walsh-Molloy, they have a “laundry list” full of ideas of places and things for Nunez to create videos about. Future projects include a Japanese event at the high school, Light the Lights and educational projects.

She said Nunez has a passion for videography, has a great eye for it and is an excellent storyteller.

Nunez said he started having an interest in video editing when he was 9-10 years old and recalled truly developing a passion for the field when he took a WNMS broadcast class at Novi Middle School.

“I started editing ‘This week in history’ videos when I was in eighth grade,” he said.

Walsh-Molloy said that the city of Novi employs many NATC graduates, but Nunez is only one of two students to have ever been hired by the city for its multimedia department.

“Jason is our shining star,” said Buscher.

“To be able to provide Jason with a career that he is passionate about, it just makes my heart so happy,” said Walsh-Molloy. “And the community loves his videos.”

“To me Jason is, like, pure,” said Josh. “There’s no negativity. There’s no nonsense. It’s just like he comes in and he tackles it in his own view.”

“It’s been a blessing for me to work with Trevor and Josh,” said Nunez.

He said he hopes to one day have his own desk in the Communications Department at the Novi Civic Center with his nameplate on it. He said he knows there is an empty desk.

“I’ve been dreaming of having my own video/editing station at Studio Six,” Nunez said.

Walsh-Molloy said it is hard to find part-time help, especially someone who just wants to do nighttime meetings. Finding someone with Nunez’s abilities to do the job is a “godsend.”

“He is a blessing to us,” said Walsh-Molloy.