“Kirkwood has profoundly impacted my career and also my personal life,” shares Wired Production Group CEO Ron Rausch. “My studies at Kirkwood allowed me to invest in myself, in my family, in my businesses, and in my employees. We want to invest in our future employees coming from the digital arts and digital media programs. We are fortunate that our company has grown significantly in recent years with much success, and we can give back some of this to benefit the future generations into our industry.”
Students enrolled in the Digital Arts or Digital Media programs at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa are eligible for this scholarship. One student will be awarded the Wired Production Group scholarship in 2024 and each year thereafter. The Kirkwood Foundation will collectively select the appropriate candidate for this scholarship after the application deadlines pass on March 15th and July 15th.
Since 1966, Kirkwood Community College has been proud to serve the needs of students, families, employees, and employers in Eastern Iowa. With 14 locations across seven counties, Kirkwood is the area’s leading provider of accessible, affordable, and exceptional education and training.
22% of the Wired Production Group staff are Kirkwood Community College graduates. Wired Production Group proudly supports Kirkwood Community College’s digital art and digital media students through this new scholarship fund. With 95 percent of graduates staying in Iowa and 86 percent in our seven-county region, Kirkwood profoundly impacts the lives of every individual and company in our community and beyond.
Students who receive Kirkwood scholarships are more than 2x as likely to graduate in three years (the required federal reporting period) as students who do not receive scholarships.
To learn more about the scholarship and apply as a current student at Kirkwood Community College, please click below to learn more.
The Impact of Kirkwood Community College: Ron Rausch’s Story
As a graduate of Kirkwood Community College in 1990, Rausch understands the profound impact that a two-year college education can have on an individual. Rausch has developed his passion for video into the career of a lifetime, with many thanks to Kirkwood for igniting that passion.
During his time at Kirkwood, Rausch worked as a video editor, creating accounting videos for students on campus and as a broadcaster for the Kirkwood Community College radio program in Cedar Rapids.
After a semester in the broadcast radio program, Rausch realized that he did not have a quality voice for radio and should stick with the behind-the-scenes aspect of his career path. This led him deeper into his live video production studies. Rausch graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in Communications Technology.
As a student with a love for his work, Rausch assisted in developing the Kirkwood Student Productions (KSP) program, which focused on student video production services on campus. This program is still active for Kirkwood’s Digital Media students under the direction of Randy Langel (a past employee of Rausch), as it directly relates to the areas of filmmaking, editing, broadcasting, motion graphics, and audio production.
Upon graduation, Rausch started working as a freelance videographer and editor with the skills he learned at Kirkwood. He traveled across the United States with his freelance career. His travels allowed him to see many incredible places and meet many great people who remain his friends and colleagues to this day. Shortly after college, Rausch also met the love of his life, Molly (another Kirkwood graduate!), and later began the Rausch family (with five girls and two boys, to be exact!).
In 1999, Rausch started his own video production company, Rausch Productions, in his garage with one full-time staff member in addition to himself. As his client base continued to grow at a steady pace, Rausch added staff and rented his first business location on the NE side of Cedar Rapids. He added LED technology, including custom LED video walls, mobile LED screens, and event management services, to his list of business capabilities. Rausch Productions partnered with local event production company, 16th Avenue Music, as his business continued to grow, and clients continued to inquire about additional services he would be able to provide them. His client base allowed his company to travel internationally and create many creative partnerships with businesses.
In 2005, alongside two of his colleagues, Rausch created Mobile Xpress Productions (known as MXP) in Cedar Rapids. MXP was built as a video equipment rental company. The company provides broadcast equipment services for professionals in the broadcast and entertainment industry. To this day, Rausch remains a Senior Partner at MXP.
Fast forward to 2016, Rausch moved to a new warehouse to accommodate his growing staff and inventory at Rausch Productions. He then purchased 16th Avenue Music company. He merged 16th Avenue Music with Rausch Productions to form Wired Production Group, a full-service live, virtual, and hybrid event and video production company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company has become a part of Rausch’s family. Culture is a large part of Rausch’s success, as he is only happy with himself when his team is happy.
Today, Wired Production Group is home to over 20,000 square feet of warehouse space filled with audio, lighting, staging, LED, and video equipment and produces over $4.7 million in sales annually with a full-time staff of 27 employees. Rausch continues his vision to be the leading provider of event and video production services by producing the best events and videos possible as well as providing the strong relationship that clients deserve. His clients’ success is his success. While retirement is nowhere close in Rausch’s future (though we’re certain he wishes it some days!), his legacy will be forever within the event and video production industry through this new scholarship at Kirkwood Community College.
Take a moment to review more information on how Wired Production Group supports our future workforce via the link below.