‘The College Tour’ Stops at Landmark
By Chris Mays, Brattleboro Reformer I April 13, 2023
PUTNEY — Landmark College will be starring in an episode of a show aimed at giving prospective students and other viewers a real glimpse into college campuses.
“The College Tour” filmed at Landmark College this week for an episode on its ninth season. The series is free on Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms.
“Each episode tells the story of a different institution across America through the lens of its students,” said Alex Boylan, host and executive producer.
Boylan said his group felt Landmark College had “a fascinating story to tell,” as it caters to students who learn differently and provides the full college experience with sports, internships and study abroad programs. Students at the college might be diagnosed with dyslexia, attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, autism or executive function challenges.
More than a year ago, the show came on Landmark College’s radar as “a great way to showcase” the school, said Mark DiPietro, vice president for marketing and communication at the college. DiPietro and Mike Stefanowicz, vice president for enrollment management, attended a conference last September in Houston, where they met Beth Cohen, a senior producer of the show.
“We started talking about featuring Landmark College on the show, and after a few months of discussions, worked out the details for their visit to campus,” DiPietro said. “We’re thrilled to highlight our student stories and the uniqueness of Landmark College to a global audience.”
DiPietro described Boylan and the entire production team as “a joy to work with.”
Each half-hour episode of “The College Tour” takes about six months to plan and create. Five days are spent filming on each campus.
The idea for the show came to Boylan about four years ago when his niece was trying to figure out where to go to college and he was helping her look at the options. He noticed traveling to different states could be challenging and costly for prospective students.
Boylan, a former winner of CBS’s “Amazing Race” who also hosted the PBS series “The Chef’s Table” and “Animal Attractions,” said he wanted the show to share the message of the colleges and campus culture with a global audience. His crew prioritizes featuring a diverse group of institutions, and partners with the schools to cast students and film locations.
“It’s a huge team on both sides that need to come together to make this episode,” he said. “And it’s going to be fantastic.”
Boylan expects the episode will be released to Landmark College to share in about two months then it will be put on thecollegetour.com and streaming platforms.
“It’s like a rolling launch, because it kind of never ends,” he said. “And we’re still very good friends and work with institutions from season one that are still using their episode in some capacity or another.”
Boylan said the series and its related web services have become “best friends with about 60,000 high school counselors across the country.” He thanked Landmark College and Putney, describing the community as “so warm and welcoming.”
For the ninth season, his crew also will be visiting Sarah Lawrence College in New York, Texas Lutheran University and Seton Hall University in New Jersey.