When Milford Exempted Village School District alumnus Austin Bever was a student at Milford High School, he often found creative ways to approach classroom assignments. Sometimes, that meant turning projects into songs.
Today, that same creativity has helped lead Bever and his creative partner, Colin Cooper, to a Southeast Emmy Award.
Bever, a 2009 Milford graduate, recently earned a Southeast Emmy in the Content Shorts category for “Welcome To Starkville,” a viral community storytelling video created in partnership with Mississippi State University and the City of Starkville.
The award was presented by the Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which recognizes excellence in television and digital media across several southeastern states.
Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bever is one half of the creative duo Austin & Colin, known for producing music-driven “Welcome To” videos that spotlight cities, universities and communities through comedy, storytelling and local culture. Their videos have generated more than 100 million views across social media platforms.
Looking back on his time at Milford, Bever said the district’s teachers, coaches and arts programs helped shape the creative path that eventually became his career.
“I really do feel like Milford gave me room to discover who I was creatively before I fully knew what that meant,” Bever said. “For me, that usually meant writing a song. Some of those songs were good, and some probably should never be spoken of again, but the important thing was that I wasn’t always forced to do things the traditional way. I was given space to express a God-given gift in my own way.”
During his time at Milford, Bever participated in theater, show choir and cross country. He said those experiences helped shape both his creativity and discipline while surrounding him with mentors and friends who encouraged him to grow in his own unique way.
Bever credited staff members Geoff Wahl, Lynnette Blake, Dave Ackermann and the late Ray Bauer with influencing both his personal and creative development. Wahl encouraged students to think creatively in the classroom, Blake fostered creativity through show choir and performance opportunities, Ackermann's leadership in cross country taught perseverance, hard work and resilience, and Bauer's positivity helped create a school environment where students felt supported and valued.
“The theater program gave me a stage, literally and figuratively,” Bever said. “Being part of the musicals and getting opportunities to perform helped build the stage presence I still use today.”
He also recalled longtime friend Ryan Belliston, who shared many of those experiences alongside him. From freestyle rap sessions in the lunchroom to writing songs for book reports, the pair were constantly creating. Bever said those early creative outlets helped lay the groundwork for the music videos and storytelling projects that would later define his career.
After graduating from Milford in 2009, Bever attended Lipscomb University, where he studied health and physical education. During college, he and Cooper continued creating music and comedy videos together while building a video production company.
In 2016, the pair released “Welcome to Nashville,” a music video that quickly gained viral attention online and helped launch Austin & Colin into a full-time creative career.
Since then, the duo has collaborated with cities, tourism organizations, universities and musicians across the country. Their recent Emmy-winning project, “Welcome To Starkville,” has generated more than 2 million views online.
One of the duo's earlier viral hits, “Welcome to Cincinnati,” generated more than 4.5 million views while celebrating regional landmarks and culture through music and humor, featuring references to Kings Island, the Cincinnati Bengals and local high schools throughout the Cincinnati region.
Bever said his advice to current Milford students interested in the arts, entertainment or content creation industries is simple: continue pursuing the things that inspire them.
“My biggest advice is to pay attention to the thing you can’t stop doing. You’re going to make awkward things. You’re going to embarrass yourself. You’re going to have ideas that don’t work. That’s part of it. The biggest thing is finding a way to stay in the game long enough for hard work and opportunity to finally meet.”
He added that many of the lessons that helped him succeed today were first learned while he was a student at Milford.
For Bever, the journey from Milford classrooms to Emmy-winning storytelling has come full circle.
“In a strange full-circle way, the same thing I was doing at Milford, turning assignments into songs and trying to tell stories differently, became my actual career,” Bever said. "I'm humbled and grateful that the Lord opened doors for me to pursue the gifts and passions He's given me, and I'm thankful for the role Milford played in helping me discover and develop those gifts along the way."
View Austin and Colin’s website at: https://austinandcolin.com/
View Austin and Colin’s Instagram & TikTok at: @austinandcolin
Thumbnail Photo Credit: Imani Givertz @imanigivertz