Over the course of a career, we can only hope that we will have the opportunity to work with individuals who positively stand out. I am talking about people who set the bar high and then somehow continue to vault over it.

While at Coastal Carolina University, I had the good fortune of working with Richard Green. Hired as our digital journalist within University Marketing and Communication, Richard was tasked with covering the daily news happenings and developments of CCU. Little did I know that he would take “daily” quite literally.

Richard Green with CCU President Michael Benson.

Call him a work horse, a grinder, a phenom or my personal preference—a machine—and you should have a pretty good idea of Richard’s work ethic. To put it mildly, it was off the charts. I have never met someone in my professional career who could turnaround such quality work at a mind-boggling rate. Give Richard an assignment in the morning and by the end of the day he would have the footage shot, interviews recorded, voiceover written, closed caption file developed, video edited, and final product ready to go.

I imagine his news background played a role in his incredible productivity but in an industry like higher education where everything moves slower, Richard refused to conform. Instead, he doubled down on getting shit done. Richard was EVERYWHERE doing EVERYTHING to tell the story of CCU. He cranked out video after video as he spent many long hours on campus.

From covering major CCU events to spotlighting the people of Teal Nation to developing superb packages on the institution’s accomplishments, Richard Green was probably one of the best things that happened to Coastal Carolina University in the past decade and I am 100% sincere in saying that.

Richard was also a social media manager’s best friend. He provided constant video content optimized to succeed on the various social platforms. Before sending videos my way he would always stop by my office to brief me on what he was sending and would then follow up to make sure I had everything that I needed. Relevance and timeliness are two crucial elements of successful social media videos and Richard infused all his work with both.

It is extremely tough to identify my favorite piece from Richard’s vast video vault because his work is so excellent and there is soooo much to choose from. However, if forced to choose something, I would point to a series that he actually produced after I had left CCU. With the pandemic threatening the very fabric of higher education, Richard chronicled Coastal Carolina University’s efforts to deliver an in-person education in a safe and meaningful manner. Titled Coastal Comeback, the series contained a staggering 36 videos and covered absolutely everything about the college experience from campus recreation to housing to technology to programming and so much more. What an invaluable contribution during such a difficult time!

Today is Richard’s last day at Coastal Carolina University. It is now time for him to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. When I left CCU, I wrote a farewell blog post that described Richard as a “consummate professional.” But to be honest, he is much more than a rockstar employee—he is a fabulous person. I am thankful that our tenures at CCU overlapped by a couple years and I wish Richard nothing but the best in this next stage of his life. Don’t Blink.