Every year, Miami Palmetto Senior High hosts a pageant called “Mr. Panther.” For context, male students represent certain clubs or sports and compete in a series of challenges to win over the judges and be crowned the “Mr. Panther” of the year. The contestants put on their best performance to win; however, their victory does not solely belong to them.
Behind every performance are people behind the scenes who take the competitor to the very end. Whether it is a coach, teammate or someone offering support from backstage, there is always more to a win than who is seen being crowned.
Each candidate in Mr. Panther has an Instagram account dedicated to the competition, but the boys do not run the account themselves. The entire event runs through the Television Production program at MPSH, and every student in TVP receives a group of contestants to handle and promote on social media.
“We are each put in charge of different accounts. This year, I’m running three of the Mr. Panther social media Instagram accounts, which are Mr. Girls lacrosse, Mr. Capstone and Mr. HIP,” junior and TVP member Juliana Barreras said.
Before the show comes around, judges who pick the winner, as well as the students who want to support specific candidates, have to be familiar with who they are choosing to support. The media team works to promote each boy so they each have a platform to be searched on and looked at more in-depth.
“We are encouraged to be posting at least weekly,” junior and TVP member Carolina Quintanilla said.
This may sound like a typical high school production, but the event actually involves countless hours of planning and effort to make it an incredible experience.
TVP members do not make social media content just to reach a deadline; many of them bring previous knowledge and experience to help the production run smoothly and professionally.
“I have solid experience with different platforms and media tools. I did two years of a summer camp at the University of Florida for social media management and creating social media content. I have worked [with] Mr. Panther since freshman year, and last year I managed the social media account for TVP,” Barreras said.
The planning in preparation for Mr. Panther presents a significant workload and involves promoting each contestant. TVP multimedia managers are also in charge of assembling the boys for the final performance.
“I help them with ideas of things to post, and also, this year is different from every other. Since it is The Hunger Games themed, they’re doing a segment of, like, you know how in The Hunger Games how they have weird outfits? So the people who are in charge of social media have to help them make an outfit based on who they’re representing, like if it were Mr. Lacrosse, then their outfit would have to be something that ties to lacrosse,” Barreras said.
The TVP members have had time to prepare each boy for the big day. With early preparations beginning at the end of last school year, there are big expectations for this event.
This upcoming show marks the 20th Mr. Panther hosted at MPSH. With plenty of previous years, MPSH and TVP have had loads of experience in production management and plan on making this anniversary unforgettable.
“We started talking about this Mr. Panther event at the end of last school year when we picked the theme and have been preparing ever since,” Quintanilla said.
As the lights begin to shine and the contestants take the stage, Mr. Panther becomes more than just a competition. It reflects the creativity, teamwork and dedication of the students working behind the scenes. While one contestant may walk away with the crown, the efforts of each TVP member ensure that each participant is supported and celebrated. For the 20th anniversary, Mr. Panther stands as a reminder that every win and all the success of the show is built not only on performance, but on the work and commitment that bring the production to life.
