Videographer Ryan Morgenstern ’26 Captures Bon Jovi’s Return to Madison Square Garden

For Ryan Morgenstern ’26, a summer spent behind the camera at Madison Square Garden offered a rare opportunity to put his filmmaking experience into practice on one of the world’s biggest stages.

A recent graduate who double majored in film, television, and media arts and in psychology, Morgenstern spent July capturing content for Bon Jovi during the band’s nine-show run at Madison Square Garden. Working primarily with the band’s social media team, he filmed performances, fan reactions, backstage moments, and behind-the-scenes preparations.

Morgenstern’s role evolved throughout the performance run. Before some concerts, he captured fan events. At Madison Square Garden, he filmed fans arriving at the arena, the venue’s transformation before each show, and the band both onstage and backstage.

“As I became more familiar with the show, I could anticipate certain moments and put myself in the right place for them, while still reacting to everything spontaneous happening onstage and in the crowd,” he said.

A highlight for Morgenstern was filming the band’s pre-show huddle when band members, members of the management team, and guests gathered backstage before the concert.

“It gave me a glimpse of how close-knit the entire team is and how much shared effort goes into putting on a show of that scale,” Morgenstern said.

Another memorable moment came during the fourth show, when Morgenstern found himself alone on a side stage overlooking the arena.

“After getting the shots I needed, I put my camera down for a moment and just took everything in,” he said. “I was practically standing onstage with Bon Jovi at Madison Square Garden, looking out at around 20,000 people.”

The experience also gave Morgenstern an opportunity to see his work reach a global audience. After filming Bon Jovi members visiting the band’s pop-up merchandise store, he was asked to edit the footage himself. His final edit was posted across Bon Jovi’s official social media channels.

“The scale was obviously very different, but so many of the same skills and expectations I had developed while making films at Fairfield applied at Madison Square Garden,” he said.

Morgenstern credits faculty assistant professor of the practice Meryl O’Connor, associate professor Patrick Brooks, and Meditz media programs resource manager Joann Cowley with helping prepare him for the professional production experience.

“Seeing firsthand how directly those lessons translated into a professional environment gave me a lot of confidence that the Film, Television, and Media Arts program wasn’t only teaching me how to make student films; it was helping me develop the skills and instincts needed to contribute to creative productions at any level,” he said.

The summer also helped Morgenstern clarify the type of career he hopes to pursue. During a conversation, a longtime member of Bon Jovi’s management team told him that his favorite part of a show day is the two-hour window before the concert begins, when crews are scrambling, fans are arriving, anticipation is building, and the energy inside the arena begins to shift. He told Morgenstern that people either fall in love with that feeling and spend their careers chasing it, or they don’t.

“Seeing something I had both filmed and edited appear on their official accounts was incredibly exciting,” he said. “Tens of thousands of people were suddenly seeing something I had created.”

For Morgenstern, the experience reinforced the skills he developed at Fairfield Meditz. His senior capstone project and his work on other students’ productions taught him how to collaborate, communicate, manage time, adapt quickly, and balance creative ideas with the needs of a production.

“As soon as he said that, I realized I absolutely loved it. I loved the fast pace, the anticipation, the collaboration, and being surrounded by people all working toward creating something together,” he says.

Morgenstern is now pursuing a career in filmmaking, directing, and storytelling. His senior capstone film, Value, was recently accepted into the Mystic Film Festival, where it will screen on September 26, and he recently filmed part of an independent documentary made by Patrick Ginnetty ’07.

“This summer gave me even more confidence that I’m moving in the right direction, and I’m excited to see where it leads next,” he said.

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