Discover how one of the largest universities in the country uses

Residence Life Cinema to engage, inform and entertain residents.

With over 70,000 students, 11 housing communities and approximately 9,000 residents, it can be a challenge for the University of Central Florida to connect with students. But according to UCF Housing’s social media marketing specialist Karen Rodriguez, one campus amenity helps make it a little less daunting: Residence Life Cinema. UCF offers residents over 400 movies and TV shows at any given time on their RLC platform – branded Knightflix. The school chooses a mix of blockbusters, classics and seasonal content that they switch out each month. And while the resident-only streaming service’s content is great, Rodriguez believes the impact the platform has on the level of communication and connection within the housing department is most notable.

“With Knightflix, we’re meeting students where they are at,” shared Rodriguez. “Through data and research, we’re learning traditional forms of communication – like flyers – aren’t affective at reaching students. Knightflix has been so beneficial. We have high engagement, students are excited to use it, they are excited to find movies that are not available on other platforms. And it’s free for them, so we really appreciate that perk for our residents.” 

Rodriguez says the housing department oftentimes incorporate aspects of residential curriculum, like resources, campaigns and events, into the platform to ensure residents succeed on campus. “Post-pandemic, we really had to hone in on meeting students where they’re at, and finding ways to speak to their pain points and stay relevant to them,” said Rodriguez. “And Knightflix has really helped us remodel our communication approach.”

Outside of their internal initiatives, the department allows campus partners to utilize the service so they can reach residents in new ways. “We’ve partnered with UCF Athletics, UCF Health Center and the UCF Career Center – all big resources or opportunities to get involved and take advantage of what the campus has to offer,” shared Rodriguez. “Some of the things they send us are campaigns, upcoming events or series. For example, our UCF police department uses Knightflix to host a series of public safety announcements, safety tips and security policies.”

“Knightflix has been so beneficial. We have high engagement, students are excited to use it, they are excited to find movies that are not available on other platforms. And it’s free for them, so we really appreciate that perk for our residents.”

- Karen Rodriguez, UCF Housing’s Social Media Marketing Specialist

But to get eyes on this important content, the students need to know the service is available to them in the first place. Luckily, UCF and Rodriguez are experts at promoting the platform. “KnightFlix is a very cool service, so we love promoting it,” expressed Rodriguez. “The approach we take is like clockwork. On the first of the month, we post to social media. Our main channels are Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We post teasers of the new selections we’ve added that month and our student assistant will create graphics using the social media templates Swank provides. So that’s super helpful. It cuts the time and is very convenient for us.” 

Rodriguez says Instagram is currently their most engaging platform, so they like to emphasize their messaging on that platform with additional content. “We try to play with certain holidays or seasonal events,” said Rodriguez. “So, for national superhero day this year, we created a series of 10 polls based off different categories and had students vote on their favorite movies.” At the end of the poll, they remind students that all the films mentioned – and hundreds more – are available to stream on Knightflix for free.

Rodriguez says the polling also ensures they’re customizing the platform to residents’ specific interests. “We definitely want students to feel seen and heard,” shared Rodriguez. “So we’ve really honed in on customizing our content based on the feedback we’ve received from them. What they like, what they’re voting on in polls. If they have questions. We take that all into account to help give them the best experience.”

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