This blog has moved!

I have transitioned away from this site for my blog... and we are using some new social media strategies for various types of news and views:

My new blog site (for opinions, strategies, etc) is here:
http://ithaca.edu/rhp/blogs/deans_blog/

For more immediate updates, we're using Facebook

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Park School
Strategic Communication Department
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Cinema, Photography and Media Arts Department
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Also, follow us on Twitter
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Student Media - why we're leaders

When I meet prospective students and their families, I always emphasize the importance of our student media -- it's through ICTV, the Ithacan, magazines such as Buzzsaw, our radio stations, and other student clubs that our students put concepts into practice. It's where they show their initiative, their creativity -- and how they demonstrate how we stack up against the competition.

In just the last week, here are some wonderful examples:

The Ithacan has been named a Gold Medalist for both the Fall
2009 and Spring 2010 semesters in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s
annual college newspaper critique.

Each year the CSPA evaluates member papers on overall
content, news, depth reporting, features, opinion/editorial, sports,
arts/entertainment, editing/headline writing, and design/graphics based on more
than 150 specific criteria. This year the paper’s scores on the critique’s
1,000-point scale were 981 for fall and 985 for spring. The CSPA consistently
ranks the Ithacan as a Gold Medalist, it’s highest category.

Among the judge’s comments, “Everything about this paper is
well done. I can’t say enough about your strong ‘watchdog’ role, your
outstanding coverage and your excellent design.”

Another example: our students quickly responded to the Trevor Project and the
It Gets Better campaign aimed at LGBT youth -- and in particular the recent tragic
suicides of young people who were bullied because of their sexual preference. Our
students put together a compelling video featuring scores of students, faculty, staff,
and administrators at the college -- including President Rochon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dat9bEHqGos

Our students have the skills -- but more importantly, they have a conscience.

That's why we are nurturing the people who will lead the communications profession.

Alumni VP's lead Winning Top Tech PR Firm

SHIFT Communications was named a Top Five "Large Tech Agency" by more than 800 technology reporters and bloggers, as tabulated by PRSourceCode in its annual Top Tech Communicators survey. Congratulations to Ithaca College Park graduates, Derek Lyons (TVR ’94) and Catherine Allen (Corporate Communication ’98), both serving as vice presidents for the Boston office.

As a vice president at SHIFT Communications, Catherine Allen pulls from 10+ years of communications experience providing trusted strategic PR and social media counsel to a variety of emerging and established brands. She takes existing PR programs and brings them to the next level with fierce messaging, creative pitch angles and aggressive tactics. On the flipside, she turns start-ups into overnight PR and social media sensations and these programs have won her team recognition from the Society for New Communications Research and the New England Publicity Club’s Bell Ringer Awards program. Prior to joining SHIFT in 2003, Allen was a senior account executive with Sterling Hager, Inc., one of the country’s leading independent public relations agencies.

As a vice president at SHIFT Communications, Derek Lyons serves as a primary client contact and strategic counsel lead, while driving tactical execution with an account team that services a diverse range of clients. Prior to SHIFT, Derek was at Sterling Hager, Inc., starting in May 2000 as an account executive and rising through the ranks to the level of account manager. Prior to Sterling Hager, Derek managed client relations and project management for a number of Boston-based video production companies, working with clients like Discovery Channel, ABC News, VH1 and NBA Entertainment. After graduating from IC, he earned an MBA from Bentley College.

Park is flooded with alums !

Well - the weather service IS predicting floods today in upstate NY -- but not the kind of WONDERFUL flood we're going to experience over the next few days :)

It's homecoming weekend (aka Fall Splash) and we've invited back our own Park Alumni Advisory Board as well as other alums to present panels and network.

Advertising, Branding and Marketing Panel
Thursday, Sept. 30, 2-4 pm, Park 220
Moderator, Scott Hamula

How does the economy, competition, technology, social networking, etc. affect a business? Learn strategies our alumni use to stand apart from the rest.

Panelists:
Carole Irgang, President, Red Shoes Marketing;
Rodd Perry, Co-President, The Ant Farm (theantfarm.net);
Michael Kaplan, Sr. VP, Group Account Director, G2 Direct and Digital;
Laurie Greenberg, VP, Regional Sales, ESPN;
Susan Johnston, General Manager, Cayuga Radio Group


Documentary Screening: Dying to Live
Thursday, Sept. 30, 4;30pm, Park Auditorium

Every day in the U.S. about 20 people die waiting for transplant organs, because of a lack of donors. Dying to Live, directed by Lance Lipman '72, tells the inspiring stories of four hopeful organ recipients as they struggle to stay alive long enough to reach the top of the waiting list. For more information on the film, visit: www.transplantdocumentary.com.


Pizza Reception with Park School National Advisory Board and alumni
Thursday, Sept. 30, 6:00pm, Park 220
Park students, faculty and staff welcome


Reinventing Traditional Media Panel
Friday, Oct. 1, 1-3pm, Park Auditorium
Moderator: Wenmouth Williams

A panel of alumni from a diverse group of fields -- including television broadcasting, television production, Internet news, and more discuss how traditional media can survive in a 21st-century environment.

Panelists:
Helen Feinbloom, President, Feinbloom &Associates;
Matt Mulcahy, Anchor/Reporter, Managing EditorNBC 3 SYR;
Ed Tobias, Manager, Business Continuity andDisaster Planning;
Steve Rathe, Owner Exec. Producer,Murray Street Productions;
Kelli Grant, Consumer Reporter,Smartmoney.com;
David Lebow, Former President & CEO, Internet Broadcasting (Current Board of Trustee);
Michael Potter, Product Development Coordinator, Internet
Broadcasting Systems;
Dave Storey, Publisher, The Gazette (Iowa)

Entrepreneurship: Developing Your Own Content & Brand
Friday, Oct. 1, 3-5pm, Park 220
Moderator: Steve Gordon

Several self-made media personalities and authors discuss to take an entrepreneurial approach in developing your media brand.

Panelists:
Anthony Carbone, Emmy Award-Winning Television Producer and Editor (Freelancer);
Matt Mulcahy, Anchor/Reporter, Managing Editor NBC 3 SYR;
Andy Orgel, President and CEO, 1Degree Media and Entertainment, Inc.
Paula; Landry, Author, Business of Film
Rich Morris, Author, Owner, ROI Consulting;
Lance Lipman, Documentary filmmaker

David Muir '95 wins Emmy!

David Muir '95 shared a News & Documentary Emmy Award with the ABC News staff for their coverage of Obama's inauguration.
http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/news_31st_winners.html

help Colleen raise money for malnourished children

Colleen Wormsley, a sophomore Integrated Marketing
Communications major, is the Communications Director
for a group on campus called IC Food for Thought.
Their aim is to improving the lives of children around
the world who are denied basic living necessities,
a quality education, and proper nutrition.

Colleen invites you to IC Food for Thought's "Walk for
Plumpy'nut on October 9, 2010 at Cass Park. All proceeds
from the walk will be used to purchase packets of
Plumpy'nut to distribute to Concern Worldwide's
feeding stations in Ethiopia. Plumpy'nut is a
therapeutic food supplement that helps save the
lives of severely malnourished children.

Registration for the walk begins at 10 a.m.
and the walk starts at 11 a.m. For more information
about Food for Thought, and The Walk for Plumpy'nut
visit: http://www.icfoodforthought.webs.com.

help Prof Peruta raise money for Endure to Cure!

Last month in British Columbia, Prof Adam Peruta (Strategic Comm) completed a triathlon called Ultraman Canada. The Ultraman is a 3-day, 318.6 mile, individual ultra-endurance event – you swim 6.2 miles, bike 261.4 miles, and run 52.4 miles.

On November 26th he will be competing at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. In the past 17 years, only 12 athletes have completed both of these events in the same year... he will be the 13th. As part of his journey, he is raising funds for the Endure to Cure Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for organizations that research, treat, and provide care for pediatric cancer patients.

What sets Ultraman apart from other events are the traditional Hawaiian values of aloha (love), ohana (family) and kokua (help). In the spirit of these same philosophies, Endure to Cure is an organization that impacts lives by creating tangible differences for children and their families. These differences can last a lifetime.

The money that he raises as an athlete on Team Endure to Cure will go to fund a 2011 pediatric cancer survivorship study at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. This study will research methods of reducing the long-term effects of the harsh treatments on these young patients. 60% of these children will suffer life long side effects. Often these side effects are severe, even after they have been deemed cancer "survivors." Collectively, they are trying to raise $50,000. Please consider making a small donating to this cause. Your donation will not only help us reach our goal, but will support the many children suffering from pediatric cancer on their life long journey to explore their limitations and achieve great things.

As a bonus, the top three donors will get their name printed on a custom jersey that Prof Peruta will wear during the event. Please donate now using the link below.

http://enduretocure.org/team/athletes/adam-peruta/

and follow his blog on:

www.peruta.com

IC alums stick together

Five Ithaca alums are working together on an
 indepedent feature called The Great Fight:
 Karen Weston ('10), Kyle Kelley('10), Andrew Sherwood ('10),
Sherri Kauk ('05), and Sarah Schetter ('02)  

This is Sherri's directing and DP'ing debut. 
Sarah is working in the art department,
and Karen and Kyle are working as grips;
Andrew is working as 2nd assistant camera.

Radio wins again

This just in from Manager of Radio Operations, Chris Wheatley:

College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) just sent out a revised list of finalists for its national student production awards, and Mike Citera '10 is a finalist for Best DJ! So, we're nominated for six awards in five categories.
The entire list of finalists is here: http://www.askcbi.org/?page_id=1165

AND .... WICB won the Ithaca Times 2010 Best of Ithaca Reader's Poll for Best Local Radio Station!

An incredible line-up of speakers this fall

I don't think I'm going to be seeing much of my own home this fall -- because my calendar is full of exciting big-name speakers in Park!

Get your calendar out and start blocking out these dates:

Thursday Sept 16 policital cartoonist Tom Tomorrow 7:30 p.m. in Emerson Suites

Monday Sept 20 Paul Loeb at 7 p.m. in Textor 10 . Author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time looks at what it takes to lead lives of social commitment despite all the obstacles

Friday October 8 Amy Goodman Democracy Now! host and IC IZZY Award winner will be visiting campus and talking with students and faculty


Wednesday Oct 20 Daniel Ellsberg who triggered a national crisis in 1971 when he released the "Pentagon Papers" to the New York Times and other newspapers. Evening presentation in Ford Hall

Monday November 1 James Carville Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN. Evening presentation in Emerson Suites.

one MORE award for the Ithacan!

The Ithacan has been named a Newspaper Pacemaker finalist for 2010 by the Associated Collegiate Press. Earlier this year it was also announced that The Ithacan Online, the paper’s daily website, was named an Online Pacemaker finalist.

The winners of the award -- widely regarded as the “Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism” -- will be announced at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention in Louisville, Ky., on October 30.

The Ithacan won the Newspaper Pacemaker in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008, and was a finalist in 2009. The website won the Online Pacemaker in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and was a finalist in 2009.

The Associated Collegiate Press is the oldest and largest national membership organization for college journalists in the country. This year's Newspaper Pacemaker competition was judged by professional journalists in the Washington, D.C., area.

YouBoob Funniest Video Contest - win $10k!!

IC alum Leigh Hurst is the founder and President of FeelYourBoobies Foundation - a group dedicated to encouraging young women to be proactive in examining themselves for breast cancer.

The Foundation is sponsoring a video contest -- and it's a great opportunity for you to potentially win fame and fortune -- AND to help a very worthy cause.

For more info, go to

http://youboob.feelyourboobies.com/feelyourboobies/

PCIM Associate Director's article on fracking

Maura Stephens, Associate Director of our Park Center for Independent Media, wrote "The Fight Against Fracking" for Yes! magazine -- and it's getting circulated widely:



http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/08/14-8

http://www.democratunity.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1598:the-fight-against-fracking-&catid=80:environment ;


http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/environment/2074-the-fight-against-fracking-in-new-york

http://patrickhenrypress.info/node/258338

Alum producer of JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION wins Emmy

ANTHONY CARBONE, A 1998 Park alum, received an Emmy Saturday at the Creative Arts Emmy Ceremony at the Nokia Theatre. Anthony is a supervising producer of JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION, which aired on ABC and was produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Fresh One Productions.


Many students currently attending the Los Angeles Program were in the
audience.

You did it! NEEDLEMOUSE: The MUSICAL won!

Dear Friends, Fans, and Supporters of Supporters-

This morning, Sega Corporation announced that a panel of judges from the US, UK, and Japan had selected NEEDLEMOUSE: THE MUSICAL as the grand prize winner in the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 birthday contest. Both of us were blown away by the support our film received and wish to thank each and every one of you. The response to this video has been outstanding and we've appreciated every kind word, repost, and fair vote along the way. From wearing a dress to building a Death Egg, this film has been a blast to work on, and receiving your support has made the experience infinitely more rewarding. Thank you for watching, sharing, and enjoying NEEDLEMOUSE for almost three long weeks.

We look forward to a trip to Tokyo, a meeting with Sega Corporation, and the opportunity to share the experience with all of you via photos and videos (no musicals!). Best wishes and our sincerest thanks once again!

~Nathan J. Morse and AJ Pinkerton

get Matt on World Famous Hollywood Improv

Matt Portman '09 is out in LA cutting his teeth doing stand-up comedy. He has the chance to get a spot on World Famous Hollywood Improv -- and he needs your help. Go to this site and "like" his video.
http://www.showbizzle.com/last-call-comedy-videos

vote for alums Nathan and AJ

Nathan Morse (TV-R '10) and AJ Pinkerton (Cinema '09), we entered an online contest to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog's 19th birthday.

The project, titled "NEEDLEMOUSE: THE MUSICAL," has been officially selected as a Top 10 Finalist in the competition. And now they need your vote -- by July 27.

If they were to win, both AJ and Nathan would be flown to Tokyo for one week where they'd get to visit Sega's company headquarters.

The following is the link to the contest/voting page:

http://www.sonicthehedgehog4.com/contest/

Jet-setter media entrepreneur alum

Evan Engel, an '08 Cinema and Photography alum, is a great example of the kind of creativity and entrepreurial skill that we nourish here in the Park School.

His latest project, Jet Set Zero, is a web series that follows an international group of 20-somethings as they quit their jobs in offices, skate shops, and restaurants to embark on a journey to see the world. Far from backpackers, the travelers settle into a different city every 90 days and get jobs, housing, and learn about the local culture. They fund their travels solely with the money they earn in their host countries (the original cast started in Seattle with rent and bus fare, then earned their plane tickets to Vietnam on minimum wage jobs).

So far the series has aired seasons from Tokyo, Seoul, and two seasons from Saigon (with differing casts). They are currently producing episodes in Quito, Ecuador and around Italy. (You can watch their latest episode from Quito here.)

Evan emailed me recently and says:

"I'm currently working as our lone field producer and co-editor in Ecuador. It's a lot of work, and I'm happy to say that no part of my Park education is going to waste down here. I remember in my senior year when PPECS got new H4N recorders. Phil put one in my hand and said "This is the future. Learn it." Sure enough, after 2 years of working around NYC, I'm finally using one. Park was way ahead of the game.

I'm also learning a lot about the business-side, mostly out of necessity. Our company operates on a shoestring budget and yet produces work that competes with much better-outfitted organizations (in my humble opinion). Last week we hired our first intern (we had some great applicants from Park, I'm told), and we had a brief write-up in National Geographic last March. I'm constantly amazed at what's now possible thanks to the low cost of production, the increasing quality of the technology, and my Park education.

Alumni Film on POV July 13

Jeremy Levine '06 and Landon Van Soest '04 of Transient Pictures made a film in Kenya, "Good Fortune" that will show on the PBS Show POV on Tuesday July 13 at 10PM. This is what the POV website has to say about the film:

"The new documentary Good Fortune delivers eye-opening answers from the point of view of the people resisting development projects that are supposed to help them. To capture this vantage point, director Landon Van Soest spent over a year and a half in Kenya, living on a shoestring and filming in areas he had been warned were too dangerous to enter. The result is a rare and intimate portrait of two vibrant Kenyan communities, one urban, the other rural. What they share is being square in the crosshairs of huge aid projects whose supposed benefits don’t impress them. In fact, people in these two communities believe the projects will devastate their lives, and they have organized to fight back."

for more info, and to buy the DVD, go here:
http://www.goodfortunefilm.com/

Kate Sheppard '06 covering BP crisis

Former Park scholar Kate Sheppard '06, journalism/politics, has been producing an incredible number of articles on the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe as a Washington, DC-based environmental reporter-writer for Mother Jones magazine.

“We had a human rights reporter in Louisiana already, working on post-Katrina issues,” Kate explains. “And we had another environmental reporter working on the future of oceans. So they’ve switched to be concentrating on those issues from the field, and I’m working on the legislative and regulatory aspects.”


Many of her articles have been featured in the Washington Post, In These Times, the Center for Public Integrity’s website, the Washington Independent, ForeignPolicy.com, Who Runs Gov, Bitch, and other publications. Fortunately, says Kate, “I’ve never needed to sleep much.”

At Mother Jones since last September, Kate has churned out an extraordinary body of work, sometimes filing three or four pieces a day. She has been especially busy since the BP oil disaster began unfolding. “I’m covering an unfolding worldwide serious environmental disaster, the consequences of which we won’t know for a very long time. It’s very hard, very sad. The only good thing I can say about it is that now people are paying more attention to energy and environmental issues, the things I write about.”

What worries Kate about the BP tragedy is that the right people may not be paying enough attention. “I’m afraid the next big disaster,” she says, “will be Marcellus Shale.” She’s talking about the shale formation under Ithaca and huge swaths of New York, almost all of Pennsylvania, and parts of Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, where methane gas is being drilled using a dangerous practice known as slickwater horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” “Everyone thinks ‘natural gas’ is a clean, safe energy source,” she says. “But it’s not.”

Read Kate's recent work at
http://motherjones.com/authors/kate-sheppard