Bullhornniversity of south floridathe

school of Mass coMMunications aluMni Magazine

issue 3

2

Contents

3

4. Letter from the Advisors

6. The New Face of

Mass Communications

8. SociaBULL

10. Bulls Pride Across the Globe

12. “3,2,1...Action!”

16. Struggle to Stardom

19. USF Ad Club

22. Research and Resource

Through Educating Students

24. A Healthy Heart

Set on Public Relations

26. Steve Mutimer:

Working Behind the Scenes

29. USF SPJ Mentors Local

High School Journalists

32. Student Intern’s Determination

Creates Opportunities

34. Work Hard, Play Hard

4

staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFKelsey Sunderland

ASSOCIATE EDITORGareth Rees

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSMina Abgoon, Aaron Austin, Rebecca Bailey,

Francesca Basinger, Gregory Hartley, Brandi Hollis, Julianna Kauffman, Nolan Kruse, Krystal Modigell,

Paige Rushing, Cursten Taylor, Melissa Wolfe

PHOTOGRAHPYAaron Austin, Melissa Wolfe

FACULTYProf. Kevin Hawley, Dr. Rick Wilber

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSMary Badonsky, Francesca Basinger, Jane Daniell,

Danielle Davis, Casey DeFreitas, Brielle Domowitz, Arielle Giordano, Mike Mallory, Brittany Mulligan,

Andrea Romero, Corrie Seabrook, Traci Stevens, Matt Seidel, Tonya Weathers

INTERIM DIRECTORDr. Jim Andrews

COVER PHOTO By Aaron Austin The Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.

BACK COVER PHOTO By Kevin Hawley The Hillsborough River north of campus.

QUICK STAT:Tampa Bay is the fourteenth-largest media market in the United States.

5

Welcome to the third edition of the Bullhorn. Unlike most school of mass communications alumni maga-zines, the content and design of the Bullhorn is created entirely by students.

If you’ve seen the first two editions, you may have noticed how different each is from the other. While this, perhaps, breaks one of the cardinal rules of design – consistency – we believe it is more important that each class bring its own design sensibility to the magazine.

The process of creating each issue begins with an editorial meeting between the faculty advisers, Dr. Rick Wilber and Prof. Kevin Hawley, at which stories are proposed that Dr. Wilber’s Magazine Feature Writing students will research and write.

About halfway through the semester, these stories are passed on to Professor Hawley’s Magazine Design classwhere each student is responsible for editing and laying out a story, including writing titles, headlines, subheads and photo captions, and placing and editing photographs and other images. The class collectively, under the direction of the student editor, designs the overall look and feel of the publication, choosing the fonts, color palette and other design elements. My role, as their teacher, is to show them the way and then get out of the way.

This hands-on approach is part of the School of Mass Communications mission to take the students’ educa-tion beyond the classroom. While this is a graded assignment, at the end of the semester the students will have produced an official SMC publication with an active and engaged readership.

The Bullhorn will continue to evolve. In what way will be up to the students themselves, but expect to see it as an app with more video and interactive elements.

In the meantime, please enjoy this issue, and feel free to send us your comments and suggestions. And be sure to let us know what you’re up to yourself. Drop us a line (attach a photo if you like) at bullhorn@usf.edu.

Letter from the advisors

Photo by Melissa Wolfe

by BRITTANY MULLIGAN

Dr. Jim Andrews was recently asked to step in as the interim director for the School of Mass Communi-cations in March. Not only is he balancing his work as director of the School of Information, he also is teaching a class on medical informatics.

After moving into a bigger office facing Maple St. with a view of hanging moss off trees and a field of grass, Andrews comments that it’s better than his office with a view of a parking lot. Balancing three positions has kept him busy, especially with a new job to learn and faculty to meet in the School of Mass Communications.

“It’s been a challenge,” Andrews said. “I have great staff, I think we work together very well, and we help each other get through the management and the business processes that need to be done for running any department.”

Andrews said the faculty has an important role in helping shape the curriculum for the school. While stu-dent’s education is his primary focus as interim director so are curriculum development, advising, and commit-tee work. What’s kept him particularly busy in the few weeks he became interim director was learning about the different emphasis areas in mass communications. Andrews has met with a majority of the faculty to get their perspective and concerns.

What has suffered the most since Andrews took a new position was his research. The School of Information Science recently received a grant from the National Institute of Health.

THE NEW FACE OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS

faCuLty

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Phot

o by

Aar

on A

ustin

“We’re in the final stages of col-lecting data, and it’s been very hard to take the chunks of time that is necessary to analyze that, write it up, and then publish that,” Andrews said. “I imagine over the summer we’ll have a chance to do much more in that regard.”

Andrews said he would like to build the undergraduate and gradu-ate programs for the School of Mass Communications to find ways

that can be synergistic between schools on campus as well. “We

can provide this rich, meaningful, learning experience for students so that they can go out looking for jobs and be effective,” he said. His strategy is to keep talking with the faculty and help them in realizing what their vision is for the pro-grams in these areas. He said no one can be an expert in so many areas but one of the advantages of the school is they have a passionate faculty who care very much about their area of expertise.

His goals for the School of Information are similar in that he wants to build a synergistic disciplinary research agenda that the faculty can engage in across campus. It would not only benefit students but their field of study. Andrews said he is looking to develop a Ph.D. program which would make the school stand out in the nation. The USF School of Information is among the top 24 schools in the country. A Ph.D. program adds a number of advan-tages to the school. It would mean having a research agenda focused on information research that would provide opportunities for doctoral students to become future faculty.

Prior to teaching at USF, An-drews was on graduate faculty at the University of Kentucky. He taught in a library information sci-ences program. He went to the Uni-versity of Missouri for his master’s in library information science, and also for his Ph.D. in information science. At the School of Medi-cine at the University of Missouri, Andrews was a National Institute of Health doctoral informatics fellow.

“I had gone to middle and high school down here in Bradenton, just south of Tampa Bay, so it was like a homecoming for me coming back,” Andrews said.

One particular perk to living in the Tampa Bay area is that Andrews can spend his free time outside, where he loves fishing and sailing. At first upon taking his position as director of the School of Informa-tion, Andrews said he had to sell his sailboat because of the limited free time he had from the job. He also loves reading, and was a litera-ture major as an undergraduate.

Andrews is also a research fellow at the University of South Africa in their department of infor-mation science. He recently gave a keynote address at their informa-tion science conference that was held last month. In preparation for that he read a history book of the Afrikaners, and said it gave a good, broad history of that area. Most recently from that, Andrews read Haruki Murakami’s novel 1Q84.

Andrews was granted tenure at USF and soon he will reach the status as full professor.

“It was like a homecoming for me, coming back [to Tampa].”

7

A strong presence on social media platforms is an integral part in today’s media industry. Busi-nesses use Twitter and Facebook and Pinterest

to stay in the collective conscious of their consumers, whether it is informing them of an upcoming product or reminding the customer of existing products. Since these outlets are heavily populated with current and potential consumers, it is the most effective way to at-tract and interact with the audience.

In Atlanta, Marnie Levy is doing just that for The Weather Channel. Her job is to establish and maintain the network’s social media presence for all program-ming. She is the community manager for The Weather Channel and her job is managing the accounts for the channel’s social media pages. She controls what is produced on The Weather Channel’s pages which includes the network’s official accounts and the chan-nel’s shows. Her job is to keep in touch with the fans of particular programs and keep the viewers connected to the channel.

Levy graduated from the University of South Flor-ida in 1997 with a degree in television programming and production. She originally went to Florida State

University, but moved down to Tampa as a sophomore to enroll at USF because she wanted to be in a big city, and her brother enjoyed his time at the school. USF’s focus on television production also caught her eye and inspired her to move. Television has always been a passion of Levy’s, but she originally wanted to study speech pathology. However, she made the switch to television production because it provided an opportu-nity to get a good degree in a field that she would enjoy and also allowed her more freedom to enjoy the social aspect of college life. She described her time as com-bining the best of both worlds and providing her with the highest level of comfort.

After graduation, she started working for the Home Shopping Network. Her time at the network came after attending a job fair on campus. She then worked at a few affiliates in West Palm Beach before re-turning to Tampa to work at Fox channel 13. Needing a change of scenery and career, she made the switch from television director to community manager at The Weather Channel. The biggest change in the two roles is the different intensity that comes with each career.

Levy is responsible for all the content on The

SociaBULL

aLumni

by Matt Siedel

8

Weather Channel’s social media outlets which includes the pages for more than forty shows on the channel’s airwaves. Connecting with the fans is the most im-portant aspect of her job since it helps gather informa-tion on what fans really want and receive feedback for what happens on the channel. The interaction with fans is crucial because it allows fans to respond to the channel’s content and lets the network know how their consumers feel. “Social media has given us, as a brand, an amazing way to protect and build upon our digital reputation,” Levy says.

Directing television news requires snap judgment and critical decisions to be made immediately while the community manager role allows her to approach what she runs online with more clarity; work is still fast-paced, but now she gets to think before acting instead of just acting. “The main difference between working in television and working in the social space is the instant response and reaction to something that is put out there,” according to Levy, “This means a company will gain more direct, real-time and interac-tive exchanges with customers that provide immediate feedback and personal connections.”

It’s not all partly cloudy, temperature highs and lows, and tornado warnings on The Weather Channel. The common misconception about the channel is that it just provides weather forecasts, but its focus online is on the fascinating images that are the result of weather and the best example is on the channel’s Pinterest page. The Weather Channel’s Pinterest page is filled with pictures of waves crashing into docks during tropi-cal storms, beautiful sunsets, and children running around in the water during the summer. Marnie posts these images so that viewers can relate their lives with what is being posted. Providing this platform makes the channel more accessible to the public and has a mass appeal.

Instant gratification is what Levy enjoys most about her work. On The Weather Channel’s Facebook page, she posted a picture that received 22,000 likes and was shared more than 15,000 times within an hour of be-ing posted. This shows that people are following her work and enjoying the content she provides so much that they share it with their friends. The page has more than one million likes to go along with almost 500,000 followers on Twitter (for comparison, Burger King has only 110,000 and Walmart has 313,000) which means that Levy is reaching a substantial portion of the world. She describes the impact of social media: “If a com-

pany posts something on social media as a brand, you will instantly know if what you are doing is right or wrong, what is working and what is not, what strikes an emotion and what doesn't. “

USF is still a big part of Levy’s life. Her passion for the athletics program is evident on her personal twitter account. She also maintains a strong connection with many of her former professors, such as Neil Vicino and the recently retired Ken Killebrew. She advocates sustaining the re-lationships with past professors because it’s an important bond and one day could be benefi-cial, especially in the media indus-try. According to Levy, “It is vital to maintain those relationships you have built while being a student throughout your career. Especial-ly in the world of media, it's all about who you know and not so much as what you know.”

She also preserves her relationship with the univer-sity is through connection with mass communication alums that live in Atlanta. Levy has organized events to keep the ever-growing USF family connected and she stays in contact with about twenty-five alums, most of who are working for Turner Broadcasting, which owns CNN and many other television entities. She or-ganizes events for the Atlanta chapter for USF alumni through social media sites. “Supporting my university and the School of Mass Comm takes top priority for me,” Levy says, “Especially maintaining those rela-tionships I have built upon with my professors while attending USF and meeting the new members of Mass Comm School currently.”

by Matt Siedel

9

10

Bulls pride across the globe.

From South Wales to South Florida,

Abigail Haase is a teacher’s assistant

and a graduate student in the mass

communications department. Haase is in her

final year of graduate school at the University

of South Florida and is looking to complete

her masters in mass communications with

strategic communication management. A

study abroad trip as an undergraduate stu-

dent is what brought Haase into the USF fam-

ily initially, while the school spirit and campus

atmosphere kept her loving USF.

If you walk down the dark, narrow corridor

of the third floor of the Mass Communica-

tions and Information Sciences building, you

might see Haase’s small, box-like office where

she spends a handful of her time. Haase has

beautiful blond hair and radiant blue eyes;

students

by Jane Daniel

Photos by Aaron Austin

11

many would think that she was a typical college student

from the area until she speaks to you with a stunning

English accent. It is a great just to hear Haase speak,

but once she starts hyping up USF by describing her

wonderful experiences on the campus and her future

aspirations, it is hard not to be motivated to continue

your studies at USF. She spends so much time in her

office occupied with graduate schoolwork and the as-

signments of her Writing for the Mass Media students,

it would seem as though she would not have time for

any type of fun.

Haase was born and raised in Manchester, but she

completed her undergraduate track at a college in

South Wales. As an undergraduate student, Haase stud-

ied media production and theater. While Haase was in

her second year of undergraduate school in the United

Kingdom she was presented with an opportunity to

study abroad at USF for a couple of semesters for col-

lege credit. Her experience during the two semesters

that she spent at USF impacted her so much that she

decided to apply to graduate school at USF.

“That’s the whole reason I moved out here, might as

well make the best of what I can. It’s good fun.”

Haase described the college atmosphere in the UK as

almost city-like. Many of the students went to class but

went home or to work shortly after, which

was something that Haase was not very

fond of. Juxtaposed to the campus

life at USF, Haase really loved the

involvement of the students, and

she admired the campus.

As a teacher’s as-

sistant, Haase feels

as though she has

impacted her

students espe-

cially when she

was teaching the

Mass Communica-

tions and Society course. In describing her experience

teaching this class Haase said, “People talk, people have

discussions, people feed off of each other in my class.”

She also touched on the impact that she felt that she

had on her students. In one of the final blog assign-

ments that Haase has her students do in Mass Commu-

nications and Society, she asks what the students want

to do for the rest of their college careers. Many of the

students want to study abroad so they can have similar

experiences as Haase had at USF, while others want to

go to graduate school and expand their education.

In addition to being able to impact her students’ fu-

tures, a personal achievement that Haase had was sur-

viving the move from the United Kingdom to Tampa for

college. Haase really appreciated the overabundance of

school spirit that is evident statewide, nationwide and

even worldwide. Being able to connect with USF alumni

and fellow Bulls creates an inner connection between

people who do not even know each other. “I’ve been

at home (the United Kingdom) wearing a USF hoodie

when an American lady walked up and she was like ‘Go

Bulls!’ I was like what?!”

In the future Haase would like to get a job with a mix-

ture of public relations and media consulting. Maybe

in a couple of years down the line after she gains some

working experience, she would like to go

back to school to start working toward

her Ph. D.

“Awesome! Fun! I love USF!”

Haase is proud to be part of

a wonderful, family-like

university. o

12

Action!”“...3,... 2,... 1,...

Photo by Aaron Austin

faCuLty

Action!” by FRANCESCA BASINGER

“Quiet on the set!” a thin, blonde woman shouts to a group of students before

they begin filming a fake talk show, or as the student director of the show calls it: his exam. Every voice falls silent ex-cept for the director and the woman standing beside him making sure he is preparing the rest of the class for the production.

14

“For me, it’s not work, it’s fun. This is in my blood.”

“Ready VTR! Roll VTR!” the director says to signal recording. The atmosphere in the production studio is tense and you can tell just from the look in everyone’s eyes that this is not the time to daydream. Each student has his or her body completely focused on whatever task he or she was given this time around. No one is chatting with his neighbor. No one is falling asleep. These students are responsible for this show to suc-ceed and for the director to receive a high grade. The TV Production and Direction students do not want to mess up and miss their cue, especially because next time around, it could be their turn in the director’s chair.

“Ready countdown!” the woman exclaims to get the director’s attention.

“Ready countdown!” he repeats with a slightly higher tone to make up for missing his cue.

The Assistant Director then begins counting down to the start of the show.

“10…9…8…” he says while the rest of the crew straightens up in their chairs.

The two actors sitting on stage under spotlights im-mediately glue their eyes to the face of the camera while quickly running their fingers through their hair one last time.

“7…6…5…”

The director signals to prepare the audio for the right music and to make sure microphones are working properly. He instructs for all the video to be ready and

for the opening graphic to be on screen.

“4…3…2…”

The woman tells a student to fade up the opening mu-sic just before they are on air.

“1”

A relaxing jingle is heard in the studio and the control room. A deep blue graphic with tiny stars surround-ing the word “Conversations” appears on the screen. The show begins and the director must make sure the correct camera is on the person speaking at all times so he does not miss an essential moment. Throughout the show, he switches back and forth between Camera 1 and Camera 2 with the help of the blonde woman, who is the instructor for the course. The director must also include two clips of old Saturday Night Live skits that relate to the discussions on the director’s fictional show. He switches back to the live talk show before the time runs out, and with the teacher’s instruction, tells the team, “That’s a wrap!”And this is just the rehearsal.

***

Kristin Ruyle has been teaching television produc-tion at the University of South Florida since 1999. With a Bachelors degree in Communication Arts from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and a Masters of Arts in Television Production from Brook-lyn College, television has been part of her life over the past 20 years. Ruyle started her career off with an in-ternship at PBS affiliate WMHT-TV during her time at Plattsburgh, which later turned into a job as a produc-tion assistant. As a PA, she worked on a weekly show called Arts Panorama. The job introduced her to all the different tasks behind the scenes in television includ-ing working the camera.

After graduate school, she was hired as an associate producer at Time Warner New Media in New York City. During her time at this iconic television station, she witnessed the launch of New York One and orga-nized the beginning of magazines turning into televi-sion such as Sports Illustrated for Kids. She experi-enced one of her favorite moments in her career while working at Time Warner.

15

“I remember the first time I saw my stuff on E! and it was stuff I shot,” she said. “I was at Time Warner and I was very young. I remember sitting in my apartment in ’92 or ’93 and it was such a cool experience.”

While working at an editing house for a book com-mercial for Time Warner in 1995, Ruyle discovered a job opening for a producer at MTV Networks, which ran MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and TVLand. Once she landed one of the most desired jobs in the television in-dustry, especially for aspiring production students, she began a huge turning point in her career. Ruyle worked on several VH1 specials including the Rock N Roll Pic-ture Show that featured films with a musical theme. During her time at MTV and even at Time Warner for E!, this ambitious woman attended some highly-publi-cized events, like the MTV Video Music Awards.

“Let me tell you, by the third time you go to the VMAs, you are like ‘Really? I have to go again?’ Because it’s a job. I had a lot of stuff to do. It’s work,” she said.

Starting in 1999 while still working occasionally for MTV, Ruyle began her teaching career at USF. She al-

ways had a desire to teach, which is why she went to graduate school, and even though the change was a struggle at first, sunny Florida seemed like the right choice. As an instructor, not only does she teach the stu-dents technical skills, but she also gives them a reality check about the business.

“I tell my students: you will start out as a production assistant and you are working long hours while your friends are buying cars and going to happy hour,” said Ruyle. “You really have to love it. If you do, then you will work it out and the money will come. Otherwise, you won’t make it.”

However, even though numerous amounts of work go into having a career as a producer, Ruyle would not choose any other path. Although most of her time is used for her job as an Instructor II, she still does free-lance work around Tampa and St. Petersburg as either a stage manager or assistant director for sports produc-tion, usually during the playoffs.

“For me, it’s not work, it’s fun,” she said. “This is in my blood. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.”

How one alum’s dedication

Struggle to Stardom

landed him a position as web show hostby ANDREA ROMERO

aLumni

16

17

Nicholas Dietz personifies the strength of persever-ance and the spirit of staying true to your dreams.

Dietz, 32, calls New York home and has started his ca-reer as the on-camera personality and assistant producer for the web show , “The Feed Blog,” at one of the country’s largest TV networks, CBS. In just over three years, Dietz has accomplished what many of us could only dream of achieving through his hard work, strong focus and motivation.

If you would have asked Nicholas Dietz five years ago if he believed he would come this far, the vision of going back to school and becoming an on-camera per-sonality would have never crossed his mind.

At 27, Dietz was jobless, on unemployment and homeless. The band he was playing in broke up. The company he spent 10 years working for went under. And the house he called home burned down. Dietz was trapped in the aftermath from a series of unfortunate events and in search of a new direction.

“I was sitting there and I said, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’” he said.

He found his answer watching the “Today Show.” There was a contest to enter in a video for a chance to be an anchor for one day. Dietz seized the opportunity and submitted his video.

“A couple of friends saw [my anchor video] and said, ‘Hey, you should do that for a living!’” he said.

While entering the contest might have been a response to a challenge, it revealed a hidden talent and inspired him to go back to school for broadcasting. After applying to several schools, Dietz decided to go to the University of South Florida where the staff took him “under their wing.” Dietz excelled as an honor student and took on three broadcasting internships while study-ing at the university. Dietz interned at Tampa Digital Studios, CW44 and Fox 13, where he wore a tie every day and became known as “the intern with a tie.”

“I had a well-rounded experience,” said Dietz. “One important thing they taught me at USF is you need to learn to be a one-man-band. You can’t be a one-trick-pony anymore.”

Dietz sought to be just that, a one-man-band who could do it all: write, edit, be on camera and shoot. After graduating in 2009, Dietz took the risky leap in moving

to New York City for a post graduate internship at CBS and the hopes of landing a job. With only three days before his start date as an intern, Dietz had little time to settle in and get acquainted in the Big Apple.

“It was a weird transition,” he said. “New York City was an entirely different universe all together.”

Dietz interned for six months at CBS Evening News for the medical unit. He lived off his savings and worked hard.

While interning, Dietz had the chance to work beside CBS News Medical Correspondent, Dr. Jonathan LaPook and help work on a medical piece for CBS Eve-ning News with CNN’s Senior Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

“You meet a lot of great people,” said Dietz. “Dr. LaPook is an amazing guy. He was very helpful and introduced me to a lot of people. He got me my first Macbook!”

Interning at CBS also gave Dietz exposure to celebri-ties and other major figures in the news world such as Anderson Cooper from 60 Minutes and ABC’s Special Correspondent, Katie Couric. 

“When I interned I saw Jerry Seinfeld every day for a month,” said Dietz. “He would walk right by my desk!”

During his downtime he also took initiative in visit-ing the Early Show, the web and other departments to meet people and make connections.

“That’s how I ended up meeting my boss Michael Wuebben for CBSNews.com,” he said.

As further evidence of his drive and determination, Dietz took advantage of every opportunity awarded to him. His department visits gave him the chance to listen in on a few on-camera voiceovers. Dietz saw an

opportunity to showcase his potential and be a part of something more.

“Anytime I would see something that was happening and I was interested in it, I asked how I could be a part of it,” he said.

Impressed with his work, producers of CBSNews.com began giving Dietz more opportunities to do voiceovers. All the while, Dietz was going on 12-15 interviews across CBS, but with no word or call back on

18

a job. The chance of getting his first foot in the door seemed like less of a chance. Dietz’s perseverance eventually paid off when not just one, but two job opportuni-ties opened to him at CBS. Dietz began working as a part time freelancer writing and hosting for “HealthPop,” a web show that showcases some of the latest medi-cal trends, and working full time in the elections and surveys unit, covering the primary elections. He did this for three to four months.

“HealthPop” started taking a more serious direction. Producers at CBSNews.com saw a need to focus more on videos streams and the need to create more origi-nal content on the web. So, when talk of finding a host for the new web show “The Feed Blog” was brought up, it was Dietz that producer Wuebben believed was fit for the part.  

“They thought, ‘hey that Nick Dietz is silly and good at this stuff. We’ll give him a shot at hosting it,’” he said.

A little luck matched with skill got Dietz the new full time position. In the bustling and competitive city of New York, Dietz is settling in the career of his dreams and becoming a part of a world that few of us find within reach.

February marked “The Feed Blog’s” most successful month yet. The web show is receiving tons of streams and now there is talk of production value and getting oth-ers involved. Dietz continues to write, edit and bring his humorous flare to the camera and web.

“I’m surprised at how much I’ve been able to accomplish,” said Dietz. “I’m doing something that a lot of people don’t get to do. Infinite patience and focus has been the key to my growing success. Don’t take your eyes off the prize and don’t expect it too soon, but be ready for it when you do receive it.”

19

AD Club Headline - moolboran

The University of South Florida Advertising Club has everything a student could want in a student organization — free pizza every weekly meeting.

Free food isn’t the only perk a student will receive from the USF Ad Club, a chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), in exchange for $30 membership dues though. The advantages extend even further beyond the free T-shirt, entrance to weekly meetings and occasional socials.

USF Ad Club members get invaluable experience in return for their participation. The club primarily ex-ists to help its members succeed in the real world.

According to the USF Ad Club’s website, “Ad Club members are introduced to a number of internship and job opportunities,” and the club delivers on its word with a number of networking opportunities with local companies like Ad 2 Tampa Bay, AAF Tampa Bay and Social Forces.

Photos courtesy Ad Club Facebook

CLubs

by CASEY DEFREITAS

20

“We have a very strong bond with Ad 2 Tampa Bay,” said senior, and president of USF Ad Club, Bob-bie Stuff. “Two of our board members have actually got internships with Ad 2 through that connection, includ-ing me.”

Amber Stickel, a Zimmerman Advertising Program (ZAP) senior, was introduced to Ad 2 Tampa Bay by the USF Ad Club in fall 2012. The education director of Ad 2 Tampa Bay, Taryn Cashmere, visited the club that semester to inform its members of Ad 2 Tampa Bay’s mentorship program. From there, Stickel pursued and has since been paired with George Zweirko of Rumbo Cultural Marketing.

“Pretty much anything I wanted to learn from him,” Stickel said, “he’s been able to help me.”

In the fall, Stickel interned with Social Forces, a local digital advertising agency. She then took on an internship with Level 6 Marketing in the spring and in the summer she will be interning with Tampa’s Cre-ative Loafing.

“[USF Ad Club] gets your name out there lets you network with really important people in the commu-nity,” Stickel said.

Stickel scored the position with Creative Loafing at an Ad 2 Tampa Bay speed internship event at Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown, which she attended with the

USF Ad Club.

“It got me multiple job offers for the summer,” Stickel said.

Media Fusion and Connectivity Advertising both offered her positions alongside Creative Loafing, all from the one speed internship dating event. Many of the USF Ad Club’s other members are just as busy net-working and interning.

Senior Carmen Davis, also in ZAP, was the social media intern for Ad 2 Tampa Bay last fall. The connec-tions she made through this internship opened doors for her at the Home Shopping Network – where she worked in the spring.

Another ZAP senior, Stuff, interned for FKQ Ad-vertising + Marketing in the fall. The same day she told the club about it, an ad she wrote for McDonalds aired on the radio. But opportunities aren’t limited to local companies and agencies. Speakers visit from compa-nies all around the nation.

“Michael Goldberg from Deutsch came to speak to us,” Stickel said. “Now I have a connection in New York, and so does everyone else in Ad Club.”

Speakers, generally professionals in the advertising business, are recruited by Stuff through networking of her own.

21

“I send emails asking them to present and they do,” Stuff said.

These presentations not only offer networking op-portunities, but provide a fun, insightful look into the world of advertising.

Co-founder and creative director of Social Forces, Carl Vervisch, visited the club in January to talk about starting his own agency. Instead of using a PowerPoint to convey his ideas, he brought in ten odd items to represent the history of Social Forces.

Stuff said the USF Ad Club loved Vervisch, who also spoke at the most popular event so far: the Super Bowl Panel, which attracted 65 students, including student reporters.

“We were very proud of that,” Stuff said.

Sarah Tildsley, the creative director at Chappell Roberts, Gordon Weller, the creative director at Spark and Brandi Morlen, the web developer at Triad Retail Media, among seven other professionals were brought in to offer insight on that weekend’s Super Bowl ads. Students shared opinions with the professionals and vice versa during the panel.

Events and meetings haven’t been limited to profes-sional speakers. Students had an opportunity to share their experiences with interning at various companies during the Internship Panel. Createch has offered instruction on Photoshop and HTML. Meetings have also including workshops on resume building, per-sonal branding and more, to make sure young USF Ad Club members are ready when the networking oppor-tunities come around.

Some of the members’ favorite events are the semesterly agency tours, when students are able to get inside local ad agencies and see what they have to of-

fer. This semester, students will be visiting 22 Squared, Chappel Roberts, Social Forces, and hopefully but not confirmed, Rumbo Cultural Marketing.

Since its reinstatement in 2009, the USF Ad Club faculty advisor, Harold Vincent – often called Hal – has seen the club grow full force.

In the past four years, “…we have seen the club grow into the most active and visible club in mass communications and watched our membership in-crease by 200 percent.”

There are 45 paid members in the USF Ad Club, with about 30 remaining active throughout the year.

The USF Ad Club maintains a Twitter account, Facebook and a blog, in which Stickel keeps members updated with meeting recaps. More than 500 people follow the Ad Club’s Facebook account, which features a logo designed by Adam Nerland of Social Forces. The club is playing with the possibility of redesigning the logo after this semester, offering an opportunity for members to be a part of the creation of the club’s re-branding. This year, member’s collaboratively designed the “Where’s the Brief?” Ad Club T-shirt.

Five Executive Board chairs and possibly more are opening at the end of this semester due to multiple seniors graduating, including president Stuff and co-social media chair, Stickel, who has hopes the Ad Club becomes more diverse next semester. The majority of the club is populated by junior and senior ZAP stu-dents.

“We’re doing a really great job of getting older Ad Club members in their junior or senior years,” Stickel said, “[but] I hope students gear it more towards un-dergraduates who haven’t officially decided what they want. It would be cool to help students who aren’t quite there yet, so we can be there from start to finish.”

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USF assured students that the education they would gain would come from

valuable professors when it hired Dr. Justin Brown as one of the new assistant professors for the School of Mass Communications back in 2011. Several of USF’s mass communications courses emphasize the immediacy the internet has in the communications field and how urgent it is that they learn guidelines within their field of future employment. The communications field is fre-quently plagued with issues concerning freedom of speech and privacy, and Dr. Brown is here to educate students on the importance of knowing these matters inside and out. The Minnesota native obtained his bach-elor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Pennsylvania State University. “I’ve always been interested in news, es-pecially broadcast journalism. I was influenced a little from my father. I remember he would watch in-depth news coverage like ‘60 Minutes,’” said Dr. Brown. He continued to pursue his interest in journalism, and soon found a fascination for the law evolving in the new media area.

Research and resource through educating students by MARY BADONSKY

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Dr. Brown has an extensive history of research related to communication policy, the First Amend-ment and telecommunication regulation in the forms of multiple publications and presentations. Some of the recent work Dr. Brown completed with a colleague was looking at broadband deployment and how many people have access to that technology in the United States compared to the rest of the world as well as looking at it from a mobile perspective, which he was very enthusiastic about. He went on to explain they examined variables that affect deployment rates, such as education and geography. The research description was intricate and involved finding and analyzing data to plug into a model to find what information is and isn’t significant, and that was just the beginning. “It’s a fun process, you develop research ques-tions through the literature process and hopefully write up some important results to share with the world.” Dr. Brown explained that he sometimes utilizes his classes as resources for research. This semester, Dr. Brown is teaching two courses: introduction to telecommunications and telecommunications pro-gramming and management. In the introduction to telecommunication class, he often has students write and blog about issues that are evolving in the field such as network neutrality. He uses this one specifi-cally because he knows it’s an issue on the surface the students may not think is going to affect their careers, but learn it does have a big role to play in terms of how a company might be structured according to content online and how the public can access online informa-tion freely. “The students help me generate new ideas on what policy makers should maybe look at. Students are individual users, and if they have suggestions or issues that arise when they’re using the internet, that’s very formative in terms of policy to adopt to the exist-ing culture of the internet,” Dr. Brown stated. Dr. Brown’s interests continue to dip in the exponentially growing field of social media. He de-scribes Facebook as a wonderful tool and platform for networking and slightly serves as identity representa-tion. He primarily uses Facebook as a discussion point for privacy policy because most users do not readily read the privacy policy, and once the students do, they are astounded that one website has so much power in controlling so much personal information that users willingly divulge. Although Dr. Brown is only teaching two courses this semester, he has taught other courses at

USF such as history and principles of communications law where he engages students in discussions and dis-sects case studies concerning the First Amendment. “I enjoy teaching the law class because it’s more connected to my research area and there’s a lot of op-portunity for discussion of issues that are evolving in the internet that students have good perspectives on. It’s important for students to value the role that free-dom of expression plays in their lives and to respect their individual freedoms,” said Dr. Brown. It’s no secret that Dr. Brown is a communica-tions and technology expert. He discusses some prob-lems the public has with Facebook and Twitter is that so much of what gets written constitutes opinion, and in many cases the context gets confused, which courts have struggled with in the past relating to defamation libel cases. He believes the major question is how will we educate users of the internet of all ages in under-standing what is ethical and what can be considered defamatory, and that this should be taught in schools at a much younger age than college. In the future, Dr. Brown is excited to build more connections with the media market in the Tampa area and strengthen these relationships for students garnering internships. Previously employed with the University of Florida and Winthrop University as a professor, Dr. Brown made the respectabull and re-wardabull move to USF. “USF is great because the students are fun, energetic, and bring diverse perspectives and back-grounds to the classroom to make it very enjoyable.”

•••••

A healthy heart set on public relations

USFhas educated and released active, driven scholars into today’s workforce. As a junior spe-cializing in public relations, Brielle Domowitz prepares for the real world. She learns and practices vital skills needed for her field -- not from the comfort of a secure classroom, but from her experiences on USF’s green and gold campus.

A native to New Jersey, Domowitz, grew up in a tight-knit family. The closeness and intimacy that she grew so accustomed to in her home became the foun-dation for her life. According to her mother, Domow-

By CORRIE SEABROOK

The story of one junior’s race to her dream

Brielle Domowitz (left) and friend pose at benefit race.

itz took on life as a “social butterfly.” This way of living and connecting allowed her to excel in her friendships and academics. She was able to make countless friends and bond with various types of people, even when she moved at a young age with her family to Orlando, Florida.

When Domowitz started college in the summer of 2010, she had her heart set on majoring in education. A year later she jumped to concentrating on humani-ties. Unhappy with her chosen majors, Domowitz went to her advisor for help. Based on Domowitz’s personal-ity, the advisor proposed that she choose mass com-munications with a focus in public relations -- she was stunned that she had never thought of it before, and decided to take advisor’s advice. Domowitz’s innate ability to communicate with people became the cata-lyst for her future career.

Domowitz doesn’t permit school to take its toll on her when the semesters attempt to strain her sanity. She isn’t isolated to just textbooks and sleeping in the library throughout the week. She manages her time and focuses on other activities which keep her well-rounded.

Domowitz has a part-time serving job at a bowling alley in Tampa called Splitsville. Serving hungry cus-tomers three to four times a week has helped Domow-itz learn to handle people who approach her with all sorts of emotions. It has taught her how to think on her feet and come up with quick solutions to satisfy customers’ concerns accordingly -- just like in public relations.

“It’s all about making sure they think they are num-ber one on your list, even if they are not,” she says.

Her service has paid off. Simply from serving food, those around her have noticed her work ethic. Her managers have received positive feedback from her work, and some customers have even given her busi-ness cards for potential job opportunities.

“I never called or used it to my advantage,” says Domowitz.I want to finish school before I pursue any real world job opportunities.”

Experience is crucial to success in the world of mass

students

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A healthy heart set on public relationscommunications and the media. Domowitz strives to understand as much as she can about her major before going into the workforce. She is interning at Clear Channel Communications where she works with pro-motions for the company’s radio stations such as 93.3 FLZ and 98ROCK.

“I do three days of office hours a week and then at-tend two to three gigs a week,” she says.

Domowitz exercises her skills at this communica-tions company. With immense devo-tion, she works from the bottom of the industry food chain as all must do when first starting out. She loads the trucks with sound gear and tents, and works at events hosted by differ-ent radio stations. At these events she helps set up sound equipment and sometimes live broadcasts. Ultimately, Domowitz promotes for the stations and seeks to make listeners fall back in love with music all over again.

The importance of staying active in the university community is impera-tive in order to be a well-rounded stu-dent. Domowitz is a regular member of USF’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). In the fall of 2012, Domowitz participated in the creation of a fashion show that stood up against domestic violence in the community.

Domowitz enjoyed being a part of the event because it helped raise awareness for this particular issue. Once again, she used her proficiency in communicating to manage the bands and the DJ for the event.

“The experience was great in event planning and seeing everything put together was such a good feeling of accomplishment,” she says.

Along with keeping her public relations techniques sharp, Domowitz is a fitness junkie. Running became a passion of hers when she first began college.

“When I came to college I was 35 pounds heavier,” she says. “I would be in the gym on the treadmill for somewhere close to an hour.”

Since then she has participated in the St. Petersburg Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, Glow Run 5k and others. Domowitz runs every chance she gets in spite of her crammed schedule.

“Being that I am so busy all the time, running has now become my personal relaxation time,” Domowitz says.

Throughout college, she has continued to stay active and compete in campus sports such as flag football

and ultimate frisbee. Staying in shape is a priority for Domowitz and her dedica-tion to her health mirrors her dedication to her academics.

After college, Domowitz desires to move to California and then begin travel-ing.

“I want to travel to Spain for sure. I love Spanish culture,” she says.

Her ultimate career goal is to work in public relations for the music industry. Domowitz is leaning toward the genres of either country or rock. “That’s the only thing making real music with instru-ments anymore, and can still put on live shows with a band,” she says.

In addition to being a public relations practitioner, she wants to pursue another career on the side in nu-trition and personal training.

Connecting with people is an important part of public relations and to Domowitz’s personal life. She doesn’t have a special secret per say to how she ap-proaches public relations or communicating with people. But, she does understand that the key to mas-tering public relations is always having an open and positive mind.

“I guess my secret is being a good listener, it’s better than being a good talker,” Domowitz says, “and always, always be genuinely nice.”

“Running has now become my personal relaxation time.”

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staff

Steve Mutimer: Working behind

the Scenes

Photos by: Aaron Austin

by MIKE MALLORY

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Steve Mutimer is a broadcast engineer and media lab manager for the USF School of Mass Commu-nications. He supervises media lab personnel and

video content produced by Mass Communications stu-dents and serves as the final quality control person on student-produced video reports before they are broad-cast on WUSF-TV or published on WUSF’s website.

Mutimer’s start in television wasn’t part of his plan while in college. After graduating from USF in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing, he began selling advertising spots to commercial production companies, but realized it wasn’t for him. “I’m from a small town,” he said. “My being is not to sell advertising. I’m very honest and I just wasn’t good at it.”

But that’s how he got his start in cable television, by bumping into the commercial production teams. He was attracted to the way that everyone worked as a team. It wasn’t long before he was laid off from his advertising position, and had a chip on his shoulder. He started practicing his broadcasting craft at Tampa Public Access Television, where he realized he was good with cameras.

He filmed concerts, sports and other public events for free at the station, until he got a job there, and eventually became a manager of their studio in downtown Tampa. He’s also worked for small independent production companies as a production manager. At WEDU, Tampa’s PBS affiliate, he edited a documentary called “Inventing Florida,” which aired nationwide, and “At Garden’s Gate” which was distributed internationally.

“Inventing Florida turned me on to documentary production,” which Mutimer said is his favorite type of broadcasting. “I’m still amazed and proud when our students complete a 30-minute documentary in six weeks.”

Mutimer was a natural as an editor and director, a task that is part of his daily routine to this day, in making sure that “Florida’s Focus” is ready to air Monday through Thursday. “I’ve always been all over the place mentally,” he said, “I’m good at thinking in five different directions at once, and you have to be that way to direct five different cameras.”

Mutimer said that his time at the local cable station

was the most fun of his career. He was part of a team of good people, his peers, who would often celebrate a good shoot with drinks at a bar. “That was like the rock star lifestyle,” he said. But now, the most rewarding thing for Mutimer is to see students have success after graduation, as they progress into their second or third job. He has several thank you cards displayed proudly above the desk in his office. “They’re kind of like my kids,” he said. “Sometimes I may feel burned out, and then a student thanks me for helping, and that is very rewarding.”

He’s insistent that students do not treat class like it’s just a place you have to be at, and to make the most of it. The message he tries to pass to students is to take

advantage of the resources you have, and to be the best that you can be with the tools available at USF.

In the broadcasting and production sequence, he has been a key provider of those tools. In 2005, the production studio was out of date, small, and everyone was bumping into each other. Dr. Friedlander helped secure $100,000 for a complete overhaul of the studio. Using his experience with equipment in the field, Mutimer went to work on the project and planned it out, then

installed everything in a week during winter break. Now with high definition cameras in the field,

Mutimer is hoping to upgrade to a high definition broadcast that would require another overhaul of the studio.

“We kill it when it comes to training people,” he said, “They’re ready when they go intern at MTV, or get their first job, but I’d like for our technology to be modern so that we can give them the total package here.” He said that with the economy the way it is, it’s difficult to stay modern as the technology advances so rapidly.

His reach is not limited to telecom production. Mutimer designed the addition of a computer lab in CIS 1046, which allowed for small, lab-based classes of 15 to 20 students, in conjunction with the already existent classes of over 40 people in the auditorium setting. He also designed The New York Times lab set up in 3075. Each desk features a computer screen and keyboard to the side of the student and plenty of desk

“Sometimes I may feel burned out, and then a student thanks me for helping, and that is very rewarding.”

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space for the student to write. Every lab design is his work.

“Although my background is not writing, I do know what journalism classes need to support themselves,” he said.

It is clear that he is more than a quality control person and engineer in telecom production. He has a vision for the school. He has planned upgrades for CIS 3012, 3075, 3077, and Studio A, among others, but it all comes down to funding.

Having started his position with the school of mass communications in August 2003, the fall 2013 semester will mark his tenth anniversary as an educator and tenth at USF. In his first couple years, Mutimer said that he was hesitant to speak up about the quality of a broadcast, as he was still adjusting to life at a state university. But now, he said he’s not afraid to tell someone they’re doing their job wrong.

“I graduated from here, so I definitely have pride in my alma mater. I want our people to be the best

they can be,” he said, “and they say I’m not supposed to teach anything, to just focus on engineering and quality control, but if a student needs help or advice, I’m going to help.”

Mutimer’s current duties include but are not limited to; oversight of telecom production, research, planning and design of edit suites, repairing many computers and production equipment. Many of his duties weren’t included in his original job description, but his contribution to the mass communications program continues to grow.

If he were to find some free time, he would like to produce a video of concert footage that he filmed in the 1980s and 90s. “If I ever got a job shooting live music performances, I might go back to that,” he said.

•

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by Arielle Giordano

Change is definitely in the air for the Society of Profes-sional Journalists or SPJ at

the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus. This organization is a way for journalism students at USF to network and improve on various skills such as writing, resume building and branding themselves.

Christy Miller, the newly elect-ed president of SPJ, aims to make adjustments in order to improve the USF chapter.

“I would like to increase our ac-tive membership especially that of the younger members, Miller said.” “Right now, all of our officers are graduating before the upcoming fall semester, and I don’t want the club to die off.”

Students can also become a national member of SPJ through the university’s chapter. According to Miller, both processes are fairly simple and inexpensive. In order to become an active member of the university chapter, students regis-ter through Blackboard. A student requests to join, is approved by Miller and then pays $5 for dues. As Miller said, “then Bam, you are a member.”

The meetings will be held every third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the Communications & Information Science (CIS) build-ing, room 3075. Each meeting will be followed by a social on campus at the Beef O’ Bradys located in the Marshall Student Center.

During the spring semester, Miller would like to liven up the normal monthly meetings. The

first meeting of the semester, which took place Jan. 30 had a great turn-out of enthusiastic young journal-ists. As most first meetings go, it was short and to the point.

Miller plans to use the monthly meetings as time for housekeeping and social purposes.

“It puts our members in an environment that welcomes conver-sation and encourages interaction, Miller said.”

Some returning members are also the current officers for SPJ. Among these students are Kelsey Sunderland, the vice president and former president; treasurer Rachel Sena, and secretary Meghan Man-grum.

However, Miller and the offi-cers, meet more often than just the general monthly meetings. Their

USF SPJ Mentors Local High School Journalists

30

meetings also take place in CIS 3075 this semester. The structure of the meetings is similar. “I come with an agenda or list of things I want to cover at the meeting, and we discuss what is on my list, Miller said.” “Typi-cal topics are the next general meeting, upcoming events and the progress of the club.”

Wayne Garcia, their faculty advisor, was also in attendance at the first meeting. In the spring of 2011, Garcia became an instructor for the School of Mass Communications at USF. “We are delighted to have somebody of Wayne’s experience and caliber joining us as we continue to build a school that breaks ground in teaching and researching the new media skills needed by today’s journalists, said Fred Pearce, the former director of the School of Mass Communications in a USF news article.”

Over the last two years, Garcia has taught copyedit-ing and reporting courses to the students within the journalism sequence.

As the faculty advisor, Garcia discusses changes and gives advice to Miller about the club throughout the year. Garcia would like to see some changes this year as well.

“I would like to see SPJ experiment with some new ideas to attract members, because the media is chang-

ing and SPJ’s approach should probably change as well, Garcia said.”

With Garcia’s support, Miller has begun to make changes to the schedule for this upcoming school year. During 2013, she wants to do a little bit of the unex-pected with the USF chapter.

“We are also revamping the club this semester, Miller said.” “We used to be all about bringing in guest speakers and profes-sional development, and while we are not completely straying from that, we are focusing a bit more on service and developing relationships within the Tampa Bay community. In addition, we are setting up industry tours and a men-tor program with local high schools,”

Two industry tours included a tour of La Gaceta, the Nation's only Tri-

lingual newspaper and a tour of the Tampa Bay Times. The La Gaceta newspaper is located in Ybor City and is one of the oldest minority-owned and targeted news-papers in America. Every Friday, La Gaceta distributes their newspaper, which prints articles in Spanish, Eng-lish and Italian on a variety of subjects specific to each group of readers.

“The intent behind touring the different industries is to introduce our members to the environments in which they will probably be working, Miller said. “This also provides a networking opportunity for them.”

“Media is changing and SPJ’s approach should probably change as well.”

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Along with the industry tours, Miller is collaborating with Dr. Roxanne Watson, a USF professor of mass communications law, to start a mentor program with local Tampa Bay high schools. Miller would like to have members of SPJ mentor high school journalists in Tampa Bay. As mentors, the SPJ members would share additional information and tips with the stu-dents. The aim is to create a bond between each of the high schools and USF.

The School of Mass Commu-nications initiated this mentoring project and the Diversity Commit-tee includes several faculty mem-bers. Besides Dr. Watson, three other faculty members are involved: Travis Bell, broadcast instructor,

Justin Brown, telecommunications instructor and Moonhee Cho, pub-lic relations instructor.

According to Miller, the Diver-sity Committee wants to build a relationship with these schools.

“When the kids apply for col-lege, they'd think USF, Miller said.” “The committee is in charge of ini-tiating the relationships with each of the high schools.”

In the end, it is up to the members of SPJ to help the mentoring program grow and flourish. “We would be mentoring high school journalism students. The purpose of this is to build a relationship with them and make our presence known. We would have more of a community impact by being involved in this project,” said Miller.

For now, the Society of Profes-sional Journalists is only pursuing a mentor program with one school, Tampa Bay Technical High School. Eventually, they plan to branch out to multiple schools to build up the mentor program.

According to Garcia, there has been talk of a proposal to combine several local SPJ chapters together in order to increase membership. Hillsborough Community Col-lege and the University of Tampa are looking to join forces with the SPJ chapter at USF. However, the proposal is still being debated and we are waiting to hear the final decision.

“The best ways to increase membership is to reach out to beginners in the School of Mass Communications and to make our existence known, Miller said.”

However, in the near future this increase in membership could include students from other uni-versities’ mass communication and journalism departments.

By merging the three local chapters, there could be a variety of benefits for the Society of Profes-sional Journalists at USF. It would allow for growth within the organi-zation, for a fresh perspective from the other students and for a new beginning within our current SPJ chapter. However, even if they were to not merge, Christina Miller is already pursuing bigger and bet-ter opportunities for the student organization. It seems that SPJ has begun a positive journey this New Year, and everyone is doing what they can to help them succeed.

Photo (this page): SPJ Treasurer Christy Miller shows her wild side while attending an SPJ conference.

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Student Intern’s Determination Creates Opportunities

by DANIELLE DAVIS

students

It would be easy to overlook Al-exander Schelldorf amidst the crowd of fans pushing toward

the hockey players. Tall and thin, features dominated by the curls of his rather impressive moustache, he seems at first glance the kind of person unaccustomed to giving orders. But when this USF senior speaks, people listen.

“I sometimes act as production assistant and player security for the team,” he said when I met with him after a game. “Part of my job is to make sure no crazy women ap-proach the players we have on a live radio broadcast.”

Schelldorf is an intern for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s radio program, and one of the only two interns granted access to the play-ers. He’s grown accustomed to shouting over the spectators that crowd the locker rooms before the broadcast, and to ordering around athletes twice his size. During “Lightning Hockey Night,” he can be found directing the men into the recording studio or acting as liaison between the broadcast crew and PR directors.

“My actual title is Radio Pro-duction Intern, but I’m also the primary editor for all things audio

and an in-game audio engineer. I do post-game highlights, the post-game press conference with the coach, any and all special editing projects that come up during the season, like player commentary.”

It may seem odd that an in-tern has been afforded so many responsibilities, but Schelldorf ’s career in radio didn’t begin with the Lightning. He lists owning and maintaining his own radio show for three years as one of his greatest achievements to date, and credits the experience as the reason he was selected from a pool of nearly 300 other applicants. He recalls Sunday nights spent with editing software rather than video games, days filled with production equipment instead of his friends.

All of his hard work seemed to pay off, however, when he received notice that the Lightning had selected him. Until the National Hockey League announced that the season would be postponed due to a labor dispute. “The team still had me doing other duties—some edit-ing here and there for audio stories, meeting some of the players who were informally skating, etc. But as the lockout dragged into the end of 2012 and wipe[d] out half the season, I had to seriously consider finding something else as a replace-ment,” Schelldorf said.

A replacement was found in early January 2013, when a Google ad linked him to digital production company Diamond View Studios.

33

Student Intern’s Determination Creates Opportunities

by DANIELLE DAVIS

“Their website was what initially sold me. They have a fantastic demo reel.”

DVS bills itself as a Tampa-based broadcasting and media production agency, and has worked with clients ranging from local politicians to statewide ad cam-paigns for blood donation. Their portfolio includes promos for the Republican National Convention, save the date announcements for recent engagements and even coverage of this year’s Mr. & Mrs. USF Pageant.

Determined to get DVS’ attention, Schelldorf began searching for contact information. “They had a phone number up and a general email, but I wanted to speak to someone directly. So after some digging, I found the president and operations manager’s email addresses, sent them my reel and resume,” he said.

It wasn’t long until he heard back from the company president, who signed him on as the Media Produc-tion Intern. He emphasizes that finding and obtaining a replacement internship wasn’t a walk in the park. “That probably sounds like it was way too easy, but it’s important to note that I had a decent reel and good experience – not everyone is going to be able to call up a company, send them their resume and be hired.” Again, his commitment had paid off.

Schelldorf began work with DVS two weeks before the NHL lockout was resolved, and the 2012-2013 sea-son commenced on January 19. The Tampa Bay Light-ning contacted him once again, asking if he would like to continue his internship with the radio crew. He agreed to return without hesitation, despite the fact that it would mean nearly 15-hour days twice a week.

“I made sure each internship knew about the other because they’re so different from each other. Since the lockout wiped out half the season, my boss from the Lightning was very cool about the situation and pulled some strings to allow me to work both internships.”

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Schelldorf must co-ordinate his work schedule to accommodate both Lightning Radio and DVS’ production schedules. He arrives at the DVS office at 9 a.m., where he writes, designs, shoots and edits the production of the day. His work can even include creation and break-down of the sets, “and yes, even the dirty work cleaning the studio or steaming backdrops—I am still an intern,” he says. From DVS, he heads down to the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the 5 p.m. media call. Because hockey games often last for three or more hours, and because Schelldorf also works on the post-game radio show, he

expects to return no earlier than midnight. “Thank-fully, not every day is 15-plus hours, but when I get back to my place, all I want to do is put my head on a pillow.”

Although Lightning Radio will soon begin look-ing for new interns, Schelldorf hopes to spin the time spend with DVS into a career with the company when he graduates in May. The end-game plan, however, is a television production career in New York City. “[The city] is the mecca of the production industry…” A fact he became acutely aware of during yet another intern-ship with Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

Although he signed a non-disclosure agreement, Schelldorf recalls the frenetic push to tape the show. “I think my NDA prevents me from saying anything about specific incidences, but I can say this: the show sent down 150 staffers in order to produce and broad-cast four shows. That number isn’t even all that were involved in making the show happened – they left quite a few back at their office in NYC. That’s wild to me.”

For now, however, Schelldorf is content to focus on picking up his degree and keeping up with his current internships. “I’m anxious to start my career, but ‘The Daily Show,’ Tampa Bay Lightning and Diamond View Studios have made possible some of the most reward-ing and unique experiences I’ve ever had.”

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“WORK HARD, PLAY HARD”

by TONYA WEATHERS Nothing is more satisfying than attending the school of your dreams, gaining valuable employment skills, and of course, taking home some good, hard-earned cash. This could not be more true for Roxana Aguilar, Courtney Uhlar, and Carolina Reyes; three student workers in the University of South Florida’s School of Mass Communications department.

These hard-working, career-focused young ladies immediately saw the value of working on cam-pus the minute they heard of the programs offered for students to earn while they learn. The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, the College Assistant Migrant Program (CAMP), and the Freshman Summer Insti-tute (FSI) program, to name a few. These programs provide funds for part-time employment to help needy students finance the costs of postsecondary education. More than # USF students currently participate.

On any given weekday, you can find Roxana, Courtney or Carolina sitting patiently at the advisor’s desks, on the southern or western entrances of the Mass Communication’s department. They wait with bright smiles as warm as the sun to give a helping hand to students, parents, faculty or staff. The three assist Michelle Cleveland and Andrew Mason, Academic Program Specialist for the School of Mass Communi-cations.

For Roxana Aguilar, 19-year-old biology major from Winter Haven, Fla., the CAMP program has been an aspiration come true. As she looks up from her well-studied Chemistry book with her black-squared glasses pressed firmly against her face, Roxana explains the advantages of being a lucky participant.

“The program gave me a scholarship, access to tutors, and advising help for my freshmen year at USF,” explains Roxana. “I choose to work on campus be-cause it would allow me to focus more on my classes, it was more convenient, and it would allow me to feel more connected to the university.”

And convenient it is. Roxana, whose family originates from Mexico, frequently delves into the visionary world of science with the hopes of complet-ing her Bachelors in Science degree and attending optometry school soon after.

Ever since she can remember, Roxana has always needed to wear glasses, so optometry sparked her interest at a very young age. She felt the need to study the subject even more closely when she learned that her parents, aunts and uncles were all affected with cataracts due to prolonged UV light exposure while working in the farming industry.

“After shadowing an optometrist and re-searching the field, I was able to see that exposure to the sun could cause damage to the eyes,” explains Roxana. “Growing up in a farmworker family that always worked in the sun, I became interested in how that affected their vision.”

In addition, Roxana finds the field to be very rewarding from an interpersonal aspect. She enjoys building connections with others and knows the optometry field is the best fit for her.

Roxana keeps to her studies and dreams of ways to help her family all while answering phones, organizing files and working on multiple projects for the School of Mass Communications.

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PLAY HARD”

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Eager work-study participant, Courtney Lynn Uhlar, is also excited to be a part of one of USF’s feder-al programs. The 21-year-old student from Pembroke Pines, Fla. has participated in the FWS program since her freshman year in 2010.

“My sister went to USF, so I heard about it through her,” she explains. “I was between USF and UF [Uni-versity of Florida], but I chose USF.

“I chose to work on campus because it was really convenient,” she explains when asked why you chose the program. “I can go right from class to work.”

Assisting students, coping and scanning files, answering phones, and communicating between pro-fessors, students and staff is all a part of Courtney’s day as a work-study participant.

The academic-focused Ukrainian, Polish and Russian student describes herself has determined and hardworking, and sees the biological field as fascinat-ing.

“I have always been interested in the health field,” explains Courtney. “I also like the idea of hav-ing a career that you are helping people every day and improving their lives.”

She hopes to complete her Biomedical Sci-ences degree in August 2013, a full year earlier than expected, which she proudly gives credit to the ability to work on campus instead of off.

She wants to become a doctor. Though she’s not exactly sure of what field just yet, her excellent 3.93 G.P.A. will surely steer her in the right direction.

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Kissimmee, Fla. native, Carolina Reyes, began her work-study as a participant in the FSI program. The 20-year-old, Dominican-American plans to enter the medical field, majoring in health science with a minor in psychology.

“I love the healthcare field and have always wanted to help people in some way,” said Carolina when asked why she chose the health field. “And psychology because I love the way the mind works and wanted to learn more on how I can understand the people that I would be helping.”

Her goal is to graduate by summer 2014 and enroll in a graduate Physician Assistant program soon after.

Working on campus was an easy choice for Carolina. It allows her to focus on her studies in a re-laxing environment surrounded by a supportive faculty and staff.

“I used to work for College Link as a tutor, and I loved it, but I need an on-campus job so I could focus on school more, and this job gave me that. Plus everyone is so nice.”

For Roxana, Courtney and Carolina the USF FWS programs were more than they could imagine. The valuable skills they have gained, the chance to study the careers of their dreams, and of course, to make money all at once is one goal of the program.

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