This Just In...
New Course to be Offered in Winter 2010
The Department of Communication will offer Media for Social Change (MCOM 391-01) during Winter Quarter 2010. You can register for the 5-credit-hour course April 20, 2009-January 7, 2010. The course will be taught by Janice Windborne, assistant professor.
Also called Edu-tainment and Entertainment-Education, Media for Social Change uses the techniques of drama, advertising, print, and broadcasting to weave educational messages into entertainment programs.
The class is open to students from other disciplines...particularly English, music, and theatre. Projects will be group-driven with most of the work done in class. Depending upon the size and talents of the group, the class will produce any of the following: self-contained soap opera, mini-drama, commercial-length Public Service Announcements (PSA's), or an entire package of media approaches focused on one social issue. The products of the class will be radio packages.
No prerequsite: It is recommended that students speak with the instructor prior to registering for the class. Can also be used as an SYE class! Listed as Service Learning class.
Otterbein College chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America wins award
The Otterbein College chapter of the Public Relations Students Society of America (PRSSA) was recently recognized by Donate Life Ohio through the Ohio Department of Health for its achievements in the Do It Now! College Challenge.
The goal of the statewide program is to register 240,000 new organ donors on the donor registry this year. With 17 public and private colleges across Ohio participating, the challenge reached this year's goal for the state.
Each participating institution set a goal to reach, and Otterbein was honored with an award of $500 for being "Closest to Goal" of the 17 institutions. The campaign leaders were students Erin Glaser of McMurray, PA, and Jeana Harrington of Sandusky, OH.
Assistant Professor Janice Windborne works on award-winning documentary team
Janice Windborne, Columbus (43231) resident and assistant professor of communication at Otterbein College, was on the team that produced The Last Dance, a documentary that recently won Best of Show from the Broadcast Education Association and National Association of Broadcasters (BEA/NAB) in Las Vegas and Best Documentary at the Appalachian Film Festival in West Virginia.
The Last Dance is the story of world-renowned sculptor David Hostetler, an artist from Southeast Ohio who has been carving women for the last 60 years. In the documentary, he talks about his life and his relationship to women and to art and through his words, viewers gain both an understanding of what motivates the artist and of a period in American history. Hostetler's work is displayed in many of the world's most prestigious galleries and wealthiest homes, but the most prominent location is in front of Trump Tower in New York City.
"I did research, writing, arrangements for locations, promotion and some other tasks necessary to get the production going and to keep it in the appropriate public eye," said Windborne, who was the documentary's associate producer.
NAB is the largest professional organization of media professionals and pairs with media educators under the auspices of Broadcast Educators Association. The Last Dance achieved top honors over approximately 1,000 other submissions. One judge commented that the film "is worthy of a theatrical release and Oscar nomination. It tells a multi-leveled story and uses a beautifully-crafted visual aesthetic."
The Appalachian Film Festival is a yearly festival honoring works from individuals residing or attending school within the Appalachian region of the country, from New York to Georgia. Over 235 documentaries were judged on subject matter, appeal, direction and editing.
Communication Students See Career Goals in Action
Students from the COMM 215 course attended the Ohio State University football Spring Game to see broadcasting, public relations and journalism in action. They also met with Columbus communication professionals, including Dom Tiberi, sports reporter for WBNS 10-TV. Click here to see an article out of the Norwalk Reflector about one student's experience.
My First Screenplay: A Sabbatical Project by Jeff Demas, Associate Professor
This sabbatical project was borne of an idea that I had in the summer of 2006. I undertook the writing of a full-length motion picture screenplay. I have written many scripts during my career in radio and television but never one of this magnitude. It served a need to enhance my own professional level of writing, but also served as a way for me to impart new learning to my students about the world of professional media writing.
When I finished the script in August, 2006, I knew very little about how to get it produced. In order for our students to be fully prepared to enter the work world, they must have some knowledge of the players in the media industry and contacts that can advance their careers. With that in mind, I enrolled in a workshop during my sabbatical called "How to Sell Your Screenplay," and began researching such things as management and talent agencies for writers.
One of the most critical lessons I learned was the importance of knowing the players in the industry and especially the importance of an agent and/or manager. It is virtually impossible for a novice script writer to acquire an audience for his project without benefit of an agent. The Catch 22, of course, is finding an agent willing to read your material and believe in it enough to sell it.
An ancillary benefit of the online course was the interaction with other prospective screen writers. We exchanged a myriad of ideas and even critiqued each other's work. I discovered terms I was unfamiliar with in my short-form writing for television. Many screen writers seek what is called coverage, a critique of your screenplay by a seasoned writer.
The second term is query letter. Because most screen plays are more than a hundred pages, agents do not generally accept unsolicited works. However, many will read query letters, which is in essence a proposal submitted by the screen writer. If the agents are interested, they will request pages of the script or perhaps the entire manuscript. This is an important inroad for first-time writers.
I have assembled many notes from the "lectures" and interactive dialogue shared with my online instructor. I will continue to share those pieces of information with students or whoever may be interested.
This abridged version was taken from For the Faculty, Winter 2009.
Journalism Adjunct Professor Interviewed by NY Times
Sherry Paprocki was quoted in a New York Times article about how to brand yourself. Sherry is the co-author of the forthcoming book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Branding Yourself" (Alpha, an imprint of Penguin, May 2009). Click here to read the story.
Speech Team Wins at National Honorary Tournament
The Otterbein College Speech Team attended the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament over Spring break. Kory Blair was awarded a Pi Kappa Delta All-American Award for her forensic competition success, academic excellence and community service work. She was one of only ten awardees in the nation. Kory Blair also won an award of Excellence in Discussion and Kelly McDonough won an award of Excellence in After Dinner Speaking.
Congratulations to the Debate Team
On March 8, the Otterbein Debate team attended a Tournament at the Ohio State University. Senior Judith Holbrook finished preliminary rounds with a record of 4 wins and 0 losses. She lost in the semifinals on a 2-1 decision. Holbrook was the Top Speaker at the Tournament and qualified for Nationals with her performance.
Congratulations to the T&C
The Tan and Cardinal student newspaper was named a Silver Medalist paper by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The paper also won All-Columbian Honors for its general operations.
Congratulations to Debate Team
The Otterbein Debate Team was represented at the State Tournament on Feb. 20-21 by freshman George Schubert, sophomore Sam Weisgarber, juniors Jessica Hansen and Fahmiya Ismail, and seniors Joshua W. Gibson and Judith Holbrook.
The team placed Second in the State in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Gibson received a Sixth Place Speaker Award. Ismail won her Semi-Final Round, eventually losing to an Ohio State debater on a 2-1 decision. Ismail was the Top Speaker at the State Tournament.
PRSSA Brings Former OSU Football Players to Campus
Ohio State University football seniors Todd Boeckman and James Laurinaitis talked to nearly 100 students on February 9 in the Communication and Arts Building lounge about life as an OSU football player, dealing with the media, and the future.
Boeckman and Laurinaitis also signed autographs and took a photo with each attendee.
Click here to see photos from the event.
Todd Boeckman mentions PRSSA event in an ESPN interview.
Congratulations to the Speech Team
The Otterbein Speech Team took First Place in Team Sweepstakes small schools division at the Ohio University Forensics Tournament. Team members included Kory Blair, Josh Franke, Kendra Cosko, Kelly McDonough, and Semeria Ibrahim. The team is coached by Dr. Susan Millsap in the Communication Department.
