A presidential address close to home

Last weekend I had an opportunity that not very many people get. I was able to not only attend a rally for Hillary Clinton, but I had the opportunity to meet former president Bill Clinton as a audience member standing in the front row. Aside from being an extremely nice and personable guy, he is also a prolific speaker. Working the crowd before and after his speech, encouraging citizens to cast their vote for Hillary in the Democratic primary, he spoke with many people throughout the entire crowd like they were his own friends. Not surprisingly, President Clinton also knows how to interact with media. Around four television stations and three newspapers from Pittsburgh and Erie were present at Allegheny College last Saturday for the former president’s speech on behalf of his wife’s run for the presidency. If you worked for any of those media outlets, you would be hard pressed to not find a good sound bite to air on the news that night or publish in your paper the next day. Clinton’s speech was well crafted and he barely looked down throughout the entire hour long address. His animated hand gestures, pertinent subject matter, and occasional jokes to keep the crowd going for a speech that never felt like the hour that it lasted. Clinton’s uses his experience in the public eye to his advantage. As he spoke, he looked around at the crowd, making eye contact with various members of the audience, perhaps making them think he was speaking directly to them. During some of the speech, he directed his vision and motions towards the cameras set up on a platform behind where I was standing, as to directly address the media for that perfect video clip. It was interesting to observe Clinton’s mannerisms and his media savvy ness. It was also strange to see the media so reserved, since they were confined by Secret Service personnel to the single platform 20 feet from the stage. Obviously, there was an abundance of Hillary supporters in the crowd, but there were also some Obama supporters that created some controversy by waving signs against Hillary’s campaign and sporting Obama apparel. For the media present, there were a multitude of shots that could have been used. The area where President Clinton spoke was outside and on the smaller side, making the 2,000 person crowd look near massive. The speech was held on the most central, and probably the most picturesque, part of the campus. The speech and overall atmosphere at the speech was an amazing experience, not to mention meeting the former President. Even after being out of office for 8 years now, President Clinton still knows how to work a crowd and work the media.

Entering the world of the E-portfolio

This week I, along with the rest of the Capstone class, had the opportunity to visit the career center to work on our portfolio building skills.  This made me a bit anxious, since the only experience I have with portfolio building is creating my resume and some air check tapes.  Much to my surprise, the informational meeting with Career Center Director, Jackie Meade, and Assistant Director, Kati Edmiston, worked much to my benefit.  Jackie explained the importance of building a professional portfolio and what to include in it.  She talked at length with the class about what the difficult aspects of broadcasting are for each of us.  Many of us commented on the deadlines and how that could possibly the most difficult part of being in broadcasting.  Others mentioned working odd hours and being on call, while some others mentioned coming up with fresh story ideas.  Jackie explained that in there will always be difficulties, no matter what career we choose to pursue, but if we work on those difficulties now we will better handle them when we enter the professional world.

After speaking with Jackie, Kati Edmiston took us into the workroom of the Career Center to show us, first hand, what an E-portfolio looks like.  She featured many examples, especially ones regarding broadcasting.  Going through the set up process for an E-portfolio was particularly easy.  Kati explained we could set our up on PowerPoint and format it anyway we wanted.  The examples she provided were filled with all the information a potential employer could want, as well as colorful and artist design to easily catch someone’s eye.  She showed us how to link our resume, cover letters, demo tapes, and other examples of our work within the E-portfolio.  After showing us how to set up the E-portfolio, I felt much better about creating it.  I’m not entirely technologically savvy, so when I heard about this E-portfolio business, need less to say, I was skeptical about doing it.  Kati’s instructions and tips really helped me and made me look at the E-portfolio in a whole new way; she even provided a help sheet with the full instructions and some of her own tips to the class.  I believe her presentation was helpful for the entire class, especially with us getting ready to begin our internships for the summer and having time to start our E-portfolios before our final semester of Capstone starts up this coming fall.  Overall, the trip to the Career Center is exactly what I needed to cure my fears of making an E-portfolio.  I learned many valuable tips from both Kati and Jackie and will be putting them to use in the very near future as I continue developing my Capstone project and, consequently, when I matriculate into the professional world. 

My Capstone proposal: A touchdown in the making?

I had an interesting, yet extremely busy week. Scheduling my classes brought me to the realization, once again, that my time is quickly dwindling here at WC. Trying to accomplish all my work with my upper level Spanish course, combined Psychology and History cluster course, Digital Photography, all on top of Capstone, is extremely difficult. The good news is I’m making progress with all my other classes, in order to focus more on Capstone. I actually had a breakthrough this week with my project. First, I have to say, I was a little shaky on what I actually wanted to do for my project, but after thinking it over and some guidance from a few minds in the Broadcast Department, I came to reach a pretty solid decision. I narrowed my project down to working with the football team, since I must present my project before next semester is over. I was informed that the assistant coaches of the Titan football team produce a compilation video of highlights from the entire season to present to the players at their banquet in January. I found this especially interesting, so I thought I would contact Coach Jeff Hand, the head coach. It didn’t take me long to find him, since he was helping out at registration. I spoke with him about the possibility of undertaking the production of the highlight tape, while the assistant coaches would tell me which plays and other highlights they would want to be shown on it. He agreed and thought it would be a fantastic idea. He was really excited that someone wanted to base their project around the football team. I also mentioned my other idea to him, regarding promoting every Titan football game as well as Westminster Cable Network and Titan Radio where the games would be broadcasted. He told me that promoting the football team could potentially attract many more students and community residents to the games, as well as boost WCN viewers and Titan Radio’s listeners. I plan on staying in close contact with Coach Hand for the remainder of the semester, especially over the next two weeks leading up to my project proposal for the department. Coach seemed like he had a ton of great suggestions for my project. I really look forward to working with him in the near future. I’m thinking now that I’m on track with my Capstone, I can actually begin to plan it out. I will keep in contact with Coach Hand and begin my poster design for promoting the team, WCN, and Titan Radio over the summer. Being that I only live an hour from campus, I could drive up one day to go over the design with Coach Hand and his assistants and anyone in the Broadcast Department if they happen to be on campus. I’m planning on editing highlights for Coach’s Corner this fall and using those highlights in the video for my project. I will be able to put the film together, once the season is over in early November. Until then, this summer is going to give me a prime opportunity to adequately plan my project and how things will go next semester. Keeping in contact with Coach Hand and Mr. Weaver, my Capstone professor, will keep my planning moving right along. I have to move fast, though. Time is already flying, with the semester just about over, I’m almost finished here. This is the final hurdle I’m going to have to jump and it seems to me, I’m already off to a dashing start.

References: What can they do for you?

I breathed a sigh of relief this week. After first thinking that I would have to complete a literary review for my Capstone project by the end of this semester, Mr. Weaver informed us that we should stick to sources in the form of our references that we have been establishing over the course of the semester. This was possibly the best news I’ve received all week. I’ve been steadily working to develop more references for this very assignment. When the semester first started, I didn’t think I had any connections or references that would benefit me, but as time moved along and I went through the internship interviewing process, I came to understand that there were many people I already knew that would make great references. I also came to realize that these people don’t necessarily need to be involved in sports or marketing, they can be just about anyone who knows the broadcasting business or has given me advice. Some of these people I have met by accident. Others have been formally introduced to me. And a few others I still have yet to contact to see what advice and counseling they can offer.
A few of my references are pretty obvious, simply because I have been around them much more than my others.
Lead sports newscaster and also Sports Director at WYTV in Youngstown, Bob Hannon, offered his knowledge to a number of broadcast majors the ways of announcing sports last semester in his Sports Broadcasting class. It was quite an experience and an honor to have someone so well respected in the profession teaching us the ins and outs of sports casting. Mr. Hannon was a great person to go to with advice on careers and was always willing to offer advice to how to make our broadcast projects better.
Bob Pompeani, lead sports caster and Sports Director at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, is someone I have enjoyed watching on KDKA for many years now. I have also been fortunate enough to come to know him through various community events. He has always been someone who always has the time to speak with me about my career path and goals. He is always one to offer great advice and was the first person to suggest that I should apply to the internship at KDKA. He has been a great help and, I believe, will become one of my greatest references as I complete my Sports Internship at the station.
Current athletic director and volleyball coach at my alma mater, Michael McDonald (aka Coach Mac to students, friends, and parents), proved to be an unlikely resource in my quest to locate references. At first, I just thought that I could only use his expertise on being a long time athletic director, but once I thought about it, I realized Coach Mac has done so much more than that. He currently sits on both the district and state committees for boys and girls volleyball, in addition to being a long-standing athletic director. He deals extensively with the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) through being both a volleyball committee member and also athletic director. He has always been someone willing to help me and could provide great advice and insight on working with school districts and/or leagues, like the WPIAL.
These are just a few of my potential references. All three of these resources can provide me with a wealth of information, primarily in sports, I will need upon entering the job race. I have many other references that I am seeking, but I believe this is a great start. I plan on keeping open communication with these, and many of my other resources, in hopes that they can provide constructive criticism, guidance, and positive reinforcement as I work my way into the wide world of sports marketing.

Some thoughts on my Capstone...

This week could be coined the beginning of the end…the end of the spring semester, that is. I’m slowly working on my proposal for my senior project and mapping out my strategy and timetable for it. Tentatively, I am thinking I will work in cooperation with the athletic department here at Westminster in order to market and promote the sports teams. I’m hoping to gain many connections from the athletic department through doing this project. By deciding on this choice for my project, I have come to a realization that I would like to put all my efforts into pursuing sports marketing. I understand it’s a general term, because there are so many facets of sports (high school, college, and professional) but I think it’s a great starting place for me. I have an immense love for sports, so it would be something I could really enjoy, no matter where I ended up. My internship will also help me to make connections and, perhaps, narrow down the area of expertise I choose to pursue. At the moment, working with Westminster will be a great experience. The school has a wealth of athletic talent for only being a Division III school. It will be a great introduction to sports marketing and give me insight for planning for my future profession.
As far as mapping out my project, I’m thinking Prof. Weaver’s assignment of creating a calendar of daily or weekly goals and assignments we have will be the best way to keep organized and on top of things. I’m working on my rough version of my calendar as I write this. I’m hard at work jotting down what I will do each week, such as blog and help with The County Line, and what contacts I have to make. One of my main objectives is to keep in good contact with the people that I will be seeing on a regular basis. There is nothing more important than communication, especially when it comes to something as serious as my senior project. I want to ensure that everything I complete is up to their standards. Another important thing to document in my calendar will be how much of my project will I undertake in a week. I would like to dedicate as much time as I can on a weekly basis to my project. This will require scheduling around other classes, events, and meetings. I really believe that this calendar will be an excellent tool in scheduling and keeping up to date with my senior project. I’m also thinking that this project, while challenging, will be a true testament to what I have learned here as a Broadcast Communications major and what I can contribute to a career when I graduate. It’s really going to be interesting to see how this project works out. I’m off to a good start I think, with working out the details in my mind. Now, all I have to do is get a formal plan ready and in the works. I think once I start putting more of my thoughts and ideas on paper this project is going to be full speed ahead.

The Search Ends: KDKA it is!

So, spring break is coming to a quick close and it feels like I never even got to unpack. Wait a minute, I was so busy, I didn’t even get to unpack. I still had interviews to complete for a few internship opportunities. I had three interviews this past week. All of them went extremely well, but none really appealed to me like the three others I had done previous to the break. I took time after all the interviews were completed on Thursday to review each and everyone I had done. It was shaping up to be quite a decision. With the many excellent and reputable places I had interviewed at, I had a ton to think about. I had barely had half a day to think, when I received my acceptance to the Sports Department internship at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. As soon as I opened the letter, it felt like the best thing to do. I knew it would be the best opportunity out of all the interviews I had attended. This internship could not be better. I have long wished to work for KDKA and now I will get my chance in the department that is my forte!
On a grand scale, this whole internship search was a ton of work, but it has really paid off. I interviewed at numerous places with different areas of work. Through the experience I verified that I wished to actively pursue my dream of interning at KDKA, while also taking time to weight the other possibilities. I looked at it this way: KDKA was my best interview. The person who interviewed me really cared what I had to say and really enjoyed the interview as well; it just didn’t seem like a mundane thing to him. KDKA was also, I felt, the most reputable; they are well respected and some of the best professionals out there. The final, and most important reason, was that it just felt right. When I opened the letter and saw that I had been accepted, I felt like a kid on Christmas. I knew, with a reaction like that, it was my calling, so to speak. Now comes the real task: the internship! I spoke with my supervisor and have my start date finalized. He also was extremely helpful in detailing what I would be doing as one of their two interns. It seems there will be equal time in and out of the station, from assisting their on air talents with scripts to heading out into the field with the crew. I honestly couldn’t think of anything better! I’m really starting to think that this could be the experience of a lifetime and I’m pretty sure I could be right.

The Hunt Continues: Part II

I have a feeling that for the next few weeks I’ll continue to blog about my ongoing internship hunt. After all, it’s still going to be a few more weeks until everything is all wrapped up and I have decided where I wish to complete my internship.
On Monday I interviewed at a local TV station for three separate departments. It was quite an intimidating setting, in that there were about 70 people there all interviewing for 14 separate departments. It was reassuring to talk with other people from different schools about where they were planning to interview and what their aspirations are. I even saw some old friends from grade school at the interview and catching up with them between interviews was really nice.
The day was particularly long, starting at 10 in the morning and continuing through 2 in the afternoon. The interviews were out in the open and you were called completely at random for whichever three you chose. The waiting was what made me the most nervous. I had at least a 40 minute wait between interviews. The first two I had for marketing/special events and commercial production went fine, but were unusually quick. In a way, I guess they had to be quick with the amount of people there wanting interviews. My final interview with the sports department was my best. I actually interviewed with one of their on air sports talents. The actual interview was a total no pressure situation. No grilling questions, no questioning my resume or activities at school…He just wanted to know what I enjoyed about Westminster and my activities there. The rest of the interview was talking sports. He inquired as to what I knew about sports, what I enjoyed about them, and how I felt I could contribute my love for them to their department. It was the first time in an interview where I felt I could speak without a great amount of pressure and stress weighing on me. In that aspect, I have a very good feeling about that interview. And after careful consideration, I think I may want to jump on that opportunity, if given the chance to intern there. I’m actually hoping for that chance.
In some brief other news, I was offered an internship at another local news station with their marketing department. I am thinking I want to wait to hear from the two other places I interviewed before I give them a definite answer. It was exciting, though, to get the phone call and hear someone say that they think I can excel at their company. The woman really wanted a “yes” when she contacted me on Friday, but I thought it best to take the weekend to think about my decision and weigh the other options. I’ve taken most of this weekend to think about my options and where I really want to end up. I’m still contemplating, but I’m sure by the end of tomorrow, when I have to contact the other station, I will know exactly where I want to intern. Until then, I have the rest of the day to think.