Thursday, September 27, 2007

Park Scholars Rising Junior Awards Info Meeting

Greetings,

As you may know, the Park Scholars program this year -- for the first time -- will be accepting applications for a "rising junior" award.

That means that Park students who are currently sophomores, who will by January 2008 have completed three full semesters in an eligible major in the Park School, AND who meet the explicit criteria of the award (more on that in a minute) will be eligible to apply for a Park Scholar award that will cover their final two years at Ithaca College.

To learn more about those criteria, please come to an information meeting on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 from 12:10 p.m. to 1:05 p.m. in the Park Hall Auditorium. I will be there, as will Associate Dean for Faculty Diane Gayeski, and Park Scholar Program Director Matthew Fee; we will present information on the scholarship, discuss the application process, and answer questions.

An evening information session will be also be held later in October. If you are interested in applying for one of these awards, it is recommended that you attend one of these two sessions.

If you have any questions, please contact Bonnie Ryan in the Park Scholars office at parkscholars@ithaca.edu or 607-274-3089.

Another great mini-course: The Business of Television

David Spiegelman ’80, Senior Executive Vice President, Domestic TV Distribution and Marketing for New Line Cinema will be teaching a 1-credit mini course: The Business of Television: Program Distribution, Marketing & Series Development. Registration is now available on line through Homer Connect. This course is limited to 25 junior/senior majors ONLY.

CRN #24105 TVR 29200-01

Title: The Business of Television: Program Distribution, Marketing & Series Development

Description: This course will explore how TV programs and motion pictures get licensed to a variety of networks. It will also detail how TV syndication works. In addition, you will examine the marketing tools used in launching a new series or the release of a new motion picture. Then we will study series development. What are the tools needed to create and develop a new program? How do you pitch one and where do you pitch it? Finally, each student will get to prepare a new series idea and pitch it!

Recommended reading for course: Desperate Networks by Bill Carter

Date and Times: Friday, October 26 4:00-7:00
Saturday, October 27 9:00-6:00
Sunday, October 28 10:00-1:00

It's your intellectual property...and it's your choice

Some of you expressed concern this week that a mini-course we're offering in the Park School required participants to sign a waiver assigning intellectual property rights from the course to the Discovery Channel.

As you know (I hope), the Park School's policy is that all intellectual property developed by students belongs to the students. In this particular case, however, we decided to provide students the OPPORTUNITY to participate in a workshop that had different rules.

Nobody was required to participate.

The course is not required of any student for any program.

It is completely voluntary.

Students were told upon registration that this is the requirement established by the two alum who are teaching it.

And we have ensured that this will not be the only such opportunity for students in Park this year; in fact, I'm about to announce another, very similar workshop that will not have the same intellectual property requirements.

We decided to allow this exception to our general policy for precisely those reasons: You guys are adults. You understand the issues and the possibilities. You can decide for yourselves whether this is something you want to do. And as long as we're not pressuring you, or requiring it -- as long as it's a purely voluntary activity -- we think you should have the right and the opportunity to make that decision for yourselves.

At this point, the class is full. I remain convinced that those students should be able to make that choice, and that one of our roles is to give them the opportunity to do so.

Comments and follow up

Hi everybody,

A few weeks ago, I posted an email that I got from a student about spending time in Lebanon.

I did that not as a political statement or manifesto - though some of you appear to have read it as such.

I did that because I thought it was a beautifully written expression of one student's perspective and experience in an incredibly complex, difficult and foreign culture. And because learning doesn't happen just in the classroom, or in the lab, or in the newsroom or studio. It happens on the streets, and in our travels, and in the conversations we have with people whose opinions and world views are different from our own.

I did it because I was pretty sure it would make you all think about something in a different way -- whether you agreed with the perspective or not.

I think I was right.

But I wanted to be sure you understood.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Olympic News!

Hey everybody,

We've spoken with NBC Sports, which has expanded the number of interview slots for prospective interns at the summer Olympics in Beijing.

What does that mean?

It means that SOPHOMORES (students who will have junior status by fall 2008) are eligible to apply!

We had limited applications to current juniors and seniors only, since we wanted to be sure to give them the opportunity first (we figured sophomores and freshmen will get their turn in two years).

But if NBC is willing, well, we're happy to take them up on it.

We'll be sending all Park students an email with the details about an informational session and the application process. So before you hit that 'delete' button, take a look and see if you're interested.

Isn't it fun to be a Parkie?

ICB Sunday important, relevant, professional...yahoo!

This just in from Chris Wheatley:


Three cheers for Chris Baxter and his team of reporters and producers on an amazing debut of "ICB Sunday" on Sept. 23. WICB's Sunday night news magazine program is back, and better than ever. Listeners were treated to reports on the Tompkins County S.P.C.A.'s no-kill policy, the Ithaca Town Supervisor race, and the recent AIDS Ride For Life.

It was such a pleasure to listen to. Every piece was well researched, and the production—from delivery and interviews to the bump music—was extremely professional. The stories were important and relevant. Even the pacing of the show was relaxed yet professional. Everyone sounded so poised!

"ICB Sunday" represents a return to the ambitious, community-oriented journalism WICB has been known for. Doing great radio takes time and care Thanks to generous helpings of both, we have a winner on Sunday evenings at 7:00.

Blood and Gorges Festival returns to Park

This just in from LA:

I'm writing to you from LA, letting you know that the Blood and Gorges Film Festival will be starting up again this year, and it will be bigger than ever. I have two wonderful ladies in charge this year, Ashley Wartonick and Colleen Danger Goodhue, and they have been planning the festival out ever since school started. The festival will be receiving submissions from filmmakers nation-wide, we have a listing on
Withoutabox.com, and we are planning a potential simulcast of the event between Los Angeles and Ithaca.

In case you want to know what the event is about, it's a video contest to see who can make the scariest short film within a month of the screening date, Oct. 28. Shorts are no longer than 10 minutes, and after all are screened, the audience chooses their favorite. We usually have a great prize for first place and this year is no exception.

Check out our snazzy new website at bloodandgorges.com for more details.

The first meeting for those interested is Oct. 3 in Park 220 at 7pm.

---

Friday, September 21, 2007

ICTV does it again!

ICTV won another award!

Broadcast Education Association 2007
Festival of Media Arts
Student Video Competition
Second Place - Live/Studio
"Sports Final" produced by Luke Uttaro

Sports Final-
A segment of Newswatch dedicated to providing viewers with up-to-date sports information. A vast array of sports are
covered, but the focus is on the local athletic programs of Ithaca College, Cornell and Tompkins County high schools.

Luke Uttaro '08 produced Sports Final in the Fall of 2006 and currently co-produces Bombers Football with Jack Dugan.

Way to go, Luke!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

OK, guys, it could be your turn next time...

So we're all Parkies, and if there is ANYTHING Parkies do, it's stick together and help each other out....one click at a time.

AJ Pinkerton, a Cinema,Photo & Media Arts major, needs our help.

Your help.

He's entered his short film in an online competition and -- you got it -- he needs our votes.

Come on....you've got 30 seconds to help him out. I know you do. (And it's one of those "pass it forward" or "what goes around, comes around" things. When you need us to vote for YOUR work, we'll do that, too...)

So, here's the scoop:

The video is located at
Potty Hands.

Voting continues until Sept. 30.

AJ's currently in third place.

Wouldn't it be so great if we all got together and boosted him into FIRST?

We can do it. You can help.

And I know you will.

I just know it.

A job offer....from an alum

A job in new media, just in from an alum:

New Media Producer – University Web Services, NJIT

At the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Office of University Web Services is responsible for creating a public website that engages various audiences (e.g., potential and current students, faculty, alumni, the general public, etc.). One of the key components of the website is frequent, creative, on-message new media content for the university’s website in formats such as audio, video, Flash animation, and so forth. NJIT requires a creative self-starter to produce this content from idea conception through scripting and from recording through editing and posting.

* Envision and create a consistent stream of web-ready content in a variety of new media formats such as, but not limited to, podcasts, enhanced podcasts, Flash Video, web-appropriate still photography, streaming video, etc.
* Provide strategic and operational leadership and direction for NJIT’s use of such services as our iTunes U site, our Flickr account, and our YouTube account. Provide expertise on how the use of these sites and our content within them can support NJIT’s mission.

See more at http://www.njit.edu/webservices/jobs/

Friday, September 14, 2007

Who SAYS Parkies don't have star power?

Monday, September 10, 2007

Designing Park...and everything else

Interested in designing promotional materials for campus clients?
Come to the Park Design House Information Session.

Park Design House Info Session
Tuesday, Sept. 25
12:10 p.m.
Park 220

The Park Design House is a collaborative project between the Park School of Communications and the Office of Marketing Communications.

PreVues: Celebrate student work at a Park gala

Please join us for PreVues 7, the Park School's student film and video showcase.

PreVues 7 highlights the best student work from the 2005-2006 academic year. Of the hundreds of films and videos produced by students at the Park School, nine selections were chosen to be screened at this annual event.


PreVues 7
Wedesday, September 19, 2007
Cinemapolis (on the Ithaca Commons)
Reception to follow at Juna’s Café
Free and open to the public.

Student Works Selected:

Illustrations from the Instructions for Neo-Traditional Children's Book Drawing
Sujin Kim ’08

Muckraker
Jeremy Levine ’06

Fairy Use
Dave Moore ’06 and Jeremy Levine ’06

Part 3: On the geological succession of organic beings
Rory Brosius ’06

Everything: Part 37
Richard Porten ’06

Everything in it's Right Place
Mira Nikolova ’07

Jolly Black Slaves
Jeremy Levine ’06

Robert
Jenn Sosinski ’06

Braithair
Meagen Minnaugh ’06

Sunday, September 09, 2007

From the border: Palestine, close up and personal

I got this over the summer and I asked for permission to share it with you. It will give you a different -- perhaps more immediate, and more compelling -- perspective on life in a part of the world that too often seems so far removed from us here in Ithaca:

Hey,

I've been back in the U.S. for a week now, and I thought I'd send out one last email. Some people have been asking me how I would sum up my experiences this summer, and some people have rightly sensed that I've been holding back a little bit in these mass emails. So, for those of you who are interested, here's my response…

First of all, Palestine is intense, and at times it was really draining emotionally. It's not that my life there was difficult, and I never felt like I was in danger, but there were times when the stories I heard or the things I saw seemed impossible to fit into my understanding of the world. The vast majority of the time I was fine, but sometimes the blatant abuse or the extent of the suffering or even people's ability to survive were simply too much to wrap my head around. My reaction then was either despair or anger, and there were certainly times when I just felt disgusted with the state of Israel (and the U.S.) and not very interested in the political, social and psychological explanations for what is happening.

That kind of emotion can be productive, but it can also be dangerous. I hope that moments of feeling overwhelmed or outraged don't make me self-righteous or blind to other perspectives. There's a lot I don't know about Zionism and Israeli society. (I'm actually taking an Israeli history class this semester because of that.) The historical narratives and the political situation in both Israel and Palestine are extremely complex and I know I need to understand them better. But at the same time, there are a lot of things about this conflict that are frighteningly straightforward, and I feel comfortable saying that the situation on the ground calls for resistance to the occupation. While Israelis do have legitimate fears and grievances, they are the occupiers and the powerful actors (relatively speaking, at least), and their grievances don't come close to what the Palestinians face on a daily basis. For these reasons, I think listening to and addressing Palestinian grievances has to be the priority.

I think it's hard for most Americans to appreciate how destructive the occupation is. When I went to the West Bank, I actually expected to find the situation better than I had seen it portrayed in films and articles, whose purpose I knew was partly to shock their audience. I expected that the horrible stories I'd heard were symptomatic of an oppressive system, but that they were the exception, not the rule. Unfortunately I found that wasn't the case. Inside the occupied territories – especially since Oslo – the occupation is not something abstract. You don't have to go looking for concrete examples of a theoretical injustice - it's all around you. In Israel or the U.S. you might be able to throw around terms like "benevolent occupation," you might be able to talk about Israel as an exemplary democracy, and you might argue that Israeli policy has been aimed at peace and stability. But inside the territories, while there is huge diversity of views on most other issues and much understanding of (if not sympathy for) the Israeli version of things, there's basically no way to see the occupation as benevolent or Israel as a true democracy or Israel's intentions as benign. It's simply impossible to reconcile any of those things with living under occupation. Palestinian children don't need Hamas television to teach them to hate Israel or to embrace violence. They experience the violence of the occupation firsthand before they have the chance to be indoctrinated.

So what should happen now and what should people like me do? I don't know. The situation now, most Palestinians say, is about as bad as it's ever been because of the fighting between Fatah and Hamas and because settlements, settler roads and the wall have made a viable Palestinian state almost geographically impossible. As far as the negotiations go, it's hard to see how any agreement that hasn't involved Hamas can be sustainable. One thing that people seem to agree on is that a change in the status quo can only come from a change in U.S. foreign policy towards Israel. I think it's really important for Americans to at least educate themselves about the situation, because our military aid quite literally enables the occupation to continue, and every Palestinian is very well aware of this fact. It would be pretty hard to persuade any American administration to do so, but I think the U.S. really could force Israel to change its practices by withholding aid. There's also a movement towards boycott and divestment, similar to what happened with the apartheid government in South Africa, to put pressure on Israel. That's something worth looking into as well.

Most importantly, no matter where you fall on the issue, I think it's really important to open up the discussion about Palestine in the U.S. The scope of the debate in politics, mainstream media and even a lot of academic institutions is much too narrow and heavily biased toward Israel. There are people with many different perspectives who are sincere about engaging those who disagree with them, but there are also many powerful people and organizations who want to shut down debate. That's what happened when Jimmy Carter's book came out last year, a book (and I read it) that is about as friendly to Israel as it could be while still criticizing Israeli policy. In other words, if Carter's criticisms of Israel were inappropriate and therefore unworthy of serious consideration, then it would seem that almost no criticism of Israel is appropriate. That I find terrifying, and it's that atmosphere more than any American policy that makes me somewhat ambivalent about coming back to the U.S.

As usual, this is getting long, but I just have a couple things left to say. First of all, I would really encourage any of you who have the chance to go to the West Bank to do so, especially if you're visiting Israel. Palestinians are so eager to have people listen to them, and although they are resentful of U.S. policies, I never felt any hostility directed at me.

Also, thanks for reading my long-winded emails. I would have written a lot about this summer anyway, but I can't tell you how many people practically begged me to tell my friends and family in the states about what I saw. People have a lot of faith, actually, that Americans would help their situation if they only knew more about what was going on. Finally, there are a bunch of you on this list who I'm sure disagree with at least some of what I've said over the course of summer, and while sometimes it's easier to just leave this issue alone, I also want to hear what others of you think and where you think I'm mistaken...

Pitching your project, interviewing for ESPN, developing a series: It must be fall in the Park School

In case you missed the email we sent out last week:

It's that time of year again in the Park School...heck, it's *always* that time in the Park School:

We're already got an amazing line-up of special speakers, workshops and alumni visits scheduled for the fall semester. There's something here for just about everybody -- and if you don't see an event or speaker who matches your particular interest, wait a minute; undoubtedly we're working on it.

In the meantime, mark your calendars:


Sept. 28-29, 2007

“From Pitch to Air: The Life of A Project"
1-credit mini course

Josh Beck and Doug Bailey, alum and executives at the Discovery Channel, are coming to campus to teach you how to envision, develop, pitch, structure and fund a television pilot. Students will propose their own ideas, pitch them to the television execs, and map the process that would take their ideas from successful proposal to the air -- including deal options, program structures, and funding schemes.

If you ever want to do television, and it has occurred to you that it would be good to know how it really works - inside and out - this is the course for you.

Enrollment is limited to 12 junior and/or senior Park Majors only. Register on Homer Connect starting Monday, September 10. (Yup, that would be tomorrow.)

And get there early. I have a feeling this one will fill up fast.



October 4-5, 2007

Park School National Advisory Board Ithaca Visit

The Park School National Advisory Board is a group of some of our most distinguished and successful alumni. They serve as a sounding board and professional network for the school's administration, faculty and students.

One of the reasons they're so willing and eager to help is because they value the chance to work with you, our students. So we're going to make sure they have the opportunity to spend time with you while they're on campus.

Make a note on your calendars to keep Oct. 4 and 5 open if you can; we'll let you know asap exactly when those special events are scheduled.




October 8, 2007
The Art of Interviewing

*Master Class*

Is ESPN your dream job? Come and hear Chris Martens, Senior Coordinating Producer for ESPN Classics, talk about some of the world's greatest sports interviews. He's put together a program of amazing moments in sports history, and he's going to walk you through the techniques, skills and talents it takes to be a world-class interviewer -- for sports or any other kind of programming. It'll be an amazing show, and an extraordinary learning experience.

Sign-up information and location will be available shortly.



October 26-27, 2007
The Business of Television...Program Distribution, Marketing & Series Development

1-credit mini course

For the past year, you have been telling us that you want to learn more about how the industry really works. When you get to NY or LA, you want to understand the process, the players, the structure.

We listened.

In October, David Speigelman ’80, senior VP at NewLine Cinema, is coming to campus to present a mini-course on the business side of the television industry: licensing, syndication, marketing, series development, and yes, folks, once again, that most important of all television-industry skills: pitching.

Registration information will be available shortly.


Isn't it fun to be a Parkie?

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Wanna do some (more) great radio? How 'bout long-form radio news?

This just in....want to do some great radio news (it'll be great because YOU will do it....)

Hey everyone -

I'm guessing I don't know many of you, but I'm Chris Baxter (senior, journalism/poli. major, etc.) and I'm planning to be the director of the new and improved "ICB Reports" on 92 WICB this semester. I put that in quotes because, first things first, I'm pondering new names. If you have any suggestions, send them along.

"ICB Reports" is a half hour, NPR-style radio news show about issues important and pressing in the Ithaca community. The show will look something like this: half hour, every week, probably Sunday evenings. The show will start with an introduction to the local content, move into a very brief roundup of national/international news, and then move into the lede story. We'll need four local stories for each show. Some of these should come in package form with some Q&A in-studio afterwards, maybe with the reporter or a source in the story. Others can be well-planned segments that don't lend themselves to good packages, but are still important issues. This may consist of a reporter, a source and the host navigating the issue in-studio.

I've been a writer at The Ithacan for my first three years of college, and after a few internships, I know how important it is to get some experience in other media. I'm pretty new at this radio thing, so don't be worried if you are too. We'll work it out.

We'll talk about all of this, who wants to do what, host tryouts and story assignments at our first meeting. Come to the radio room on the bottom floor of Park at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10. We're aiming to get our first show on the air Sunday, Sept. 23.

If you can't make it, e-mail me with what you're interested in and I'll get the ball rolling. Otherwise, come to the meeting and bring along some friends. Also, feel free to write me with any questions or concerns.

See you soon,
Chris Baxter
cbaxter1@ithaca.edu

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

It's not too late!

6:13 p.m. Wednesday

This in today from iMPrint (it came at noon but I just worked my way down my email inbox to find it about 2 minutes ago):


Greetings all!

I wanted to let everyone know that iMPrint Magazine will be having its rush night tonight (editor's note: Wednesday) at 7:30 PM in the Ithaca Falls Meeting Room in Campus Center (that's where the old TV lounge used to be, for you upperclassmen). We're looking for writers, bloggers, photographers, marketing people, and Web designers, so if you're interested, be sure to stop by.

For those of you who don't know, iMPrint is an online magazine about college life run and written by IC students. We have more than 15,000 unique visitors a month (and growing), and are always looking for new staff members. You can visit iMPrint at imprintmagazine.org.

If you can't make it tonight but are interested in joining iMPrint's staff, or if you have any questions, just send me an e-mail at gryan1@ithaca.edu.

That's all... see everybody Friday at the meeting.

Thanks,
Greg

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Dean's Hosts: PARK hoodies, great lunches...and a chance to give back

Hey everybody,

If you're having as much fun as it looks like you're having -- everybody seems so excited and happy, don't you love this time of year? -- I'm wondering whether you might be willing to share that enthusiasm and energy with the next generation of Parkies (do you remember the kids who shared theirs with you?).

We're getting ready to recruit this year's Dean's Hosts, students who work with us to present Park (in all its glory) to prospective students and their families.

Our hosts give tours. They host visiting students. They participate in Admissions activities and help us decide how we're going to present Park in our publications, our videos, our public events.

In exchange, we give them a very cool hoodie that only DHs can have. We feed them reasonably good food at least once a month. And we tell them how amazing they are -- and we mean it.

If you might be interested in joining the Dean's Hosts, please join us at one of our informational sessions this fall:

Friday, August 31, 4:00pm in Park 220
or
Thursday, Sept. 6, 12:10pm in Park 220.

It's fun. It's valuable. And it really makes a difference.

Thanks for considering it.