Today I finished two weeks of full-time work at the CBC as an arts reporter.
When I say it was a dream gig, I mean the combination of a clear mission, enthusiastic coworkers, varied topics, new experiences, constant learning and ability to have impact gave me the tingles everyday. Even now, it seems unreal.
Someone paid me to report on the arts. People read, listened and watched. I was working full-time for the national broadcaster, contributing to the voice I've listened to since I was a child. Amazing.
I'll still be contributing as a freelancer. Before leaving, I sat down pretty much everyone there to ask how I could keep my foot in the door. I'm not done with you yet, CBC. And I think you're a long way from being done yourself, though some would say otherwise.
The show mentioned in this CBC Scene article I wrote is happening tonight. Check it out if you can - should be hilarious, interesting and moving all at once (so get ready to cry/laugh/think simultaneously).
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival's artistic director will be joining the lineup for the Coming Out Swinging gala Thursday, April 11, to discuss - with a few laughs - his choice to come out of the closet a few weeks ago, ending a 23 year marriage and a chapter of his career. (continue reading on CBC Manitoba Scene)
In CreComm land, the four nations (Public Relations, Advertising, Journalism and Media Production) are hustling toward major project presentations at the Winnipeg Convention Centre this coming week. You're very welcome to attend and see some absolutely outstanding work from up-and-coming communicators — from tea parties that raised $30K for eating disorders to documentaries on beer league hockey to silly little radio shows.
The public relations and advertising majors just finished their alchemical experiments, combining their two disciplines to produce three dynamite integrated marketing campaigns for FriendMatch, a platonic friendship-making site. Thanks to my teammates — particularly Jaclyn Leskiw, for being the perfect team co-leader. Employers take note, she's an advertising triptych (knows what to say, who to say it to and why she's saying it).
Here's a wee taste of FriendMatch: The World is Friendlier than you Think.
While cobbling together these campaigns, the public relations majors have also been practicing hostile/aggressive media interviews (with Melanie Lee Lockhart bringin' the heat).
My friends in journalism grumble every now and then about "being handled" by PR people — getting explanations and redirections instead of juicy, controversial remarks. The flip side is, of course, aggressive, sensationalism-seeking journalists who've only had five minutes prep to grapple with complex, long-standing and often confidential issues.
As a freelance arts writer and a public relations major, I have a foot in both camps, so it's a fun discussion. Especially when worlds collide and a beloved member of my theatre community is "released" from the theatre she founded 30 years ago.
Let's agree this isn't really a hostile interview. (Not like some of the take-no-prisoners flayings you can find online.) The questions are reasonable, the tone is polite. Marcy Markusa asks the questions Ms. Koop's audiences and key stakeholders must be asking.
Remembering there is a legal obligation to maintain confidentiality on some issues (and pretend you're neutral... which is hard...), you decide if the interview went well.
CBC Radio's advertising program Age of Persuasion is undergoing a reboot - partly due to a departure by co-creator/writer Mike Tennant and partly due to a desire to podcast the show (limiting the amount of copyrighted material they can use on-air).
But mostly due to a subject shift. While Age of Persuasion has provided 5 seasons of solid retrospective on how advertising'marketing has arrived at its current incarnation, the more exciting conversation is what the future holds for advertising (especially as marketing shifts from one-way persuasion to two-way dialogue).
Behold the new program Under the Influence. Gifted storyteller Terry O'Reilly talks about the current trends in advertising, who's sharpening the cutting edge and - given advertising's relationship to society - where our civilization is heading.
The first episode just went live - you can read it on the website or download it on iTunes as a free podcast.
The BRIC Nations: How Rising Economies are Taking Over the Conversation
the story of a kidnapped Brazilian advertising superstar
how a Russian entrepreneur opened a bank to sell his vodka
why Nokia sent traveling musical companies through rural India
