Messages from Alumni
We want to hear from our alumni. To post a message, go to our Alumni Form.
- Messages from 2008
- Messages from 2007
- Messages from 2006
- Messages from 2005
- Messages from 2004 (September - December)
- Messages from 2004 (Prior to September)
- Messages from 2003
- Messages from 2002
- Messages from 2001
| Date Posted: December 27, 2006 Name: John Goshorn Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Lynchburg, VA 24502 USA Email Address: jgoshorn@wset.com Employer: WSET-TV/DT, Inc. Message: This message is for everyone, but specifically for alumni who need to get a foot in the door somewhere in the media industry. I work for the ABC affiliate in the 68th-ranked TV market. I have been promoted from production assistant to commercial producer, but in order to make that transition, my station needs to find either another PA to replace me or an associate director, so the shows I've worked on can be fully staffed. There is the potential for fast advancement at this station, as there is a high turnover rate. A recent PA is now a morning news reporter, and as I said, I've become a commercial producer, and we've had PAs become directors in six months to a year, depending on turnover. To land the PA job and turn it into something more, it takes little more than SMAD 201-202 and a great work ethic and willingness to learn. As far as the associate director position, the primary responsibility is Good Morning Virginia, which has been named VAB's top morning show in the state two years running. One of our directors just jumped 25 markets to Memphis, hence the opening, so there is a lot of potential to leapfrog in that spot, as well. Our Human Resources page is: http://new.wset.com/jobcenter.hrb, so check out the openings and apply if you just need a foot in the door and trust your abilities beyond that. |
| Date Posted: December 20, 2006 Name: Lisa Marietta Year Graduated: 2004 Location: St. Louis, MO 63103 Email Address: lisapeteet@yahoo.com Employer: TOKY Branding + Design Message: Hello Fellow Alumni and SMAD peers, I was just browsing through these messages and was inspired to write one of my own after seeing past Breeze friends (Nate and Drew). After graduation, I packed my bags and moved out to St. Louis, Missouri for graduate school. I studied for a year and was the campus Art Curator, which was an awesome experience. Thanks to Dr. Holman, I had the experience to write all of my own proposals, press releases and my own designs as a curator with a shoestring budget. :) Since last April 2006, I have been working as a designer/copywriter for a small firm called TOKY. (www.toky.com) It's been an adventure and a learning experience but I love working in a small shop and get to wear many hats. If any of you would ever like to move out to the Midwest, please contact me and I can try to work some connections and get you contacts. St. Louis is a fun city to live in and is very affordable. Also, I recently got married so I am no longer Marietta but Peteet now! (Still not used to the new name.) I wish you all well. |
| Date Posted: December 18, 2006 Name: Kevin Barnhill Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Arlington, VA 22203 Email Address: kevin.barnhill@natgeochannel.com Employer: National Geographic Channel Message: Hey all just wanted to let you know about an opportunity over at the National Geographic Channel. We need someone THIS WEEK who can start and work full time (9-6). The position is kind of undefined, it has a lot of responsibilities associated with our tape library and asset management system. It's an entry level kind of job that is a year long contract. I started at the channel doing something very similar to this and I am an editor now (after about 18 months there) so there are other opportunities down the line. This is a great "get your foot in the dooor" kind of deal. The pay is competitive and they would want you to start immediately. No benefits like vacation, health or 401k though. Email me ASAP with your resume if you are interested. You can also call me at (703) 475 7523. No experience is necessary, just a strong desire to work hard and learn on the fly. |
| Date Posted: December 5, 2006 Name: Kristen Green Year Graduated: 2006 Location: New York, NY 10027 Email Address: krogreen@aol.com Employer: Vanderweil Engineers Message: Hi there everyone! Well brilliant me figured that the best way to get a job in journalism would be to go to New York so I'd be able to go on tons of interviews all the time. I actually turned down three jobs to move to the city. And while I've had interviews, all I've been offered was a non-paying internship at the New York Resident. I did a few odd jobs for awhile to pay the rent but now am just hostessing and considering moving back to Virginia/DC. I never thought I'd actually miss it, but I do! I am excited that I've had the opportunity to live and interview here, because nothing seems scary anymore. My interview skills have definately improved thanks to the intimidation of Rolling Stone/Wenner Media and the Sundance Film Festival Daily Insider. I honestly think they just want someone older with more experience. So back to VA? We shall see! |
| Date Posted: November 30, 2006 Name: Zach Mercurio Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Arlington, VA 22207 Email Address: zachmercurio@clearchannel.com Employer: Clear Channel Communications Message: Hey SMAD, I am currently working for Clear Channel Communications as an advertising representative for the sports station in DC. We have a marketing research position open here for next year if you have experience in the field. Here are the details: Marketing Research Director. Do numbers come easy to you? Can you find patterns and trends in data that others can't see? Do you have a skill and creativity to make mind-blogging data attractive and easy to understand. Imagine applying those skills to MARKET an extensive range of Clear Channel's media products to the nation's top agencies and some of the largest advertisers in the country. As a major source of information, you'll play a vital role in helping top advertisers develop and implement marketing strategies using a wide range of Clear Channel Washington DC and Baltimore's media platforms (11 radio stations, online radio & the Internet, Total Traffic Network). Clear Channel Washington DC and Baltimore is looking for a creative thinker/information wizard who is analytically talented and driven to be a Marketing Research Director in a top 10 and top 20 media market. Requirements: 4 Year College Degree. Research experience. Solid PowerPoint/Presentation skill. Marketing Experience a plus. Send me an e-mail and I can forward your information if interested. Thanks, Zach |
| Date Posted: November 2, 2006 Name: Matt Duff Year Graduated: 2001 Location: venice, CA 90291 Email Address: duff4hire@hotmail.com Employer: Message: Hello all I graduated with a SMAD degree in 2001. I've been out in LA for a few years now. It's a long road, but I've made some connections and am now trying to pitch a sketch show to some cable networks. The producers with whom I'm working have suggested to put some bits online to get some public reaction. I'm launching the site today so, please show me some SMAD love and check me out at - www.myspace.com/freshhotturkey - we'll be putting up weekly webisodes until we get picked up or until my cocaine habit becomes unmanageable(california). If you like it, please join my page and tell all your freinds. If anyone remembers me, lemme know what you're up to. Matt Duff |
| Date Posted: November 2, 2006 Name: Casey Templeton Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Washington, DC Email Address: caseytempleton@yahoo.com Employer: National Geographic Magazine (intern) Message: SMAD Gang, Hope all is well around the halls of Harrison. I am keeping up with everyone through the smad site and am excited about all the awards that have been won this year, congrats. I am currently interning with National Geographic Magazine as a photographer and travelling non-stop. Heading down to Florida for 4 out of the next 6 weeks working on a story about a community of pigeon racing legends. O the places you will go. Make sure to be checking out the alumni site on the smad site: http://www.curiomagazine.com/alumni/index.html This is a great way to contact other people in the industry that are biting at the bit to help out fellow JMU (soon to be) graduates. Contact me anytime: www.caseytempleton.com - Cheers! |
| Date Posted: November 1, 2006 Name: Kevin Johnson Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Washington, DC 20005 United States Email Address: johns3km@jmu.edu Employer: Interface Media Group Message: Hello SMADies/unemployed future creative artists...Reading through some of these posts I recalled my own struggles with trying to get a job in the industry...and it's really hard. Luckily, Woody hooked me up with an interview at Interface and as you probably know SMAD dominates IMG. I work with about 7 JMU graduates as an assistant editor doing everything from editing in FCP, digitizing, sending out DG's, captioning, dubbing, and downconverting to all various tape formats (VHS, DVD, BetaSP, DBeta, DVCAM, HDCAM, DVCPROHD, D5). We do probably 80% political work so its been real crazy lately but we are also starting to pick up some long form/ production work and have been doing a lot of work with PBS and will be working on a National Geographic project soon. For the political season, we had 8 Final Cut suites running nonstop along with an Avid, 2 Smoke's, a Fire/Inferno, and a Flame. I couldn't have asked for a better first job to start my career and I owe it to Woody and SMAD for setting me up. One thing I have learned is that it is very difficult to jump right in as an editor--you have to pay your dues and work your way up the company, so don't get frustrated if you don't land your dream job right away. The pay might be low but its worth the experience in the long run. I'm hoping after political season is over, I will be able to get some time on the discreet systems to add one more tool to my "digital sandbox." If you are looking for a job come graduation, send me an email, I'll see what I can do. |
| Date Posted: October 24, 2006 Name: Kelly Peterson Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Staunton, VA Email Address: kv_peterson@hotmail.com Employer: The News Leader Message: Hey everyone! After looking for what felt like forever I finally found a job as a graphic designer for The News Leader in Staunton (I know, I didn't wander very far). After being here a little over a month all I can say is I LOVE my job. It's not as creative as I had originally hoped, but I'm learning priceless problem solving skills. From what I've seen the general public have no idea what goes into creating an ad, so some strange situations pop up. There is currently another full time graphic design position open, but interviews are already taking place and it may be filled quickly. If you're interested, definately apply... they loved my design samples, most of which I did for SMAD classes. Good luck to all of you who are still looking! |
| Date Posted: October 23, 2006 Name: Leslie Bourke Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Portland, OR 97206 Email Address: leslie@bourkeonline.com Employer: Nemo Design Message: Hello to all the SMAD professors and current students! You're enjoying a new facility now, right? How lucky! You must be enjoying it. Well, I haven't posted on here yet, so here's my update. I moved out to Portland, OR in April 2005. My sister lives out here, so I knew what I was getting in to. I kept busy for a while by temping and freelancing. My break came when I got a six-month contract job for Nike, doing design and production for their retail site. When Nike decided to outsource the site design, I started doing contract work for the company they chose, Nemo Design. I helped out with the launch of NikeStore.com, and I recently became full-time. It seems moving out here was the right choice. I hope everyone there is doing well...You're teaching 3D animation now? That is awesome! Keep up the stellar work. |
| Date Posted: October 13, 2006 Name: Alison (Manser) Ertl Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Brielle, NJ 08730 Email Address: gm@starnewsgroup.com Employer: Star News Group, Manasquan, NJ Message: Hey Smaddies and Breezers! Just wanted to drop a line on here briefly. I'm back in New Jersey working for Star News Group, publisher of two weeklies, The Coast Star and The Ocean Star and really loving being back in the industry! You can visit us at www.starnewsgroup.com Looking forward to visiting the Burg for the first time in a couple years for homecoming next weekend. Maybe I'll run into some of these old names and faces! |
| Date Posted: October 4, 2006 Name: Scott Bourdeau Year Graduated: 2006 Location: White Plains, MD 20695 USA Email Address: scott.bourdeau@gmail.com Employer: Greenfield/Belser Ltd. Message: What up SMADdies?? So I got a job officially, which is nice. From Spring Break of senior year (March) until June, I sent out 85+ resumes and job applications before landing a paid internship in Dupont Circle (Washington, D.C.) as an Account Executive's Assistant/Marketing Intern at a Brand Design firm. And after interning from the last week in June to the last week in September, I got hired as an official Account Executive Assistant! SCORE! My office focuses on law offices and professional services firms as clients, but also does pro bono work and is trying to break into the accounting realm. We essentially do branding, advertising, and marketing communications for these clients. I really like the environment I work in; it's generally people from 25-35 years of age, with a handful older, and a handful younger, like me. I'll leave another posting if we're ever looking for any positions. Right now (10/4/06) there is still an opening for an administrative assistant/receptionist because our current one is moving downstairs to our Production department to become an artist. If you're interested, get on it fast because they're finishing up interviews and trying to hire someone in a few days. Send any resumes or inquiries to humanresources@gbltd.com. Can't wait for Homecoming! |
| Date Posted: September 29, 2006 Name: Matt Killmon Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Burbank, VA 91502 United States Email Address: killmoms@gmail.com Employer: Modern VideoFilm Message: Had trouble initially finding a job just out of SMAD (the media industry is not easy to break into), but with the helpful advice of a couple alumni and some legwork, I got hired by Modern VideoFilm out in Burbank, CA. I'm a DVD Operator, which means I essentially do DVD encoding and burning for dailies for TV and movies, finished shows for network exec approval, and other DVD duplication tasks. I'm looking to move over into visual effects, but this position is a good "foot-in-the-door" move that utilizes my SMAD education and lets me branch off into the area I really want to pursue. |
| Date Posted: September 28, 2006 Name: Dylan Boucherle Year Graduated: 2001 Location: New York, NY Email Address: dylan@yodee.net Employer: Freelance Editor/Producer Message: Hi everyone, it has been a really long time since I have made a post to the site so I thought I would say hello and give a quick update on what I have been up to the past few years... I have been living and working in NYC for the past 5 years (however i actually just moved out to NJ, as hard as that is to say.) The last time I posted I was working for NBC Olympics, after the 2002 Olympics I left NBC and went freelance as an editor/producer. Since then I have been working on shows/docs and remotes for various networks, but since 2003 most of my time is spent with ESPN. Back in 2003 they hired a small group of us to redo the production of the World Series of Poker, so we changed the show and it ended up being a success. We started out with 7 shows and now we are in our 4th season and up to 34 shows. So this takes up about 6-8 months of my year and then the rest of the year I work for other networks on other shows... That's its in a nut shell Its great to read what everyone has been up too and I hope everyone is doing well. |
| Date Posted: September 28, 2006 Name: Cindy Boyd Year Graduated: 2006 Location: Elon, NC 27244 Email Address: Boyd.Cynthia@gmail.com Employer: New Directions International Message: Hey there everyone, just wanted to wish everyone well and let ya'll know I've finally landed in North Carolina. I am the graphic designer for a missions and relief organization in Graham, NC (New Directions International), and I am living in Elon, NC. We are a non-profit organization that partners with over 30 countries worldwide to build churches, aid villages, and provide supplies to developing communities. I am responsible for creating all of our promotional materials, print and online, and I might even get the chance to travel a little! Please feel free to contact me for information on the job scene down here--I researched A LOT of areas in NC, so I'd be glad to help if I can. Hope everyone is finding their way! Take care! |
| Date Posted: September 22, 2006 Name: Helene (Waligora) Gleason Year Graduated: 2000 Location: Johnstown, PA 15905 Email Address: helenew@paris.com Employer: Memorial Medical Center Message: Hi JMU Smad alumni! I'm now working as a Public Affairs Coordinator for Memorial Medical Center, Conemaugh Health System, in Johnstown, PA. Public Affairs is a very exciting field, especially in the health care arena. Take care, and if I haven't heard from you in a while, drop me a line! |
| Date Posted: September 20, 2006 Name: Jennifer O'Brien Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Reston, VA 20190 Email Address: jennifero4@hotmail.com Employer: DLT Solutions, Inc. Message: Like Jason, I too ended up in Marketing in Reston. After graduating in 04, I spent a year in fashion marketing and then moved over to the IT sector. However, I am on the creative side of the house. Strategy, advertising, account management ect. For those of you who are interested in this route after graduation, my company DLT Solutions, Inc. will be at JMU on Monday for the career fair in the festival ballroom. Regardless, please stop by and say hi - I would love to hear what is new in SMAD. |
| Date Posted: September 13, 2006 Name: Jason Goodwin Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Reston, VA 20190 Email Address: jmu1330@yahoo.com Employer: The NPD Group Message: Wow, I did a random google search and ended up here. So I thought I should probably give an update as long I'm here. After graduating from the SMAD program in 2001 I had a couple of brief freelance jobs and one regularly recurring part time job working in the TV Room at Harbor Park for the Norfolk Tides in 2002. Then in December I completely switched gears to something that's 180 degrees different from SMAD. I work for a market research firm based on Long Island. We have a small office in Reston, where I'm based. I started as a basic coder in Dec 02 and moved into Data Quality last year. So basically my day is spent looking at spreadsheets and sales trends...blech. At least it's sort of SMAD related as I'm in charge of data quality for most of our CE categories (Digi Cams, Camcorders, iPods etc). To give an example of what we do, when Steve Jobs says something like "iPods have 75% of the digital player market”, those are typically our numbers he’s quoting. I still use my SMAD training outside of my job and I do get complimented all the time on how well designed my spreadsheets are, haha. Oh and I got married in Dec. 2004. How's that for burying the lead! Good luck all you other SMAD peeps! |
| Date Posted: September 6, 2006 Name: Kim Witt Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Arlington, VA 22204 Email Address: knwitt@verizon.net Employer: Ricci Communications Message: Hey everyone! For the past year I've been working for a marketing and design agency in Old Town Alexandria and wanted to pass on some information about a Marketing Assistant job. I actually started off in this position, so if you have any questions or want more information, definitely get in touch with me. Here's the post from Craig's List: Old Town Alexandria MKTG firm seeking PART TIME Marketing Assistant (12 to 15 hours guaranteed each week) will be responsible for providing support for marketing and communications initiatives through writing and editing, database management and administrative support. Will also support interactive projects, including web site updates and distribution of email campaigns. Candidate should have strong writing and editing skills, and be proficient in Word, Excel and Access. Marketing, communications or similar degree preferred. Please send: COVER LETTER, RESUME, AND HOURLY SALARY REQUIREMENTS. |
| Date Posted: September 5, 2006 Name: Meri Price Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Alexandria, VA USA Email Address: meriprice82@hotmail.com Employer: Volunteers of America Message: Hi all. I've officially accepted the fact that I'm no longer a college student (it's been over a year), so I figured it was time to post something up here. I had a rather tumultuous first year out, filled with fabulous magazine and PR internships, and unfortunately no job offers. Finally, I came across a PR staffing agency in the DC Metro area called PRofessional Solutions (I recommend it to any corporate Comm majors looking for jobs), which places people who have experience with PR in PR-related postions. They placed me in the PR and Publications department for a nonprofit called Volunteers of America. For you more Web-oriented SMADdies, the company is currently looking for a "Web" person, who knows a lot about design, "freshening up" a Web site's image, and innovative approaches to Web communications, with only basic IT knowledge required. If interested, email me at meriprice82@hotmail.com, or check out www.voa.org. |
| Date Posted: September 5, 2006 Name: Neil Campbell Year Graduated: 1997 Location: Bluemont, VA 20135 Email Address: nosnaab@alumni.jmu.edu Employer: AOL Message: Hi All, Just wanted to let you all know that my group here at AOL is looking to hire for the following positions: (1) Senior Designer position (2) Associate Designer positions If you are interested, send me an email ASAP. Hope all is well in "The Burg". |
| Date Posted: August 24, 2006 Name: David Armentrout Year Graduated: 2000 Location: Alexandria, VA 22315 Email Address: darmentrout@silaspartners.com Employer: Silas Partners Message: Hey everybody. So I've been keeping up with the alumni board for a while now and I figure its my turn to update folks on what I've been up to lately. So after college I worked for several years at the now defunct Roland House, a post-production house in the DC area. I did a little bit of everything there, but spent most of my time doing DVD authoring, video compressions, and various other multi-media/graphics type stuff. It was a great place with great people, but unfortunately that ship sank. I made it out alive though. For the past several years since then, I've been working as a web designer/developer/strategist and Silas Partners (http://www.silaspartners.com). Silas Partners is a small web consulting firm, located in Alexandria VA, that caters to churches Christian ministries, and philanthropic non-profits. In the little spare time I have I also do freelance work of all sorts. Also, I just got married...that's big news. Anyway, big thanks to Mr. Woody, Mr. McHardy, and the whole crew for excellent preparation for the real world. Anybody in Northern Virginia, feel free to send me an email. |
| Date Posted: August 18, 2006 Name: Kyle Barss Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Alexandria, VA 22312 Email Address: kyleB3383@hotmail.com Employer: Luntz Research Message: Hey all you Smadkateers, I finally got a decent job so I'm deciding to post. We're actually looking for another media person as well, same thing as me, so if you're looking for a job in the DC area, listen up! I work for Luntz Maslansky Strategic Research. We do focus groups and analyze what language and strategies work the best to sell a client's product or service. My main responsibility is getting video footage together that we're testing. This could be a CEO giving a speech, a Q&A session from television, or even taping our own speeches to test them. We also edit final presentations on Avid (boo), and travel a fair amount to set up the dial equipment that measures & collects the data. It's a fun job, most of my co-workers are around my age, and laid back. Plus, it's in Old Town Alexandria. Can be high-pressure at times, but it's up & down. Perfect for entry level jobs, pay isn't too bad. Gosh, i just realized i sound like an employer. Anyway, hope all you smaddies are doing well; enjoy college, it goes quick! And email me if you're interested in the job! |
| Date Posted: August 17, 2006 Name: Laura Creecy Year Graduated: 2002 Location: Calabasas, CA 91302 Email Address: creecyle@hotmail.com Employer: Freelance Message: Hello SMADies! I have been out in Los Angeles for a year now and had a string of interesting jobs from 2ndAC on low-budget horror films, Asst. Editor on an indie feature, and my share of reading scrpits and answering phones. Now I am lead editor on a documentary (http://www.everydaydancers.com/) which should finish post at the end of the year, and working for a commerical production company doing a bit of everything from office work to editing and graphic design. Hope everyone is doing well on the east coast! |
| Date Posted: August 17, 2006 Name: Joe Ciarallo Year Graduated: 2004 Location: New York, NY 10009 USA Email Address: joe.ciarallo@gmail.com Employer: D S Simon Productions Message: Hi All, It's been great reading about all the cool things everyone is doing. I wanted to post to the board as the company I work for, D S Simon Productions is currently hiring Account Executives in our Media Relations department. If you or anyone you know is interested in working with the broadcast media on a daily basis and with clients in the consumer, entertainment, tech, and medical/pharma sectors, let me know! We're a fun, medium sized shop where you can really get your feet wet with the NYC media. Check out our website at www.dssimon.com and send me your resume if interested. Thanks! |
| Date Posted: August 13, 2006 Name: Robbie Carman Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Alexandria, VA 22304 USA Email Address: robbie@amigomediallc.com Employer: Amigo Media Message: Its been while since I've posted on the ole' SMAD page. Since then I left the company I was working for about 5 years to start a new consultancy called Amigo Media (www.amigomediallc.com). Life has never been better. We've been doing tons of work for Disco, NatGeo and lots of political stuff. The bulk of work that I do is finishing work meaning Color Correction, Matte and Title Work. In other words I’m the last guy to see the picture. In other news I got married to my beautiful wife :) I bought a house, and for the first time full like I’m really doing it. Nothing is better then not working for someone. A tip to all those graduating consider doing it your self. Has anyone seen Dylan Boucherle? I would love to get into contact with him. Woody I would love to get together! Robbie Carman 703.980.0109 robbie@amigomediallc.com www.amigomediallc.com |
| Date Posted: July 31, 2006 Name: Brian Jackson Year Graduated: 1997 Location: NY, NY 10024 Email Address: misroch@hotmail.com Employer: Madison Avenue Physical Rehabilitation Message: Hey All. It would be SMADtastic if I could find some contacts here in NYC!! I've been working 10-12 hour days (for a fairly non-gainful salary), and I'm looking for new employment. So, are there any alumSMADs in the vicinity?? I feel networking could be quite SMADvantatious to this end. Please write or Call, Brian Jackson, 1997 misroch@hotmail.com, 917-664-3026 |
| Date Posted: July 25, 2006 Name: Kate Marshall Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Alexandria, VA 22314 USA Email Address: kate.marshall@edelman.com Employer: Edelman Message: I'm onto job #2, this time working as an account exec at Edelman Public Relations Worldwide in DC. I work on the Wal-Mart account and am usually responsible for researching, creating backgrounders, fact sheets, and talking points, and pitching the media. The job is awesome (never a dull moment) and the environment and people at Edelman are great too. Drop me a line if you're in DC and/or are interested in working here. Good luck, smaddies! |
| Date Posted: July 24, 2006 Name: Melissa Mollet Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Denver, CO 80209 Email Address: melissamollet@hotmail.com Employer: KDVR - Fox31 Denver Message: Hello All! Sounds like everyone's doing great! I check in every once in a while, so here's my update.... I'm now working as a general assignment reporter for FOX31 in Denver. I really like it and have made some good friends at the station. My husband and I relocated from Washington, DC to Denver this winter after he was offered a job here. I gave up a great gig at ABC7/Newschannel8 in DC to make the move. That was hard...but I'm glad we did it. My husband works as a sports writer for the Colorado Springs Gazette, covering the Broncos, Avs, Nuggets and Rockies. We love Denver - especially the weather - so if you're ever in town, look us up! |
| Date Posted: July 23, 2006 Name: Cheryl Lock Year Graduated: 2005 Location: St. Augustine, FL 32080 Email Address: cheryl.lock@gmail.com Employer: just quit! Message: Hi guys! All of my fellow Breezers have been posting, so I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon! Since moving to Florida I've worked as a freelance writer for a newspaper, a news reporter for another paper, and a copy editor/paginator for yet another paper! My most recent endeavor was with a start-up magazine, though. Unfortunately the company was falling on hard times, having a little trouble gaining start-up capitol, so I had to leave to find something more stable. I don't regret it though, and I would suggest working on a start-up mag to any and everyone who gets the opportunity. It has left me currently unemployed, though! If anyone knows of any writing or editing jobs, newspaper or magazine, please let me know. I'm willing to relocate! And if anyone is thinking of moving to Northern Florida, let me know also, because I have connections at three newspapers here :) |
| Date Posted: July 15, 2006 Name: Jamie Mottram Year Graduated: 1999 Location: Arlington, VA 22204 USA Email Address: jamiemottram00@aol.com Employer: AOL Message: Since graduating from JMU I've stayed in VA (Arlington) and worked for a fantasy sports web site called Sandbox.com and then, for the past 4+ years, AOL. I've had a lot of jobs within AOL but my current one consists of hosting a radio program called Sports Bloggers Live, writing for a site called Mr. Irrelevant and serving as an editor in-chief of sorts for a massive sports blog that's set to launch on AOL Sports this August. If anyone out there is involved with sports media and/or blogging and podcasting in any way, don't hesitate to get in touch. I'd love to hear from you. Of course, if you don't care about that stuff and just remember me from school, I'd love to hear from you too. |
| Date Posted: July 14, 2006 Name: Jessica Borash Year Graduated: 2003 Location: Arlington, VA 22209 USA Email Address: bf5chick@yahoo.com Employer: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions Message: Hello fellow SMAD grads! I'm back in Virginia after a year of living in New England (Rhode Island) while my boyfriend, a class of '04 history major, got his masters from Brown. NOW, I'm working as a Production Assistant for MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, best known for the Newshour with Jim Lehrer. It's such a great position, and I'm so excited to be back in the TV field (I previously worked for WRIC in Richmond, VA). In fact, I told a story in my interview about how we watched a story about Clear Channel in Alex's class that was on the Newshour and how well that story was done. I think that's how I got the job :) Either way, I'm one of the NoVa people now... |
| Date Posted: July 10, 2006 Name: Gregg Damanti Year Graduated: 1999 Location: New York, NY 10003 USA Email Address: Employer: Blue Man Group Message: Hey there SMADians! WOW is all I can say about the new facilities for SMAD. I'm beyond impressed and overly jealous that the students have new classrooms and equipment since I graduated. Well, I can tell you that JMU and the SMAD department, especially John Woody really propelled me to where I am today. I pursued a career in video production and branched out to the entertainment industry. Now I'm working for Blue Man Group in New York City and I absolutely love it! Many thanks to those at JMU that helped me throughout my college career and I look forward to coming back to visit some time soon!! |
| Date Posted: July 6, 2006 Name: Patricia (Frenville) Churpakovich Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Bayonne, NJ 07002 Email Address: pchurpakovich@hotmail.com Employer: WebMD Message: Just figured I'd post an update on the job front. I'm now working at WebMD's education website, Medscape. I'm an associate editor and am loving every minute of it. The company, based in New York City, is awesome. Lots of young people working here, great benefits, fantastic atmosphere. So, if anyone's looking for any types of jobs: sales, marketing, IT, editing, etc., let me know and I'll see what we have going on. Take care all! |
| Date Posted: July 3, 2006 Name: Andi Mitchell (Levin) Year Graduated: 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Email Address: andi.mitchell@uscm.org Employer: Campus Crusade for Christ Message: I am on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ working at our World HQ in Orlando, FL with on a graphic design team. I serve as a project manager. It's a twist on what I studied in SMAD, but it has been a good fit for me. I got married in Dec. 2004 to a wonderful man, Scott. Check out our website at http://home.ccci.org/mitchell. Also check out http://www.storyspot.com/~iblevn. |
| Date Posted: July 3, 2006 Name: Julia Filz Year Graduated: 2000 Location: New York, NY 10036 USA Email Address: juliafilz@hotmail.com Employer: Deussen Global Communications Message: Hey all. I got John Woody's email this morning about the MacRockumentary (Congrats to all involved) and was amazed that it reached me as the email address was from two jobs ago. I moved from Baltimore to New York in March and have continued down the public relations route. I'm now working for an agency that primarily handles fine wines and spirits accounts, as well as a few other unique clients. Very best wishes to all!! |
| Date Posted: June 21, 2006 Name: Kyle Phillips Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Alexandria, VA 22304 Email Address: kphillips@wpo.org Employer: World Presidents Organization Message: Hey everyone! I am just posting on here to let everyone know that my company has two web-oriented positions available. One is more editing content and the other is more html and graphic based. Please email ASAP to learn more. |
| Date Posted: June 20, 2006 Name: neil campbell Year Graduated: 1997 Location: bluemont, VA 20135 USA Email Address: nosnaab@alumni.jmu.edu Employer: AOL Message: Just wanted to say hi to anyone out there that might know/remember me. Also wanted to let everyone know that there are several Design positions that my group is looking to fill at AOL in Dulles, VA (AOL Headquarters). They are: Principal Designer Senior Designer You can submit resumes to my email above or to neilc00@aol.com Best to all. GO DUKES!! |
| Date Posted: June 14, 2006 Name: Dave Gorrie Year Graduated: 2000 Location: Hyattsville, MD 20781 USA Email Address: dave@davegorrie.com Employer: Discovery Communications Message: Hi All, I kind of forgot about this board, but I'm glad I remembered it...I wanted to pass along a job opportunity at the church I attend in N. Va. It has a great setup, and they are creating a full studio in the near future. It's a great opportunity with some great exposure opportunity. It's a very large church with a lot going on, it's amazing who knows who within the community there! Here's the brief description: TITLE: AVL Tech Videographer and Editor Full Time Support Staff The primary duties of the Videographer Editor will be to plan, shoot and edit several short non broadcast biographies (subject related documentaries), Ministry promotionals (commercials), single and multicamera recordings of live events post editing the graphics into the video, record major events for future "IBC history" documentaries. We are looking for someone with Director, Producer, and training skills, able to be a "one man" show, but willing to incorporate our volunteers as a valuable labor resource. Prior experience and / or formal training preferred. Be prepared to submit a reel of past accomplishments. For more information, contact Tim Heacock at: Heacock@immanuelbible.net, or call: (703) 941-4124 ext 215 I hope everyone is doing well! -Dave |
| Date Posted: June 5, 2006 Name: Blu Nordgren Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Somerville, MA 02144 USA Email Address: blunordgren@mac.com Employer: myself Message: If you're graduating and moving up to new England you best be notifying me. Not only am I the JMU Alumni chapter head together with a graphic designer from JMU, but I can hook you up with some potential work. Hope to see some of y'all up here! |
| Date Posted: May 26, 2006 Name: Shelby Crouch Year Graduated: 2000 Location: Richmond, VA Email Address: crouchse@hotmail.com Employer: City of Richmond Message: Well, I finally made the move from Comcast after 5 years. I now work in the Office of the Press Secretary to the Mayor at the City of Richmond. Mayor Wilder keeps me on my toes. I mainly shoot press conferences and speeches that we rerun on our Government access channel. I have also ventured into the print world and I love it. Good luck to all the new grads!! |
| Date Posted: May 5, 2006 Name: Sarah Nilsen Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Charlottesville, VA Email Address: sarah.nilsen@gmail.com Employer: Universal Pictures Message: After spending the summer of 2005 working in the JMU Housing Office, I moved with fellow SMADdie Megan Helsley to Wilmington, North Carolina. To make some money, I did background work on a few episodes of One Tree Hill and then found an internship with Wilmington casting director Francine DeCoursey. That internship turned into a position as the assistant to the producer on the indie film White Men Can't Dance, a breakdancing film which wrapped in January. Currently I'm in Charlottesville working as the costume department production assistant on the feature film Evan Almighty -- yes, the sequel to Bruce Almighty. No Jim Carrey this time, but Morgan Freeman is back and Steve Carell has taken over the lead. After wrap in June... who knows! |
| Date Posted: May 3, 2006 Name: Shelby Giles Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Email Address: gilessr@hotmail.com Employer: Circuit City, Inc. Message: Hi everyone! I can't believe it's actually been a year since I last set foot it the modular building. Since then, I've been working as a Graphic Designer in the Creative Department at the Circuit City corporate office. There are a number of JMU license plates scattered throughout the parking lot. That's refreshing:) I've really enjoyed my time here thus far. The Circuit City tab that comes in your Sunday papers across the country is what I primarily work on. Although my time here has been very pleasant, I will be relocating to D.C. in June. I have an apartment lined up, but I'm just beginning my job search. If anyone has any leads on openings for a talented graphic designer;) shoot me an e-mail: gilessr@hotmail. I hope all is well with everyone! |
| Date Posted: May 2, 2006 Name: Mary Paige Edwards Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Smithfield, VA 23430 Email Address: marypaigeedwards@aim.com Employer: Prime Media Productions Message: Hello! The school year is nearing the end and another SMAD class is about to leave. Congrats to those who are graduating!! The real world isn't as scary as you think! Now I know some of you may be headed up to our Nation's capital to find work, but to those who are headed back to Hampton Roads or if you are looking to move to the area I have a job opportunity for you. I work for a small cable advertising company in Smithfield, Virginia. It's just a hop, skip and jump away from anywhere in Hampton Roads. Just recently our Marketing Assistant position became available and we are looking to fill it with an eager young person VERY SOON! Here is a list of some of the job duties and qualifications: Assists Vice President Researches and updates networks and demographics Update webpage Design promotional packages and marketing campaigns for local cable advertisements Assists V.P. in quarterly sales meetings Assists sales force- network schedules, network updates *Experience in marketing and web design preferred Programs: Macromedia Dreamweaver Fireworks Flash Microsoft Office If you have any questions feel free to contact me! marypaigeedwards@aim.com |
| Date Posted: May 2, 2006 Name: Patricia (Frenville) Churpakovich Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Bayonne, NJ 07002 U.S. Email Address: pchurpakovich@hotmail.com Employer: Royal Media Group Message: Hey all. It's been a while -- actually a year -- since I posted anything on the site, so I figured I'd give an update. I'm still with Royal Media Group, which publishes seven financial newsletters. However, several months ago I was promoted to being an Associate Editor of one of our more prestigious pubs. The work still isn't quite up my alley, as there's a pretty steep learning curve where finance is concerned. But I've made some great friends here, and I've been here a year, so it's working out in the end. Wishing all the 2006 grads luck!! |
| Date Posted: May 2, 2006 Name: Jeri Moser Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Salem, OR 97304 Email Address: moserjeri@hotmail.com Employer: unemployed :( Message: Somehow I managed to know nothing about this message board until today. I went five years in the dark! I guess when you live in central PA you are always in the dark. Anyway, I just moved out to the Northwest...Salem, OR to be exact and I have no idea what I'm going to do out here. If there is a fellow SMAD grad out here or if there is someone who knows anyone out here, let me know. And just a note to those of you still in the program, take advantage of everything there is. Do internships, work on the Breeze and the Bluestone, attend career fairs. They don't lie when they say Network! Network! Network! |
| Date Posted: May 2, 2006 Name: Jonathan McNamara Year Graduated: 05 Location: Alexandria, VA Email Address: mcnam2jp@gmail.com Employer: L-3 Communications-SYColeman Message: Hey fellow SMAD students and alumni...After graduating in December 2005 I took a job working for L-3 Communications-SYColeman. I am only one of a number of SMAD alumni who are working for SYColeman. People in the company are always talking about how SMAD majors stick together. They call us the "SMAD Mafia". I am working as a Strategic Communications Specialist at the Pentagon. If you are a graphic designer, web designer, or a corporate communications major you should totally check out www.sycoleman.com. The company is always looking for people and they love JMU smad grads. Great pay and benefits. If you have any questions feel free to email me at mcnam2jp@gmail.com. |
| Date Posted: May 1, 2006 Name: Brian King Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Herndon, VA 20170 Email Address: brian.king@l-3com.com Employer: SYColeman/L-3 Communications Message: Congrats to all the '06 grads of SMAD. Now starts or is a continuation of the job search process:) Hopefully this can help. I work in Crystal City (DC) for a SYColeman which is a defense contractor. Basically the Army gives us money to do graphic work for them. We are currently hiring a graphic designer to work on an Army contract in the Pentagon. They absolutely love JMU Grads and its a fantastic place to get that 1st job out of school. Full benefits, stock options, 17 days vacation, 11 paid holidays, company is growing and doing really well. Lots of SMAD grads work here, Jon McNamara, Dave Hamric, Dan Drinkard, Keith Muth and the list goes on. You'll need to be able to obtain and maintain a clearance. If you have any questions please email me at brian.king@l-3com.com, call me at 703-412-1225, or check out the website at www.sycoleman.com. Thanks! |
| Date Posted: April 28, 2006 Name: Ray Suthinithet Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Washington, DC 20001 USA Email Address: suthinithet@gmail.com Employer: NewsGroup Communications Message: Hello all you SMAD people. It's almost graduation, and I know many of you are probably looking for jobs. There is a job opening at my company for a fulltime videographer/editor. I have been here for a year now, and it has been a great experience. I'll probably be here for another year or so. We are basically a freelance crew, which provides for a lot of variety. I found that variety is one of the best things about our field. Over the past year I have worked for companies such as Nike, HGTV, NPR, The World Bank, The State Department, and Entertainment Tonight. I have been on a long trip to Afghanistan, and it was a life-changing experience. I have done audio for interviews with Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Gabrielle Union, and many others. It's a pretty exciting job, and I'm glad that I might soon be having someone else in the shop! My boss wants to train someone to shoot on DVCAM, BetaCam, and HDV. On days when we don't have shoots, you might be editing on FCP or making DVDs on DVD Studio Pro. Some days are long, I work atleast one weekend a month, but it's worth it. You'll get benefits too, which isn't always easy to get in this field. If anyone is interested, please shoot me an email at: suthinithet@gmail.com You can visit our website at www.newsgroupinc.com Best, -Ray- |
| Date Posted: April 23, 2006 Name: Nathan Marsh Year Graduated: 2001 Location: Harrisonburg, VA 22801 USA Email Address: marshna@jmu.edu Employer: James Madison University Message: After a whirlwind tour of the Marine Corps, freelance world, radioland, and the advertising biz, I've finally landed full-circle back at JMU! In October I was thrilled to be hired as a Video Producer for University Marketing. It really is awesome to be back on campus and surrounded by all that I never knew I missed so much. Basically any multimedia that promotes the University in general, admissions recruiting, alumni, etc. goes through my office. I work in front of a SWEET flat-panel monitor, with a great group of peeps, (mostly alums) and all I have to do is pick up the red "SMADphone" in my editing suite anytime I need inspiration from Woody or legal advice from Dona. Pretty cool indeed. After years of working with so many different clients, it's a refreshing change to dig into a single brand long-term. I love it. If you find yourself in the 'Burg, stop by and say hello. Or stop by WXJM and pretend to be the FCC. Or just drop me a line and we'll do it together. Go Dukes! |
| Date Posted: April 19, 2006 Name: Kendra Hastings Year Graduated: Location: Arlington, VA 22202 Email Address: hastinkv@hotmail.com Employer: Message: I started out in an art department of a ad agency/PR firm, then moved to print production both at that same agency and a couple others, now I am doing advertising sales at the last ad agency firm I worked at! I love it. I am also currently the Metrodukes (DC Alumni) Happy Hour coordinator. Go Dukes! |
| Date Posted: April 14, 2006 Name: Sharon Bleakney Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Boston, MA 02139 Email Address: Sharon.bleakney@gmail.com Employer: Helicos BioSciences Message: Hope everyone from the Class of 2004 is doing well, in addition to everyone else from the SMAD Department. I'll still living up in Boston working for a Biotech company in Cambridge, MA working as a Marketing Coordinator. I love the people I work with and what I do. I do a lot of SMAD related work but also a lot of research and other things I never thought I would be doing. If anyone is up in the Boston area feel free to shoot me an email. Take care! |
| Date Posted: April 4, 2006 Name: David Hamric Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Falls Church, VA 22046 Email Address: davidhamric@hotmail.com Employer: SYColeman Message: Hello all. Quick story, then down to businiess. After graduating last May I moved to Denver and started looking for a job there. After no success (and working nights at the Comedy Club), about 2 months ago I saw a post from Dan Drinkard on the Alumni Message Board about an opening on the Army.mil web team. I moved back to the DC area a little over a month ago, interviewed for the position and am currently working as a web developer/videographer for www.army.mil in Crystal City. There are a bunch of SMAD people on the team here, and everyone is really great to work with. Currently we are looking for someone to fill another position on the team. They would need web developing skills, and their primary task would be to transcribe our videos. If you are interested, or if you just feel like saying what's up, shoot me an e-mail. |
| Date Posted: March 29, 2006 Name: Alison Fallecker (Fargo) Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Hopewell, VA 23860 USA Email Address: afallecker@gmail.com Employer: Entrust Federal Credit Union Message: Hey y'all! It's cool to see what my fellow SMAD and Breezers are up to lately, so I figured I'd give you my update! After graduation, I moved down to Richmond and got a job as the Marketing Specialist at a small credit union in the city. I design the brochures and inserts, give financial literacy presentations, update the website (which is in the redesign process right now, thank God), develop marketing campaigns, and several other things. It's a nice break from the newspaper stuff right now. :) I got married in October 2005 to Curt Fallecker and we are LOVING married life. We have a beagle named Star and live in a small town south of Richmond. Drop me an email some time! |
| Date Posted: March 29, 2006 Name: Drew Wilson Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Danville, VA Email Address: cwilson@registerbee.com Employer: Danville Register & Bee Message: After graduation, I had kind of forgotten about this site until a recent visit to the newly located SMAD department. I'm the sports editor at the Danville Register & Bee newspaper in Danville, Va. I've been at the paper since I graduated, but I started out as a news page designer. That lasted about three months until an opening in sports came about. Less than a year later, I was promoted to sports editor. Lately, I've spent time living out of a suitcase. I was in Daytona for a week covering the Daytona 500. I then continued covering Duke basketball and followed the team through the ACC and NCAA tournaments. I'm so glad that is all over so I can relax a little! I run across JMU grads in the media here and there, which is always nice to see. It's also good read on here that some of the people I worked with or had classes with are finding success out there. |
| Date Posted: March 7, 2006 Name: Caitlin Butterworth Year Graduated: 2003 Location: Ipswich, MA 01938 USA Email Address: caitlinbutterworth@hotmail.com Employer: Mullen Advertising Message: Just wanted to drop a note and say hi. I am working in the broadcast department at Mullen Advertising, an ad agency in Massachusetts, north of Boston. I am an associate producer here and I do a lot of radio commercials and brand videos and I've helped out senior producers on a couple TV productions. The most exciting thing I've worked on so far was an XM Satellite Radio TV spot that features Snoop Dogg, Ellen Degeneres, Derek Jeter, Martina McBride and David Bowie. I was in LA for the shoot and it was awesome. I've been at the agency for a year and a half and it's been a lot of fun. There are even a couple JMU graduates around here. |
| Date Posted: March 1, 2006 Name: Khalil Garriott Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Manassas, VA 20110-5830 USA Email Address: KGarriott@hotmail.com Employer: America Online Message: Hey guys-- I just wanted to post an update since I haven't in a while. I'm still with AOL as a Sports Editor and Producer. I also debuted my own column (mainly on college basketball topics) in the past few months. I've been here for a year and a half now and actually got a raise just yesterday. Our photo department is basically overrun with JMU grads (Mike Heffner, Steve Mawyer, Morgan Riehl to name a few), which is great. We have a couple openings on the Sports team so if anyone's interested, just let me know. I've also been freelancing when I can, and I have a feature story on Homecoming weekend coming out in the next Madison magazine (formerly Montpelier). Look for it in the next week or so. Take care and good luck to all the '06 SMAD grads! |
| Date Posted: February 26, 2006 Name: Mary Paige Edwards Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Smithfield, VA 23430 Email Address: marypaigeedwards@aim.com Employer: Prime Media Productions Message: Hello All! I hope everyone is doing well! Since I graduated last May, I have to say that finding a job was not as hard as I thought. Last summer I moved to New York for two months to intern with Dennis Publishing in their video production department. Dennis owns magazines such as Maxim, Blender and Stuff. It was definitely an experience I can never forget. I had a chance to edit ten or so videos for the magazine websites and MSN Videos, and I also met great people while I was there. When I returned home I took a part-time news editing job with our local NBC affiliate in Virginia Beach. It was different than I expected but a good learning experience. Just recently I was offered a full-time position as a Producer/Videographer for Prime Media Productions, a company I interned for two years ago. My main responsibilty there is writing, shooting and editing commercials and I'm loving every minute of it. Now that everything is falling into place I hope to be moving into a place of my own in Virginia Beach. If you are in the area let me know!! I would love to catch up! Take care everyone! |
| Date Posted: February 24, 2006 Name: Terrence Nowlin Year Graduated: 2002 Location: Alexandria, VA 22310 USA Email Address: tnowlin@nrpa.org Employer: National Recreation and Park Association Message: Hi folks. I have switched jobs yet again to something I believe will be a little more permanent. I am now the associate editor of Parks & Recreation magazine, a publication of the National Recreation and Park Association. I'm still living in Alexandria, but the job has taken me outside of the beltway to Ashburn. I'm lucky that this position is helping me utilize a lot of the same skills I used at The Breeze and Curio. My editor in chief is former Breezer and Curio editor Rachel (Woodall) Roberts (Mass Comm, class of 98). We're having a grand old time. As always, I'd love to hear from old classmates and professors. Take care and good luck to you all. |
| Date Posted: February 13, 2006 Name: Amanda Hayes Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Buckhannon, WV 26201 Email Address: hayesal@alumni.jmu.edu Employer: News Media Corp. Message: Hi everyone, I posted not long after I was hired in August 2004 as a news reporter here in Buckhannon, W.Va. After testing the job market in North Carolina last summer, I decided to stay in West Virginia a while longer. Little did I know what was to come... 2006 has been overwhelming so far. My town was the town where the 13 miners were trapped and 12 died. I was here for the whole ordeal as the national media swarmed in and the tragedy unfolded and I'm still here long after CNN and the other news outlets have moved on to the next story. It was the hardest thing I have ever been through as a journalist and possibly in my life, but I learned a lot and I can definitely say that I am ready to cover anything now (although I am happy to go back to covering education and city government). I'm also here for another reason:If anyone is looking to start in smalltown journalism (the pay is not great but you learn a lot), our "sister" paper, The Mountain Statesman is desperately in need of a managing editor and a reporter. As a reporter you will typeset, paginate (Pagemaker), write, take photos, etc...you basically get to do everything since it's a small paper. The editorial staff consists of the reporter and managing editor so as managing editor, you will also do those things along with assigning stories and other duties. Some experience is preferred but they will train if needed. The paper publishes 3x a week. Grafton is about 45 minutes from here and about 30 from Morgantown (Go WVU!) and a couple other big cities-Clarksburg and Fairmont. Please pass the word to anyone you think may be interested. They have no editorial staff at the moment. In fact, I've been asked to drive up there and help a couple days this week. Resumes can be e-mailed to her at jmeemail@aol.com. and if you have any general questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. |
| Date Posted: February 7, 2006 Name: Deedee Jacobs Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Fairfax, VA 22033 USA Email Address: DeirdreJacobs@hotmail.com Employer: Discovery Channel Message: Hello everyone! It took me a while to post, but better late than never! I graduated a SMAD (print journalism concentration) and English major in May 2004, and found a job soon after as a Graphic Artist/Proposal Coordinator for a government contractor in Northern Virginia. Although it was good experience, the job wasn't exactly what I was looking for, so I moved on to a position at the Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, MD. A year later, I can't really complain, as I watch the shows for Discovery and it's affiliate networks (Animal Planet, TLC, the Travel Channel and more) ensuring that Discovery airs a quality product. I work with a number of fellow JMU smaddies, and the JMU Media Arts and Design program is well respected at this company. Yay SMAD! I hope all is well with everyone, keep in touch! Deedee DeirdreJacobs@hotmail.com |
| Date Posted: January 31, 2006 Name: Erika Shernoff Year Graduated: 2002 Location: Washington, DC 20003 USA Email Address: shernoej@hotmail.com Employer: PBS Message: Still working at PBS in brand strategy and promotion for PBS KIDS. I love working at a network, even though non-profit can get tricky at times. Children's programming and promotion is tough, but rewarding when it's for a good cause. We have summer internships available at pbs.org - please email me if you're interested in one or in non-profit media! |
| Date Posted: January 30, 2006 Name: Becki Walls Year Graduated: 2005 Location: New York, NY 10019 Email Address: rebeccawalls@hotmail.com Employer: Entertainment Tonight/the Insider Message: Hello to all my fellow Smadies!! I told myself that I wasn't going to post one of these until I had a direction of where my life would be going. And I am happy to report that today is that day. After graduation in May with a DV concentration, in August I was hired as a Freelance Field PA for a production company in CT(where I am from). I worked on a show they were producing called, Ham on the Street, for about six months.(the show is actually airing NOW on the Food Network on Wednesdays at 10:30pm, so check it out!) Once the shoots for the show were finished I was kind of out of a job again but not for too long. I just recently was hired as a PA for Entertainment Tonight/the Insider in NYC. So now if I can make it here, I know I can make it anywhere! Feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments. Take care guys! |
| Date Posted: January 27, 2006 Name: Joe Ciarallo Year Graduated: 2004 Location: New York, NY 10009 USA Email Address: joe@jounce.org Employer: D S Simon Productions Message: Hello Smaddies, After taking the year after graduation to work part time and tour with my band, I've landed here in New York, where I've been working as an Account Executive for D S Simon Productions. We do Video News Release (VNR) and B-roll production for news outlets, as well as conduct Satellite Media Tours (SMTs). It's a great company, I get to talk to reporters all day and work on my newswriting. We're hiring an assistant in my department soon, so if anyone is looking for entry-level work, send me your resume. Great to hear about all the success fellow smaddie's are having, anyone in NYC feel free to hit me up. -Joe |
| Date Posted: January 25, 2006 Name: Dan Drinkard Year Graduated: 2004 Location: Arlington, VA 22204 USA Email Address: dan (dot) drinkard (at) gmail (dot) com Employer: SYColeman Message: Hey everyone, I've never gotten around to posting here, so I thought it might be time to check in. I've been working at SYColeman in Arlington with Chris Clarke and Keith Muth for the past couple of years, and things are going great. We are currently looking to hire a couple of web developers in the next month or so, so If you or anyone you know is looking for a web job in Arlington, feel free to get in touch with me with a link to some samples of your work. |
| Date Posted: January 25, 2006 Name: Christie (Messina) Petrone Year Graduated: 2000 Location: Cordova, TN 38018 Email Address: c_messina@hotmail.com Employer: Memphis Regional Planned Parenthood Message: My SMAD husband, Rob, and I moved from Atlanta to Memphis in 2004. He's now a sports reporter/photographer for ABC24/UPN30 here. I just finished my master's degree and am working for Memphis Regional Planned Parenthood as the community affairs manager. I do mostly public relations, with a little bit of political advocacy and some event organization. SMADies can feel free to email me if you need advice or a job contact. Memphis stinks, but we know a lot of people here. |
| Date Posted: January 25, 2006 Name: John Goshorn Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Bedford, VA 24523 USA Email Address: jgoshorn@wset.com Employer: WSET-TV/DT Message: Since August, I have been working as a Production Assistant for the ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, VA. I was essentially hired on the basis of the practical experience I gained in SMAD 201 and 202. I started on the crew of our 6 PM (local), 6:35 PM (regional/state), and 11 PM newcasts, and at the start of the new year, I moved to "Good Morning Virginia" and our noon newscast. Depending on the day, I am a studio cameraman, an audio op, a chyron operator, and create still-store or chyron graphics, distribute scripts, or prepare tease video for broadcasts. The position has very little to do with my Cinema Studies concentration, but luckily the SMAD core was enough to find entry-level employment and give me a rough idea of how to do the job. Current undergrads -- you cannot pay enough attention to 201 and 202! I am planning to be back in the Valley to produce and direct a DV short(funded by a combination of my own money and solicited contributions) this May. Hopefully this project can be a showcase for my portfolio when I apply to a Film MFA program. For further details on this production -- either out of curiosity or to get involved -- contact me. Finally, on a personal note, I am engaged to be married in August. Hope everyone's enjoying the new building. |
| Date Posted: January 12, 2006 Name: Nate Tharp Year Graduated: 2004 Location: New York, NY 10016 USA Email Address: ntharp14@hotmail.com Employer: Eisenman Associates Message: Hello Smadders. I guess it's about time I added my name to this list. After graduation in Dec. '04 I worked as the art director at Daniels Promotional Products in H-Burg. Then I moved to New York and freelanced for a few months and I've been working as a senior designer at Eisenman Associates since August '05. Here I put all of my SMAD and SAAH skills to work designing websites, client marketing materials and a lot of annual reports for Fortune 500 companies. Its a small (very small) company so openings are very rare, but I'm always willing to help any fellow JMUers looking for opportunities in the world's capital. |
| Date Posted: January 11, 2006 Name: Dan Sullivan Year Graduated: 1999 Location: Alexandria, VA 22302 Email Address: sullivdr@hotmail.com Employer: Accenture Message: I work for Accenture, a consulting company, in Corporate Communications. I am the "Communications Lead" at a project at the Pentagon. Prior to that, I worked as a Public Relations Specialist for the Department of Defense. I landed both jobs via JMU connections, so feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to try and work for Accenture or in the corporate communications arena. |
| Date Posted: January 8, 2006 Name: Chris Clarke Year Graduated: 2003 Location: Arlington, VA 22202 Email Address: clarketc@gmail.com Employer: SYColeman Message: Hey guys, just wanted to give an update on what I have been doing. On a personal note I just launched my portfolio site at http://www.chris-clarke.net. It's a fairly simple insight into some of the work I have done and sites that I am currently visiting. On the professional side, we are in the process of redesigning Army.mil to take advantage of a new look and new architecture. Openings on the team come up from time to time and I'll post any that we have in the future. Hope everyone is doing well. Lookout for a startup coming from me in the future. |
| Date Posted: January 3, 2006 Name: Martha Cunningham Year Graduated: 2005 Location: Washington, DC 200037 Email Address: marcunningham@gmail.com Employer: The Ocean Conservancy Message: Hey fellow SMAD alumni! This is just a quick update/job listing notification. I'm still working at The Ocean Conservancy and we are currently hiring for several positions including a Writer/Editor position and a Web Producer position. We are looking for someone with a bit more experience than a recent college graduate for the Writer/Editor position but are willing to look at all resumes. Since these hires are both in my department I would love to help out any fellow JMUers looking for a job in Washington, DC. The Ocean Conservancy is a nonprofit marine conservation organization, so an interest in conservation is preferred. We offer great benefits and paid vacation as well as an excellent location (metro accessible) in downtown DC. Check out the full job descriptions on our website at: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=abt_employment and submit your resume quickly as we are looking to fill the positions as soon as possible! Good luck! |
The JMU Journalism Alumni site is for JMU alumni who studied journalism, broadcasting or public relations or related areas at JMU, or who worked in these fields at JMU or after graduation. It is open to alums regardless of JMU major or current occupation.
