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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 27, 2007
CONTACT: ALTERNATE:
Kenneth Jones Gina L. Kinchlow
Professor Visiting Assistant Professor
Division of Journalism Division of Journalism
School of Journalism & Graphic Communication SJGC

Florida A&M University Florida A&M University
850-599-3379 850-412-5389
kenneth.jones@famu.edu gina.kinchlow@famu.edu

THROUGH THE EYES OF ‘MILLENIALS’

FAMU Broadcast Students Showcase Their Work at Student Documentary Night

(TALLAHASSEE, FL) Maybe we don’t fully understand the current generation of college-aged students that demographers refer to as millenials. However, if the subjects covered in the student documentaries written and produced by students in the FAMU broadcast degree program are any indicator, this is a generation of young people who are ready to tackle the broad range of critical issues facing our communities and our world.

On Tuesday night, December 4th, ten students (five teams of two) in the broadcast degree program at FAMU’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication will have a chance to show the world through their eyes as they unveil their senior semester projects. The five, 15-minute documentaries were selected from more than a dozen class projects all competing for an opportunity to expose their craft at the end-of-semester Student Documentary Night. The event will run from 7-9 pm in the School’s Lecture Hall.

"Now, in our second year, the documentary night is a showcase to the community of some very compelling stories and unique talents by our student producers," explains Kenneth Jones, an associate professor in the SJGC broadcast sequence and instructor of the Specialized Reporting class that spawns the documentaries.

This semester the topics selected by the filmmakers are broad in range and scope but all speak to some aspect of the human condition. Whether the subject is homelessness, ovarian cancer or the uninsured, these students have devoted the semester to carefully and thoughtfully researching the topic and capturing truth through the lens of a video camera.

"We are pleased to share these documentaries with other students and the University community at large," said Dr. James Hawkins, dean of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. "They (the documentaries) reflect the hard work of our students and provide insight into important topics and issues."

The broadcast degree sequence at the Florida A&M University continues to enjoy tremendous popularity and impressive growth. There are more than 115 students in the program today and many of them are award-winning journalists. One of this semester’s documentary filmmakers, Jessica Larche’, is a prestigious Hearst award winner. Another, Stefan Weekes, won the First Place Associated Press Award, North Florida and South Georgia, for the best three-part series in 2007.

"The student documentaries are very compelling and highly produced," explains Jones. "They continue to reap state and national awards every year."

Student associates in the PRodigy Public Relations Firm (a student-run, campus-based, all-volunteer company housed in the SJGC) designed, planned and implemented the marketing and publicity for the 2007 Fall Student Documentary Night. "Professor Kenneth Jones approached me in early September with a request for PRodigy to handle the publicity for the Student Documentary Night," explained Gina Kinchlow, a visiting professor in the public relations sequence and faculty advisor for the PRodigy PR Firm. "I knew that with proper guidance, support and resources, our PR majors could do this and do it well."

According to Kinchlow there are approximately seven students, all public relations majors, who worked on the Student Documentary Night Account. They wrote feature stories, contacted media, organized the program and reception, and posted fliers.

The 2007 Fall Student Documentary Night will take place on Tuesday evening, December 4, 2007, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication. A reception will be held in the SJGC Gallery immediately following the program.

For more information about Student Documentary Night, please contact Professor Kenneth Jones, associate professor, at 850-599-3379. For information about the PRodigy Public Relations Firm, please call Professor Gina L. Kinchlow, visiting assistant professor, at 850-412-5389.

The winning documentaries are as follows:

"Lost Ones"

Tagline: Lost in the shuffle of life

Producers: Danielle Bass and Stephan Weekes

"It Giveth and It Taketh: Ovarian Cancer"

Tagline: Ovarian cancer, the rise of a silent disease

Producers: Janay Theodore and Danon Bell

"Reassurance for the Uninsured"

Tagline: No money, no insurance

Producers: Erneshia Edwards and Tanisha Pinkney

"Escaping a Different World: Black Males and Special Ed"

Tagline: Victims of special education

Producers: Jessica Larche’ and Lorraine McBride

"A Helping Hand"

Tagline: A boy in a man’s role

Producers: Shakaya Andres and Mahalia Bowman

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