The Afro Blue Experience

In an explosion of color, light and sound, musicians, actors, singers and most importantly audience members came together to create The Afro Blue Experience. I produced and edited this piece along with shooting photos.

New blog to check out

It has been brought to my attention that the Faculty Adviser of The Communicator, Jason Nix has started a new blog called "New Media Workshop."

The idea of this blog is to guide students and professionals alike through the transition that is currently happening in the mass media market. By creating video tutorials, showcasing student work (mine is on there) and linking to useful sites that can add on to his, New Media Workshop will soon become a hot spot for journalism students, instructors and enthusiasts.

Make sure to check out Jason's blog as it will be constantly updated with new and exciting information.

Weekend Warriors

Check out this great multimedia piece I did photography for. Thanks to Joseph Engle who let me work with him on this piece.

A Coffee Culture

A Coffee Culture delves into how the impact and cultural phenomenon of a small bean has changed Spokane. Thanks to Sarah Radmer for helping with photography.

Poynter Online live chats

Thanks again to the amazing Twitter feed of the ACP, I have a new obsession.

The Poynter Institute, the pinnacle in journalism instruction in this country is now starting to push live online chats about topics that are very helpful, especially to me as a college student.

From how to help change journalism curriculum to what the current and future job market for journalists is, theses chats, which are moderated by Poynter faculty are opening up the opportunity to get these questions we have about our industry answered.

For updates on the newest Poynter chats, follow them on Twitter or visit their website. If you are also a journalism student, resister for a free Poynter NewsU account.

National Press Foundation "Why Journalism Matters" essay

Thanks to my friends at the ACP for tweeting the details about the National Press Foundation "Why Journalism Matters" essay. My job... describe what journalism means to me in only 100 words. Here is my response.

Journalism is truth. It does not matter by which medium it is delivered, but that it is presented to the audience in a way that is right, fair and informative. We now transition into a time where the birth and development of social media sharing can allow anyone to generate information and publishers have become overwhelmed with the obsession of their publication's bottom line. Luckily, there are still a few individuals and media outlets are doing it with the singular goal of getting the best content to the masses.

If selected, I will win an all expenses trip to Washington D.C. for to sit at the head table of the 2010 National Press Foundation Awards. My essay would also be read to the group.

The meaning of "neue journalism"

Journalism is evolving.

The tricky part is trying to figure out when it will stop. In the last 2-3 years alone, I have seen the birth and rise of Facebook, Twitter and the smartphone revolution. All tools that have become my primary way of viewing media.

This change, dubbed "new journalism or new media" is making an entire industry re-think everything it has relied on for the last 50 years. So in this change, who will come out on top? The answer is me... the college student.

By learning all of these new tools in the classroom, I will graduate with all of the knowledge and necessary resources to jump right into the "new media" market as within the next 3-4 years it will finally figure out what the meaning of journalism truly is.

As far as the neue part goes, I just love Helvetica and Helvetica Neue.

Late nights = quiet and productive

I may be a little out there in saying this, but I love being able to clock out at my "day job" and come back to the newsroom for another four hour shift.

By the time I get here, the place is practically empty, and by 6ish it's just me, The Communicator Online and my iTunes library.

Now that we have hit Feburary, I know I'm gonna need more nights like this as we are now just a couple of weeks away from judging for the two biggest awards in online collegiate journalism, and I will be damned if we don't win them both.

Now, back to work.