About 400 high school students from across the Texas Panhandle will converge at Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus for Media Day – from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
This free day of workshops and expert training is sponsored by AC’s Matney Mass Media Program, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, West Texas A&M University, Panhandle PBS and FM90.
Topics that will be covered include photography, graphic design, news writing, social media, video production, media careers and more.
“This is a great opportunity for students to learn about the many career opportunities available in media-related industries,” said Jill Gibson, AC chair of media, arts and communication. “Last year was our first time to hold this event and clearly it was successful, so we are looking forward to doing even more this year to expose students to the multitude of exciting options in media careers.”
Media Day will feature special guest Dr. Kenna Griffin, whose professional experience includes nearly two decades serving as a collegiate media adviser and mass communication professor. She is the president-elect of the national College Media Association and regularly speaks on newsroom leadership at national and local collegiate journalism conferences. She also serves as a resource on these topics via her media blog, www.profkrg.com.
Dr. Griffin will present the keynote address at 8:30 a.m. at Ordway Hall, kicking off Media Day and a series of workshops for both high school and college students throughout the day.
“I would definitely recommend Media Day,” Caylee Hanna, a current AC mass media major, said. Hanna attended the event last year when she was a senior at Caprock High School.
“The guest speakers shared their experiences and explained how they got into the positions they are in. It really let you explore media careers on a deeper level,” she said.
Other featured presenters will include Dusty Green, the host and producer of the nationally syndicated travel television series “Two for the Road;” Jason Boyett, professional writer and host and creator of the “Hey Amarillo” podcast; Tracy Barnett, owner of Portraits by Tracy; Kelly Podzemny, the communications and marketing manager for the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and School of Pharmacy in Amarillo; and Joe Corbisiero, the video production manager for the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
Hands-on sessions in darkroom photo developing, video editing, animation, graphic design and layout and more will be offered, and students will have the opportunity to tour Panhandle PBS, FM90 and the Washington Street Campus.
-Amarillo College
