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Saint Vincent College Faculty Blog

Communication Careers | Jared Bundy

Posted by David Safin on Mon, Jul 22, 2013 @ 11:07 AM
Recently, I corresponded with 2008 graduate Jared Bundy about his life and career. Jared was one of my top students both inside and outside of the classroom. His body of work in media at Saint Vincent is unparalleled. In this blog, we discuss what he is doing now, how he got there, and how Saint Vincent guided him along the way. 


Jared and me circa 2007.

So, what are you up to these days?
 
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Topics: college, communication, digital media, broadcasting, filmmaking, degrees in communication, communication degrees, video, videos, media, media studies, public relations, social media

Bearcat on the Street 3.0 | Advanced Multimedia Production

Posted by David Safin on Mon, May 13, 2013 @ 14:05 PM
No doubt you have probably seen one of the several Bearcat on the Street videos either embedded on our homepage or on our (or other) Facebook pages. These videos were produced by students in the Communication course, Advanced Multimedia Production.

The students "on the street" were Carly Marsh, Eric Arbore, Charlie Kurtz, Nick Higgins, Pete McGee, Dillon Monier, Max Schrenk, Krissy Mazzenga, Rory Mitrik, Josh Spellman and DP Harris. 

Here is a playlist featuring the series in its entirety.



I call this series version 3.0, because it is the third iteration of the Bearcat on the Street videos. 

The series was originally produced in 2009 by students such as Ale Muzika and Sarah Ralutz. Here is one of the more popular episodes produced by them.



The series was revived the following year by students such as Sadie Stresky, Jeremy Smith and Rob DiVincenzo. Take a look back at some of their work. 



I hope to continue producing this series as part of my Advanced Multimedia Production course. The videos are at their best when they are made for student by students.

What was your favorite episode?
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Topics: college, communication, digital media, broadcasting, filmmaking, degrees in communication, communication degrees, video, videos, media, pennsylvania, media studies, internet marketing, public relations

Communication Careers | Eddie Coughlan

Posted by David Safin on Fri, Apr 19, 2013 @ 09:04 AM

On Friday, April 12, I hosted former student Eddie Coughlan, Broadcast Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. On game days, he shoots bench audio and game action and is part of the broadcast team that travels with the Ravens and produces, shoots and edits five TV shows per week. 

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Topics: communication, digital media, broadcasting, degrees in communication, communication degrees, video, videos, media, media studies

An Introduction to Screenwriting | The Steeltown Writers' Pitch

Posted by David Safin on Mon, Mar 25, 2013 @ 10:03 AM
Saturday, March 23rd was the Steeltown Film Factory Writers' Pitch. As their website indicates, Steeltown is "a nationally recognized screenwriting/filmmaking competition which strives to locate and connect emerging talent with top industry professionals."

The Writers' Pitch is the first of three events that culminate with the awarding of up to $30,000 in funding for one or more of these scripts.

I was fortunate to be a presenter last year, which was a very exciting and nerve-wracking experience. And even though the script I submitted this year was not selected, I will admit, it was a far more relaxing experience to just be in the audience.
 

(The image above is from last year's presentation. The presenter is Nathan Hollabaugh, who recently wrapped production on the film based on the script he pitched. I am hidden behind the curtain stage right.)

Not being selected is always disappointing, but this year, it was a bit of relief since I don't know how prepared I could have been for the pitch because I am currently wrapping production on the script I submitted last year: The Birthday Present.

My experience in the audience was relaxed, but also a bit on the surreal side. Worlds were colliding as I sat in between classmates from Chatham and a Communication student from here at Saint Vincent. Also in the crowd was Randy Kovitz, a professor of mine at Chatham, and Kris Veenis, a fellow Bearcat videographer. I had a hard time figuring out who I was - student, teacher, classmate, colleague, writer, filmmaker.

And that was the best part of the experience; the coming together of all of these worlds for the common purpose of a mutual love of filmmaking. 

Anna, the student who made the trip out with me, hopes to enter next year, and used the experience to learn how to better craft her ideas into a script. My hope is that next year, I will be there with more students watching her give her pitch. 

The Producers' Pitch is on April 20th, and I am looking forward to it because they will be screening a trailer for my film! Hope to see you all there.


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Topics: communication, digital media, filmmaking, media, media studies, screenwriting, Pittsburgh

Viral Videos | Intermediate Multimedia Design

Posted by David Safin on Thu, Jan 3, 2013 @ 11:01 AM
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Topics: communication, digital media, viral, video, videos, media, media studies, internet marketing, public relations

About the Authors

Michelle Gil-Montero is an associate professor of English and director of creative writing at Saint Vincent College. She runs the visiting writers series on campus, oversees the student literary magazine, and serves as guru to aspiring poets on campus. She received her MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2007, and she has been on the Saint Vincent faculty since that year. She is an active poet and literary translator from Spanish. She is spending part of the 2016-17 school year travelling to Argentina on a Howard Foundation fellowship and Fulbright grant. 

Dr. John J. Smetanka has been a member of the full-time faculty since 1997 and currently serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean of Saint Vincent College, a position he has held since January 2008. Dr. Smetanka has taught courses in Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry and Geology as well as interdisciplinary seminars. He has published scientific research articles in physics and astrophysics journals, numerous conference proceedings and also works in science education reform and the interaction between science, technology and theology.

Jim Kellam is an associate professor of biology at Saint Vincent College and our resident ornithologist. He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2003, and is taking this semester as a sabbatical. What does that mean? He'll explain in his blog posts.

Dr. Michael J. Urick is Graduate Director of the Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program, and Associate Professor of Management and Operational Excellence at the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government. Dr. Urick teaches courses related to organizational behavior, human resources, culture, leadership, diversity, conflict, supply chain, operations and research methods. Professionally, Urick serves on the board of the Institute for Supply Management (Pittsburgh) and belongs to the Society for Human Resource Management and APICS. For fun, Urick enjoys music and, since 1998, has led and performed with Neon Swing X-perience, a jazz band that has released multiple albums and toured portions of the US. He enjoys watching movies, is an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, and also likes to fence.

David Safin, C'00, has been a lecturer in the communication department since the Fall of 2003, and has served in a variety of administrative roles since the summer of 2004. Currently, he teaches multimedia in the communication department as an assistant professor. 

Dr. Michael Krom received his Doctorate in philosophy at Emory University in 2007 and is currently the chair of the philosophy department at Saint Vincent. He has authored a book on religion and politics and continues to publish works in Catholic moral and political thought. Dr. Krom also directs the Faith and Reason summer program every summer. 

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