Scholars as Critics: A Professional Development Workshop for Academics
This workshop will offer: guidance on professional skills and career opportunities both inside and outside academia; insights and resources for scholars to become critics and experts in media; and basic media and public relations training with a focus on academic branding and how to answer questions from reporters.
Key Speakers:
Josh Nathan is a broadcaster and communication professor at The Art Institute of Colorado in Denver. Profiled this year by both the College and its parent company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), Josh never thought he would become a professor. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University, he started building his chops for CNN- and NBC-affiliates. In 2002, CBS tapped him as one of 72 employees to begin its new station in southern California’s Coachella Valley. He holds a National Weather Association Broadcaster’s Seal of Approval and has presented twice at its annual conferences. Josh’s interest in Critical Theory began as a graduate student ten years ago when he served as the primary author of an article for the Organization Development Journal. He also wrote Can TV News Change History? (2008), has appeared in The Denver Post, and was cited around the globe in more than eight languages this year for his expertise in an article for Reader’s Digest. Currently, he’s studying the effectiveness of his first children’s book, Too Mad to Trust (2015), which addresses anticipated fears in early readers. See more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadnathan.
Louis Massey is an author, artist, and professor at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Born in Montreal, he is the author of several articles and book chapters on artificial intelligence and mental information processing. On the fiction side, Dr Massey writes poetry and short stories. He published “The River: Car ton bras sait porter l’épée” in Canadian Voices Volume 2 as well as editorial pieces in The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. As a visual artist, he specializes in photography and oil and acrylic painting. He has exhibited at Gallery 22 in Kingston and was a finalist for the Salon Prize 2012. See more: http://www.louismassey.com/.
Shetal Shah is a filmmaker, actor and media practitioner in New York. Trained at the Maggie Flanigan Studios. Shetal worked at the Maine Media Workshops, Boston Film/Video Foundation, CBS News and with Python/Aquarius Productions. Graduating from Columbia University and The New School, she has worked in collaboration with the United Nations focusing on human rights and climate change. She is a proud member of the InViolet Theater Company and has performed in films, TV and theatre. Some of her favorite theater credits include: Truth Be Told (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Parts and Parts of Stitches (MT Works), Caitlin and the Swan (The Management) among many more. Her favorite film credits include: Arya, for which she won the 2005 SAMA Award for Best Actress, and Loins of Punjab Presents. Her favorite TV credits include: The Daily Show, VH1 Denmark, and In-Scene host and co-producer for ARY. Shetal is a founding member of The Funding Network USA, an alumnus of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership and has presented her papers in NY and Uganda on food security, climate change and human rights outcomes from the UN Copenhagen conference. Her upcoming performance can be seen at Broadway theatre production Macbeth from October 8 to October 24, 2015. Shetal also performs poetry, speaks five languages, and is currently working on a short film about hoarders.
Shannon Skinner is the host and producer of television series, Extraordinary Women TV and Shannon Skinner Live radio show broadcast on VoiceAmerica Women’s Channel. With more than 20 years of experience in public relations, she is regular contributor to Huffington Post and has appeared in LIFE magazine, Good Morning America, Rogers TV Daytime, Global TV, Canadian Living, Notable.ca, Good News Toronto, Liquid Lunch, among others. Shannon studied creative writing at the University of Oxford and film studies at Ryerson University, and received her B.A. at the University of Saskatchewan. She is an active member of Women in Film and TV (WIFT) and the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Toronto. She is also the recipient of the University of Saskatchewan, College of Arts & Science’s Alumni of Influence Award 2014. Her show airs on Rogers TV Toronto and syndicated world-wide online. See more: http://www.extraordinarywomentv.com/ and http://shannonskinner.com/meet-shannon/.
Samita Nandy is the director of the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) and writes as a cultural critic on fame. She earned her PhD in media and celebrity culture from the Department of Media and Information at Curtin University, Australia in 2012 and is a certified broadcast journalist. Her international media relations and work led her to be featured CBC News, CTV’s Breaking News CP 24, The Globe and Mail, Daytime and First Local on Rogers Television, OMNI TV, Chatelaine, Flare, Canadian Journalism Foundation, Eternity Watch magazine, ANOKHI Media, ATN Television Network, CINA 1650 AM; Starbuzz Weekly, and Mississauga News among many more. Her work has been published in edited books The Performance of Celebrity and The Emotions Industry. Her forthcoming book Fame in Hollywood North will be published in 2015 by WaterHill Publishers. See more: www.cmc-centre.com and www.samitanandy.com.
This workshop is part of international conference Bridging Gaps: Where is the Persona in Celebrity and Journalism? that will be held on September 2-3, 2015 at the Terrace Club in New York City. The workshop is scheduled for 2:30-4:30 on September 2.
Registration:
To attend, please select Option C in the registration area. Registration area is given below the CFP on the conference page: http://cmc-centre.com/conferences-2015/nycsept15/.
For inquires, please email: info@cmc-centre.com.