Advertising Public Relations and Media Design

Ad blitz

Amanda J. McManus — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 07:24:34 +0000

Ad blitz Amanda J. McManus Thu, 02/27/2025 - 00:24

CMCI swept the student awards at Denver One Club, taking home a best in show and numerous other awards for their work on briefs from Kraft, Dove and other major brands.

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Poll-arized

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:08:32 +0000

Poll-arized Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/16/2024 - 15:08

By Joe Arney

Deepfakes. Distrust. Data manipulation. Is it any wonder American democracy feels like it has reached such a dangerous tipping point?

As our public squares have emptied of reasoned discussion, and our social media feeds have filled with vitriol, viciousness and villainy, we鈥檝e found ourselves increasingly isolated and unable to escape our echo chambers. And while it鈥檚 easy to blame social media, adtech platforms or the news, it鈥檚 the way these forces overlap and feed off each other that鈥檚 put us in this mess.

It鈥檚 an important problem to confront as we close in on a consequential election, but the issue is bigger than just what happens this November, or whether you identify with one party or another. Fortunately, the College of Media, Communication and Information was designed for just these kinds of challenges, where a multidisciplinary approach is needed to frame, address and solve increasingly complex problems.

鈥淒emocracy is not just about what happens in this election,鈥� said Nathan Schneider, an assistant professor of media studies and an expert in the design and governance of the internet. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a much longer story, and through all the threats we鈥檝e seen, I鈥檝e taken hope from focusing my attention on advancing democracy, rather than just defending it.鈥�

We spoke to Schneider and other CMCI experts in journalism, information science, media studies, advertising and communication to understand the scope of the challenges. And we asked one big question of each in order to help us make sense of this moment in history, understand how we got here and鈥攎aybe鈥攆ind some faith in the future.

***

Newsrooms have been decimated. The younger generation doesn鈥檛 closely follow the news. Attention spans have withered in the TikTok age. Can we count on journalism to serve its Fourth Estate function and deliver fair, accurate coverage of the election?

Mike McDevitt, a former editorial writer and reporter, isn鈥檛 convinced the press has learned its lessons from the 2016 cycle, when outlets chased ratings and the appearance of impartiality over a commitment to craft that might have painted more accurate portraits of both candidates. High-quality reporting, he said, may mean less focus on finding scoops and more time sharing resources to chase impactful stories.

How can journalism be better?

鈥淎 lot of journalists might disagree with me, but I think news media should be less competitive among each other and find ways to collaborate, especially with the industry gutted. And the news can鈥檛 lose sight of what鈥檚 important by chasing clickable stories. Covering chaos and conflict is tempting, but journalism鈥檚 interests in this respect do not always align with the security of democracy. While threats to democracy are real, amplifying chaos is not how news media should operate during an era of democratic backsliding.鈥�

***

After the 2016 election, Brian C. Keegan was searching for ways to use his interests in the computer and social sciences in service of democracy. That鈥檚 driven his expertise in public-interest data science鈥攈ow to make closed data more accessible to voters, journalists, activists and researchers. He looks at how campaigns can more effectively engage voters, understand important issues and form policies that address community needs.

The U.S. news media has blood on its hands from 2016. It will go down as one of the worst moments in the history of American journalism.鈥�

Mike McDevitt
Professor, journalism

You鈥檝e called the 2012 election an 鈥渆nd of history鈥� moment. Can you explain that in the context of what鈥檚 happening in 2024?

鈥淚n 2012, we were coming out of the Arab Spring, and everyone was optimistic about social media. The idea that it could be a tool for bots and state information operations to influence elections would have seemed like science fiction. Twelve years later, we鈥檝e finally learned these platforms are not neutral, have real risk and can be manipulated. And now, two years into the large language model moment, people are saying these are just neutral tools that can only be a force for good. That argument is already falling apart.

I think 2024 will be the first, and last,
A.I. election.鈥�

Brian C. Keegan
Assistant professor, information science

鈥淵ou could actually roll the clock back even further, to the 1960s and 鈥�70s, when people were thinking about Silent Spring and Unsafe at Any Speed, and recognizing there are all these environmental, regulatory, economic and social things all connected through this lens of the environment. Like any computing system, when it comes to data, if you have garbage in, you get garbage out. The bias and misinformation we put into these A.I. systems are polluting our information ecosystem in ways that journalists, activists, researchers and others aren鈥檛 equipped to handle.鈥�

***

One of Angie Chuang鈥檚 last news jobs was covering race and ethnicity for The Oregonian. In the early 2000s, it wasn鈥檛 always easy to find answers to questions about race in a mostly white newsroom. Conferences like those put on by the Asian American Journalists Association 鈥渨ere times of revitalization for me,鈥� she said.

When this year鈥檚 conference of the National Association of Black Journalists was disrupted by racist attacks against Kamala Harris, Chuang鈥檚 first thoughts were for the attendees who lost the opportunity to learn from one another and find the support she did as a cub reporter.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 lost in this discussion is the entire event shifted to this focus on Donald Trump and the internal conflict in the organization, and I鈥檓 certain that as a result, journalists and students who went lost out on some of that solidarity,鈥� she said. And it fits a larger pattern of outspoken newsmakers inserting themselves into the news to claim the spotlight.

How can journalism avoid being hijacked by the people it covers?

鈥淚t comes down to context. We need to train reporters to take a breath and not just focus on being the first out there. And I know that鈥檚 really hard, because the rewards for being first and getting those clicks ahead of the crowd are well established.鈥�

鈥淚 can鈥檛 blame the reporters who feel these moments are worth covering, because I feel as conflicted as they do.
Angie Chuang
Associate professor, journalism

***

Agenda setting鈥攖he concept that we take our cues of what鈥檚 important from the news鈥攊s as old an idea as mass media itself, but Chris Vargo is drawing interesting conclusions from studying the practice in the digital age. Worth watching, he and other CMCI researchers said, are countermedia entities, which undermine the depictions of reality found in the mainstream press through hyper-partisan content and the use of mis- and disinformation.

How did we get into these silos, and how do we get out?

鈥淭he absence of traditional gatekeepers has helped people create identities around the issues they choose to believe in. Real-world cues do tell us a little about what we find important鈥攁 lot of people had to get COVID to know it was bad鈥攂ut we now choose media in order to form a community. The ability to self-select what you want to listen to and believe in is a terrifying story, because selecting media based on what makes us feel most comfortable, that tells us what we want to hear, flies in the face of actual news reporting and journalistic integrity.鈥�

鈥淚 do worry about our institutions. I don鈥檛 like that a majority of Americans don鈥檛 trust CNN.

Chris Vargo
Associate professor, advertising,
public relations and media design

***

Her research into deepfakes has validated what Sandra Ristovska has known for a long time: For as long as we鈥檝e had visual technologies, we鈥檝e had the ability to manipulate them.

Seeing pornographic images of Taylor Swift on social media or getting robocalls from Joe Biden telling voters to stay home鈥攃ontent created by generative artificial intelligence鈥攊s a reminder that the scale of the problem is unprecedented. But Ristovska鈥檚 work has found examples of fake photos from the dawn of the 20th century supposedly showing, for example, damage from catastrophic tornadoes that never happened.

Ristovska grew up amid the Yugoslav Wars; her interest in becoming a documentary filmmaker was in part shaped by seeing how photos and videos from the brutal fighting and genocide were manipulated for political and legal means. It taught her to be a skeptic when it comes to what she sees shared online.

鈥淪o, you see the Taylor Swift video鈥攊t seems out of character for her public persona. Or the president鈥攚hy would he say something like that?鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead of just hitting the share button, we should train ourselves to go online and fact check it鈥攖o be more engaged.鈥�

Even when we believe something is fake, if it aligns with our worldview, we are likely to accept it as reality. Knowing that, how do we combat deepfakes?

鈥淲e need to go old school. We鈥檝e lost sight of the collective good, and you solve that by building opportunities to come together as communities and have discussions. We鈥檙e gentler and more tolerant of each other when we鈥檙e face-to-face. This has always been true, but it鈥檚 becoming even more true today, because we have more incentives to be isolated than ever.鈥�

***

Early scholarly works waxed poetic on the internet鈥檚 potential, through its ability to connect people and share information, to defeat autocracy. But, Nathan Schneider has argued, the internet is actually organized as a series of little autocracies鈥攚here users are subject to the whims of moderators and whoever owns the servers鈥攅ffectively meaning you must work against the defaults to be truly democratic. He suggests living with these systems is contributing to the global rise of authoritarianism. In a new book, Governable Spaces, Schneider calls for redesigning social media with everyday democracy in mind.

If the internet enables autocracy, what can we do to fix it?

鈥淲e could design our networks for collective ownership, rather than the assumption that every service is a top-down fiefdom. And we could think about democracy as a tool for solving problems, like conflict among users. Polarizing outcomes, like so-called cancel culture, emerge because people don鈥檛 have better options for addressing harm. A democratic society needs public squares designed for democratic processes and practices.鈥�

***

It may be derided as dull, but the public meeting is a bedrock of American democracy. It has also changed drastically as fringe groups have seized these spaces to give misinformation a megaphone, ban books and take up other undemocratic causes. Leah Sprain researches how specific communication practices facilitate and inhibit democratic action. She works as a facilitator with several groups, including the League of Women Voters and Restore the Balance, to ensure events like candidate forums embrace difficult issues while remaining nonpartisan.

What鈥檚 a story we鈥檙e not telling about voters ahead of the election?

鈥淲e should be looking more at college towns, because town-gown divides are real and long-standing. There鈥檚 a politics of resentment even in a place like 麻豆影院, where you have people who say, 鈥榃e know so much about these issues, we shouldn鈥檛 let students vote on them鈥欌€攖o the point where providing pizza to encourage voter turnout becomes this major controversy. Giving young people access to be involved, making them feel empowered to make a difference and be heard鈥攖hese are good things.鈥�

***

Toby Hopp studies the news media and digital content providers with an eye to how our interactions with media shape conversations in the public sphere. Much of that is changing as trust and engagement with mainstream news sources declines. He鈥檚 studied whether showing critical-thinking prompts alongside shared posts鈥攔equiring users to consider the messages as well as the structure of the platform itself鈥攎ay be better than relying on top-down content moderation from tech companies.

Ultimately, the existing business model of the big social media companies鈥攑ackaging users to be sold to advertisers鈥攎ay be the most limiting feature when it comes to reform. Hopp said he doubts a business the size of Meta can pivot from its model.

How does social media rehabilitate itself to become more trusted? Can it?

鈥淪ocial media platforms are driven by monopolistic impulses, and there鈥檚 not a lot of effort put into changing established strategies when you鈥檙e the only business in town. The development of new platforms might offer a wider breadth of platform choice鈥攚hich might limit the spread of misinformation on a Facebook or Twitter due to the diminished reach of any single platform.鈥�

***

Images have always required us to be more engaged. Now, with the speed of disinformation, we need to do a little more work.鈥�

Sandra Ristovska
Assistant professor, media studies

CU News Corps was created to simulate a real-world newsroom that allows journalism students to do the kind of long-form, investigative pieces that are in such short supply at a time of social media hot takes and pundits trading talking points.

鈥淚 thought we should design the course you鈥檇 most want to take if you were a journalism major,鈥� said Chuck Plunkett, director of the capstone course and an experienced reporter. Having a mandate to do investigative journalism 鈥渕eans we can challenge our students to dig in and do meaningful work, to expose them to other kinds of people or ideas that aren鈥檛 on their radar.鈥�

Over the course of a semester, the students work under the guidance of reporters and editors at partner media companies to produce long-form multimedia stories that are shared on the News Corps website and, often, are picked up by those same publications, giving the students invaluable clips for their job searches while supporting resource-strapped newsrooms.

With the news business facing such a challenging future, both economically and politically, why should students study journalism?

鈥淓ven before the great contraction of news, the figure I had in my mind was five years after students graduate, maybe 25 percent of them were still in professional newsrooms. But journalism is a tremendous major because you learn to think critically, research deeply and efficiently, interact with other people, process enormous amounts of information, and have excellent communication skills. Every profession needs people with those skills.鈥�

Where do we go from here? CMCI experts share their perspectives on journalism, advertising, data science, communication and more in an era of democratic backsliding.

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Student Work Gallery: Summer 2024

Anonymous — Thu, 23 May 2024 20:23:59 +0000

Student Work Gallery: Summer 2024 Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/23/2024 - 14:23

Lauren Arabia

Lauren Arabia (StratComm鈥�24) created a social justice poster for her Visual Design class with Diane Elliston, a teaching assistant professor. Focusing on the fair trade movement within the cocoa industry, she chose to highlight the issue of child labor鈥攁n estimated 1.56 million children work in cocoa farms in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which collectively accounts for nearly 60% of global production. Arabia will continue her education at the Art Center, in Pasadena, California.

Zion Atwater

Zion Atwater (CritMedia鈥�24) recruited two other students to participate in her documentary exploring the creative process. All three student creatives balanced work and social lives while navigating their academic journeys toward.

Ruby Begay

Singer-songwriter Ruby Begay (CritMedia鈥�24) recorded an EP, Bones of Being, which was featured in the spring showcase for the Department of Critical Media Practices. This album was largely inspired by forest ecosystems and her love of wandering through the woods. There are three distinct songs, but much like the wilderness, they are a part of a bigger whole, leading listeners deeper into the sonic terrains of Begay鈥檚 compositional explorations.

Listen to Bones of Being

Lauryn Iverson

Inspired by her involvement with CU鈥檚 Sandbox Series, Lauryn Iverson (CritMedia鈥�24) created an installation of three adapted Shakespeare scenes from The Winter鈥檚 Tale, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. Each scene features an iconic ing茅nue, and the colors and flowers in the installation reflect the characters鈥� personalities.

Kristine Petilo

Kristine Petilo, a media production major, made an animated short as a tribute to her Filipino childhood, and dedicated the capstone project to all her Filipino viewers.

Artwork by Noah Molinaro, @gojigochi on Instagram

Lore Whittemore

For her thesis project, Lore Whittemore (MPE鈥�24) centered her research on 鈥渟pidersonas,鈥� a type of fan art where the artist envisions some aspect of themselves or personal interest as a spider-person. This research draws upon interviews with spidersona artists, as well as an interview with a former Marvel Comics associate editor, to explore how spidersonas can advocate for social change through furthering diversified representation and providing a meaningful form of self-exploration through art.

There were two primary components produced by Whittemore for this 鈥淓xpanding the Spider-Verse鈥� project鈥攁 55-minute documentary and a written chapter contribution for the upcoming Entering the Multiverse collection, edited by Dr. Paul Booth. The full documentary, biographies for all featured artists and updates about the release of Entering the Multiverse can be found online.

Sharing student perspectives

Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have regularly showcased this diverse collection of student work.

See more student projects or submit your work for gallery consideration 鈫�

Jill Vallance (Jour'24)

Alyssa Hill (MJour'24)

Jill Vallance (Jour'24)

Alexis Block, Master of Arts in Strategic Communication Design

Jack Enright, Owen Passmore, Jack Evans, Logan Paddock, Kristen Young (StratComm'24)

Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have showcased this diverse collection of student work.

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Class of 2024: William W. White Honorees

Anonymous — Wed, 01 May 2024 23:17:34 +0000

Class of 2024: William W. White Honorees Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/01/2024 - 17:17

William W. White Outstanding Seniors are chosen by department faculty to recognize academic merit, professional achievement and service to the college. The Outstanding Graduate award honors the CMCI student with the highest overall GPA in his or her graduating class.

White, a 麻豆影院 native, graduated from CU鈥檚 School of Journalism in 1933. He was a reporter in 麻豆影院, Denver and New York before becoming the foreign editor of Time from the early 1940s through the mid-1950s, based in London, Brazil and Montreal. At the advice of his friend Edward R. Murrow, who told him 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 matter what you do, what matters is that you do it where you want to live,鈥� White returned to 麻豆影院, where he started the White and White public relations firm. White and his wife, Connie, established this endowment in 1998.

Meet our graduates and read their stories.

Andrew Schwartz: College of Media, Communication and Information

Andrew's advice to students is to try everything and talk to as many people as you can鈥攅specially outside your major. That way, you'll broaden your perspective.

When it comes to impact and being able to make something I鈥檓 proud of, a big part of that is being able to make technology for the people to use it, and make things that people enjoy using and improve their lives. Info places a big emphasis on that."

Lisa An: Department of Critical Media Practice

Lisa started her CU career as a computer science major before switching to media production. She said this was one of the best decisions she ever made because through the program, she discovered a passion for photography.

"I learned that keeping your work to yourself because of the fear of not being good enough does no good. If you share your work and receive feedback, you are able to improve your craft and obtain opportunities you otherwise never would have been able to.

Elijah Boykoff: Department of Information Science

Going into college, Elijah's goals for himself were to learn as much as he could and make it to the finish line. He says he's made good on those goals, and this award is an exciting bonus.

Your professors are people just like you. Get to know them鈥攊f you are able to resonate with your professors on a deeper level, you will be much more enriched by the knowledge they have to share."

Bianca Perez: Departments of Communication, Media Studies

Bianca is the first CMCI graduate to win outstanding student honors from two different majors. She's now off to a prestigious Ph.D. program.

"What I have is like a wish coming true. You can work very hard and that can still not be enough, and I鈥檝e seen that happen to people around me my whole life.

Sujei Perla Martinez: Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design

For Sujei, a first-generation college student, graduating means she's carving a new path for her family.

My community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs."

Nic Tamayo: Department of Journalism

Nic's CMCI experience in three words: fulfilling, inspired, treasured.

"I will take with me the connections I鈥檝e been able to make with people from so many corners of life. They鈥檝e taught me lessons that I may never have learned without their friendship and mentorship.

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Outstanding senior: Sujei Perla Martinez

Anonymous — Wed, 01 May 2024 22:43:34 +0000

Outstanding senior: Sujei Perla Martinez Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/01/2024 - 16:43

By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

Sujei Perla Martinez was determined to take charge of her college career in the same way she takes charge of being a role model for her younger brother.

鈥淏efore college, I thought I had everything figured out since I鈥檓 the eldest sister. That couldn鈥檛 be further from the truth,鈥� Perla Martinez said. 鈥淥ver the years, I learned a lot about myself as I overcame many obstacles.鈥�

鈥淢y community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs.鈥�
Sujei Perla Martinez

And she did so in style: She鈥檚 graduating as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design, having completed a degree in strategic communication with an emphasis in media design. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

Perla Martinez said when it came to overcoming those obstacles, the community she built at CMCI was key, especially the people she met through her countless volunteering experiences and her classes.

Most important was her multicultural leadership scholars cohort, the Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority, and the UMAS y MECHA student group, as well as the classroom.

鈥淢y community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs,鈥� Perla Martinez said.

Her academic and extracurricular achievements were not just due to her hard work. She said she recognizes the efforts of those who came before her who fought for her right to an education鈥攊n particular, her parents.

鈥淕rowing up, I saw my mother work hard jobs to raise my brother and me,鈥� Perla Martinez said. 鈥淓very day, I stand on campus and try my hardest to show my mother that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 the first in my family to get a degree. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I can finally say we did it.鈥�

The first in her family to graduate college, Sujei is grateful for the family sacrifices that empowered her success.

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Student Work Gallery: Spring 2024

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 21:26:40 +0000

Student Work Gallery: Spring 2024 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2024 - 14:26

CMCI students from all departments develop their portfolios through classes, competitions, internships and more.

Here we have collected a variety of student work that highlights their personal and professional passions explored during their academic careers at CU 麻豆影院.

View the work

Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have showcased this diverse collection of student work.

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When experience meets networking: Internship highlights from CMCI

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 22:39:43 +0000

When experience meets networking: Internship highlights from CMCI Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/29/2024 - 15:39

By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

When Pepsi eventually comes out with its snack-focused campaign, one strategic communication student from the 麻豆影院 will smile knowing he was part of it.

Enzo Ewari, a senior in the College of Media Communication and Information, has been interning with Motive鈥攁 full-service marketing and advertising agency鈥攕ince the summer. As part of his work, he assisted with campaigns for brands like Gatorade, Cheetos, Pepsi and more.

Motive was impressed enough with his work to extend his internship into the fall semester, and Ewari hopes to stay at the company after graduation.

鈥淎s I get more involved, I鈥檒l be working on my own campaigns, so hopefully by springtime, I鈥檒l be solely working on one campaign,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love Motive, it鈥檚 a great culture. They have sister agencies on every continent; I鈥檝e been talking about moving to New York or Singapore. There are a lot of opportunities.鈥�

In high school, Ewari took a business class, and was instantly hooked by the fast-paced energy and possibilities it provided. However, he wanted something more creative, which led him to study advertising. In fact, one of his professors reached out with the opportunity to intern with his own advertising and marketing boutique and assist on a campaign for a whiskey company鈥攋ust one of his internship experiences, which have included work for PHD Media, Special Olympics International and Volkswagen.

鈥淐MCI is your friend. Just talk to your professors, most of them are still doing work. That helped me get this internship.
鈥擡nzo Ewari

When it came to Motive, not only did Ewari鈥檚 foundational courses prove incredibly helpful on his internship, various hands-on experiences both in and out of the classroom helped him grow and develop skills, as well.

鈥淓nzo has proven to a valuable member of our team because he's resourceful, a self-starter, a quick learner, and also a curious human,鈥� said Andrew Lynch, vice president of strategy at Motive and Ewari鈥檚 supervisor. 鈥淗e's doing real, meaningful work that is helping us arrive at smart and sharp strategies.鈥�

That practical experience and networking opportunity was pivotal, as it helped boost Ewari鈥檚 confidence in the field by giving him a taste of real-life advertising.

鈥淐MCI is your friend. Just talk to your professors, most of them are still doing work,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat helped me get this internship.鈥�

Networking and access to the right people proved useful once again in landing his role at Motive. David Martinez, inclusive excellence and outreach coordinator at CMCI, connected Ewari with one of Motive鈥檚 senior vice presidents of creative, Spencer Trierweiler (Advert鈥�06), who is based out of the company鈥檚 Denver office.

鈥淗e helped push me through the process,鈥� Ewari said. 鈥淎 lot of my team is spread out across the United States. Day to day, it was a lot of looking at trends of different industries and deciding what competitors are doing to find a pocket in the market that our clients can hold.鈥�

During his hybrid internship, he has been responsible for market research, taking what he鈥檚 learned and creating presentations exploring different advertising strategies a brand could take. Depending on who attended the presentation, Ewari and his team emphasize strategic or creative elements of a given campaign. For example, some creative-focused campaign proposals had interactive elements like pop-up shops or meet-and-greets with professional athletes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all about connecting the data鈥攈ow can you find that new lightbulb idea?鈥� he said.

Lynch said an ability to find those ideas made Ewari such a valuable addition, especially when it came to brand positioning statements in competitive analyses.

"Enzo has been leading these analyses throughout his internship, and always delivers focused and smart category insights that we work into our strategy decks," Lynch said.

Senior strategic communication major Enzo Ewari has big ideas for the future. Now that he has an internship with Motive under his belt, he鈥檚 more confident in the advertising field and his place in it.

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A minor for major-league sports

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 22:18:26 +0000

A minor for major-league sports Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/29/2024 - 15:18

By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)
Photos by Jack Moody

The Olympics. The Super Bowl. The Final Four. The Stanley Cup Final.

Alumni from the 麻豆影院 have made their mark reporting on and working in the sports world. Many are award winners鈥攊ncluding National Sportswriter of the Year鈥攁nd many more have seen their love of the game reach millions of fans worldwide.

That track record of excellence led the College of Media, Communication and Information to develop its sports media minor, which prepares students for careers in sports, whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera. Students take classes covering traditional topics, such as writing and broadcasting, but also courses that look at sports from academic and business perspectives.

And while a signature feature of the program is the opportunity to connect with the world-class alumni network in sports, there鈥檚 much more to the minor.

鈥淣etworking is just one of the components,鈥� said Marina Dmukhovskaya, associate director of the sports media minor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also about finding their niche. By having a variety of classes, both conceptual and skills heavy, it can offer them a great choice.鈥�

Interested in this minor?

If you are a CMCI major, you may discuss and declare the minor with your CMCI advisor. You can also declare by filling out a minor form online.

For students outside of CMCI, the minor can only be declared once you鈥檙e enrolled in CMCI 2001: Intro to Sports Media Practices.

Senior Kennedy Pickering credited the minor with helping her discover her niche. She came to CU 麻豆影院 because she was interested in the relationship between people and social media. Thanks to the minor, she has had the opportunity to create replay packages for a CU volleyball game; develop technical skills, like working a camera; and network with media professionals when CU Athletics hosted Fox鈥檚 Big Noon Kickoff pregame show.

鈥淲ith the sports media minor, I鈥檝e been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience, like Sports Writing and Sport Broadcasting,鈥� Pickering said. 鈥淥ne of my professors is in charge of BuffVision, and through him I鈥檝e been able to work with the camera. At first, I wanted to be a sideline reporter, but then I realized that being on the screen was not for me.鈥� Her goal now is to work in social media for the NFL or Nike.

Community through sport

More than 200 CU 麻豆影院 students are currently enrolled in the minor. Not all are athletes, but most aspire to work in the industry, like Eli Grimm, a lifelong figure skater who wants to get into the sports communications field. Beyond their own interests in athletics, Grimm said they see sports as a way to create impact because so many people engage with sports. Even less-mainstream events like Formula 1 races have become more popular thanks, in part, to the Netflix series Drive to Survive.

鈥淪ports are a platform for mass communication. In the Sports Writing class, I got to write about the events I was already watching,鈥� said Grimm, a senior majoring in strategic communication who learned about the program after arriving at CU 麻豆影院 as a transfer student. 鈥淚t was nice to feel like the experience was personalized around my interests.鈥�

鈥淲ith the sports media minor, I鈥檝e been able to take classes that gave me more hands-on experience.鈥�
Kennedy Pickering, senior

Jacob Dilling, a junior studying communication and a member of the CU ski team, chose the sports media minor as a way to develop a fuller perspective of the industry.

鈥淚 still plan on skiing professionally after school. But I think this will help me build connections within my sport and other sports, so that once I鈥檓 finished, I have something to fall back on,鈥� Dilling said.

Both students said one thing they enjoy most about the program is the challenge to explore new perspectives on sports and topics they are passionate about. Dmukhovskaya said that enthusiasm is a good indicator of their success after graduation. She herself has worked in the sports media world for years鈥攊n addition to covering the Olympics four times, she has been a media manager for the Russian Skating Union, worked with the International Biathlon Union and wrote for the International Paralympics Committee.

鈥淥ur students feel equipped, competent and confident as they are entering the job market,鈥� she said. Just as important to their success, though, is the students鈥� enthusiasm for the course material鈥攌ey for aspiring professionals looking to enter a highly competitive field.

Those aspiring professionals also benefit from the extensive network of media experts, who offer mentorship and exposure to career opportunities. Winter graduate Cassidy Davis (StratComm鈥�23) said she found professional guidance from alumnus Mike Davies (Jour鈥�94), an executive vice president for Fox Sports based in Los Angeles.

鈥淭he best part of my time at CU has been getting such broad experience, including public relations, sports media and graphic design,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏eing able to study all of my little niches and learning how to put them together has made me confident about applying what I鈥檝e learned at work.鈥�

Students in CMCI鈥檚 sports media minor regularly have opportunities to network and get hands-on experience while completing the program.

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Student Work Gallery: Fall 2023

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:22:36 +0000

Student Work Gallery: Fall 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/01/2023 - 14:22

What's the catch?

There鈥檚 no getting back the one that got away, but a prototype app designed by a group of recent graduates could help anglers identify the fish they do catch.

COAI (for Colorado A.I.; pronounced 鈥渒oi鈥�) Fish, designed by Kendall Fronabarger, Ken Vue and Emerson Swan (all InfoSci鈥�23), is especially aimed at those new to the sport who are curious about the fish they鈥檙e catching in Colorado鈥檚 waters. The app uses a modified machine learning tool that matches photos uploaded by users to a registry of Colorado species built by the students.

Art as activism

CMCI students are encouraged to use their creativity in building projects that allow them to interpret or reflect upon the challenges facing society. Mixed-media work in the last year has focused on topics such as the climate crisis, the plight of refugees and the struggle for gender equality.

Jamie Chihuan (StratComm鈥�23),
鈥淪oon we will all have nowhere to go鈥�

Citlally Ruedas, strategic communication,
鈥淗omero Gomez鈥�

Isabella Pao, strategic communication,
鈥淚 am a woman, I exist鈥�

Pablo Aziz, critical media practices,
鈥淲omen demand peace and justice鈥�

Sharing student perspectives

Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have regularly showcased this diverse collection of student work.

See more student projects or submit your work for gallery consideration 鈫�

McKenzie Jenkins (StratComm鈥�22), Josh Harman (StratComm鈥�23)

Katya Bollong (StratComm鈥�23)

Hailey Schalk, communication

Olivia Lieberman (CritMedia鈥�23)

Sophie Gould, TEDxCU executive board (Comm鈥�23)

Noya Kinsland, critical media practices

Kelsie Kerr (MediaSt, Film鈥�23)

Kara Wagenknecht (Jour鈥�23)

Students across CMCI find ways to bring together their personal interests and academic pursuits. Since the college鈥檚 founding, we have showcased this diverse collection of student work.

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Primed for change

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 03:09:46 +0000

Primed for change Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 10/29/2023 - 21:09

CMCI was founded amid change鈥攁n answer to how we could best organize the various communication- and information-related disciplines at CU 麻豆影院 in ways that enabled faculty collaboration and student success. We鈥檙e no stranger to disruption, so as generative A.I. tools like ChatGPT captured the public imagination early this year, I started wondering what the next chapter for communication鈥攁nd education鈥攎ight look like.

The dominant theme in the headlines has been one of concern, but as usual, I鈥檝e found the best perspectives come from our alumni, students and faculty, who are on the front lines of change in these fast-moving times. In this issue, we asked members of our community for their reflections on change, and they shared insights on everything from A.I. and algorithms, to work and water.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the enormity of the changes you鈥檙e facing, I hope you鈥檒l find insight in this issue, which showcases how our community is researching the ways algorithms shape our worldview and the technology transforming how creative projects get done. It also offers a chance for you to reconnect with how our college is changing, including our new Washington, D.C., program.

Reading these stories helped me feel re-energized about the direction of our college and the ways our community is poised to lead through change. I may not have a crystal ball, but I鈥檓 confident that CMCI will continue to be a place where new ideas and tools are celebrated, not feared, and where possibility is embraced. I鈥檓 excited to be part of this community and to see where we go from here. And change is exciting鈥攋ust look at the energy and attention Coach Prime has brought to the Buffs!

What about you? I鈥檇 love to hear your thoughts on CMCI and its future. Drop me a line or come say hello next time you鈥檙e in the 麻豆影院 area.

Lori Bergen, PhD
Founding Dean
College of Media, Communication and Information

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