Lianne Martin, a freelance journalist, shares her perspective on working in journalism independently.

Lianne Martin, a freelance journalist, mother, and dermatologist, shares her experience in journalism. [Photo by Maddie Gaynor]

Lianne Martin, a mother, dermatologist, and freelance journalist living in Naples, FL, is one of many individuals pursuing their love for journalism in a less traditional outlet. Having majored in journalism and PR for her first 3 years in college, at the University of Florida, Martin has always fostered a passion for writing. 

 “I loved writing, but I decided I wanted to go into medicine as a career and keep the writing part fun after I graduated,” Martin said. “I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to leave Florida and doing freelance lets me be wherever I want or need to be.”

Manda Wittebort, humanitarian, speaks on community engagement and youth development

Manda Wittebort standing by the Peace Corps emblem. [Photo supplied by Wittebort]

Manda Wittebort has dedicated her life’s work to humanitarian efforts and volunteering to ensure that students and youth have support they may be lacking and are better set up to thrive in society. Wittebort worked to broaden her perspective on youth issues locally, nationally, and globally.

Wittebort studied at Rollins College for her undergraduate degree in Developmental Psychology. It is during this time that she found a sense of belonging and purpose within the humanitarian and youth support sectors. 

During Wittebort’s time in college, she began volunteering for JUMP or “Join us in making progress” as well as the organization, “Give kids the world.” These programs pushed Wittebort out of the ‘Rollins College bubble’ and enabled her to understand the world around her a little bit better.

“We were a group that had different issue areas—I had chosen youth and families, there was also health and environment, youth and homelessness. We would plan monthly service events for all of campus, throughout the Orlando area,” said Wittebort.

Bringing stories to life with History Channel Executive Producer Susan Leventhal

Susan Leventhal, the Vice President of Brand Operations and Executive Producer at A + E Networks for the History Channel.
[Photo from LinkedIn]

Mornings are early, nights can be even later. Sometimes its vice versa. One day on set, another one in the office. Piles of scripts, files of rough cuts; hours of reading, editing, analyzing and by that time your sipping a fourth cup of coffee. Likely even a fifth. Off the phone to be on it again. Hours of research, meetings, people managing and teamwork. Finding the resources, financing the ideas and bringing to life the story that’s never been told.

And this is just some of the magic that goes into film and television production.  

Kelly Conway, commercial wardrobe stylist, shares her path to success in the entertainment industry

Kelly Conway at work [Photo by Kelly Conway]

If you’ve ever watched television, there’s a good chance you have seen the work of Kelly Conway, a commercial wardrobe stylist with nearly 30 years of industry experience. Her job requires a broad range of skills including a deep understanding of fabrics, patterns, and tactical skills as well as sewing, drawing, and a strong sense of style. 

Kelly Conway’s work routine includes a plethora of different tasks and responsibilities. On an average day you might find her meeting with clients about wardrobe requests, tailoring costumes on set, or shopping for fabrics in Downtown Los Angeles. As a veteran stylist, Conway knows how to execute and exceed the desired aesthetics of her clients. 

DU photography professor Roddy MacInnes shares enticing life story and its relation to photography

 Professor Roddy MacInnes in his office holding his camera. [Photo by Alexandra Welch]

[DENVER] With developments in digital technology people today can now take high-quality photos with minimal expertise. This shift in photography has made aspiring photographers doubt the viability of photography as a career.

Careers in photography have many different avenues ranging from wedding photographers to documentary photojournalists. The average photographer makes between $51,793 to $733,651 a year, but finding a reliable job in photography is becoming harder with each iPhone update. 

Time for Shapiro: Norah Shapiro’s unique path to filmmaking

Norah Shapiro at the Tribeca Film Festival. [Photo from thenational.ae]

There are no routine days for Minneapolis based documentary film maker and Emmy Award recipient Norah Shapiro. Some days she could be out and about in the city, trying to find a story to cover, while the next day she could be flying with a nationally recognized politician to film a caucus or a speech. Basically, Shapiro lives a hectic, but extremely exciting life, but nobody ever said it was easy.

Kadi Bain: The master behind Fab Method Pilates

Kadi Bain, owner of Fab Method, stands in front of her reformers at her studio in Greenwood Village. [Photo from Lacey Rifkin] 

Greenwood Village – Monday mornings are hard! But, attending The Fab Methods 9:15 a.m. advanced Pilates class with instructor Kadi Bain turns my mundane Monday routine into a physically challenging and adrenaline pumping start to the busy week ahead. 

Screenwriter Allan Loeb shares his perspective on the world of film

Allan Loeb on the red carpet for his film, “Collateral Beauty.” [Photo courtesy of Zimbio]

It’s sunny and bright in Los Angeles, the mountains are glowing, and the hills are shining. Across the country, it’s gray and cool in New York City, the lights are flashing, and the streets are booming. For Screenwriter Allan Loeb, he gets the best of both worlds, living half the time in each city. Screenwriting isn’t a typical nine-to-five office job, in fact, it’s just the opposite. 

At 35, Allan Loeb sold his first script in 2004 for his drama-infused film, “The Only Living Boy in New York”.  Since then, Loeb has built up a successful career as the writer of many different films like “Just Go with It”, “Here Comes the Boom”, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, “21”, and “Collateral Beauty”. 

Kareem El Damanhoury, professor at the University of Denver, discusses his recent experience with education

Kareem El Damanhoury stands out front of the Media, Film, & Journalism Studies building. [Photo by Nolan Deck]

It’s 8 am on a Tuesday, and Kareem El Damanhoury has just arrived at the University of Denver to prepare for his 10 am Politics and Media class. He checks his slides, makes sure everything is up to speed, and adds anything he feels is necessary.

Film professor Chris Pearce gives advice to aspiring filmmakers

CU-Boulder Film Professor Chris Pearce. [Photo by The Brakhage Center of CU-Boulder.]

Chris Pearce is an animator and filmmaker also working as a professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder in the film studies department. Pearce started by pursuing a BFA in film production from CU Boulder followed by an MFA in electronic inter-media from the University of Florida. Today, he teaches courses with a focus on animation and digital production.

One of my initial questions about a career in film, like Pearce’s, is how someone finds their interest in that field. From my experience, almost everyone interested in film and filmmaking became interested in it in a different way. Interestingly, Pearce cites his love of magic as the origin of his love of filmmaking. “My interest in animation grew from my interest in magic and illusion more than from an appreciation for film. I have always very much enjoyed cartoons but my decision to start making animation was born from my confidence and understanding of the tools and techniques of the illusion of cinema, rather than from an interest in narrative, story, or theater.” 

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