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Clever Coogs Compete and Win

The Valenti student brought home second place in an extremely tight race at the National Student Advertising Competition. This is a premier college advertising competition that gives students real-world experiences by creating advertising, marketing, and media campaigns for corporate clients. This opportunity allows participants to learn more about the campaign process by developing a campaign for a real client.

During the competition, corporate sponsors provided a case study which outlines the history of its products and current challenges. This case study mirrors a real-world marketing problem that the organization is facing. The students must assess, evaluate, and research the company’s and competitors' products to identify potential problems and areas of improvement. After which the team must develop an integrated campaign for the client to resolve the issue or elevate the challenge. Each team of students will have to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in a professional manor.

The judges of the national competition consist of company leaders, corporate clients, and advertising agencies. Several categories are closely examined for attention to details, potential effectiveness, and the ability to resolve issues while bringing successful results to the organization. The parameters of the competition are stern and pertain to a creative strategic advertising and marketing campaign.

This entire event is hosted by the American Advertising Federation and each participating college must form a chapter for the National Student Advertising Competition on its campus. All members must pay dues for membership. The AAF is divided into 15 geographical regions that are based on the school's actual location, teams that are competing at district level, and whether the team is there in person or virtually. This year more schools decided to compete in person than in the past two years. This increase in physical attendance may be attributed to the decrease in COVID-19 numbers and the world turning into its new normal.

The competition is fierce and full of genius ideas and future expert advice on the case studies that have been presented to the teams. The winners from each district advance for the general competition to the semifinals, and then on to the finals. Only the top eight teams who qualify will compete in the finals. During the finals, the panel of judges consider the plan book and presentation score sheets which reflect the work of all the teams. This process also determines the rankings for the presentations. All finalist team presentations are available for observation during ADMERICA. ADMERICA I THE American Advertising Federations annual conference for the advertising industry and the leadership skill of smaller networks. This is a weeklong virtual event which hosts exceptional guest speakers, workshops, and gives industry insight to designs.

The top three teams of the AAF competition will receive trophies and cash prizes. Subsequent winners will be granted research awards, insight awards, presenter awards, and presentation team awards. This annual conference is a great assistance to aspiring students who are looking into the fields of media campaigning, marketing, or advertising. This District 10 competition includes schools from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Go Coogs!

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Homeworks Leads To Dreamworks

University of Houston Strategic Communications Writing Professor Philip M. Emery is a vital link in the Jack Valenti School’s chain. His course prepares students with the confidence, professionalism, and media literacy needed for a successful career in Communications. He engages with students and equips them to prepare memoranda, releases, reports, publicity features, public service announcements, speeches, and other specialized writing.

While attending high school Mike decided that he wanted to be a writer. His love for writing came from the comic books that he read as a kid. He started his writing career at his high school newspaper and enjoyed covering news and sporting events. Upon graduating, he landed at Texas State University where he decided to study and train in broadcasting. This was a short-lived pursuit because Mike began doubting that radio broadcasting was a good fit to sustain him long term and began exploring the idea of being an Entertainment Editor at The Texas Star.

Emery’s job search in the 90’s proved to be difficult as he struggled to find gainful employment. This prompted him to move to Dallas, Texas where he secured writing for Sold on Hold. This company customized on hold messages in the form of phone ads played while customers waited to speak to a representative. Mike suddenly felt that this job was lame and questioned himself, “is this why I went to college.” He immensely enjoyed writing but did not want to be stuck in a dead-end job, so he gave himself homework.

This homework consisted of him drafting articles on his word-processor and sending them through mail to companies in the Dallas, Fort Worth area. Eventually, he was offered an opportunity to write briefs for a weekly newspaper, The Met. Emery quickly moved on to write a few feature stories but still hungered for more. He took on a part-time position as an Assistant Editor for a trade publishing company, Key Notes. This organization was part of the Assocation of Locksmith of America). The two jobs, long hours, and little pay helped Mike grow as a professional and again he thought “give yourself some homework to rise to the next level.”

With the help of some inter reflect and self-created homework tasks Emery decided his next step would be to write for a national publication. Fueled by his love of music, he began writing blues reviews which led to a job in Houston working for Todos.com and a 2nd job at City Search. These jobs filled a spot in his career however they were not fulfilling so Mike continued giving himself homework and increasing his skill level. City Search laid off several employees and Emery was included in this oust. This is the point where he began to really evaluate his desired career path and devise a plan. He recalled the University of Houston’s campus with its old school charms and broken-down sign that read “welcome to cougar country.” “I would love to work in higher education” thought Emery and at once he applied to UH (University of Houston). Since tropical storm Allison had recently devastated many parts of Houston and the surrounding areas, Mike decided that this would be his angle. The campus suffered flood damage to the museum and theater, therefore he authored a story pertaining to the Performing Arts building being ravished with destruction to show interest in the job. He sent this out to the Theatre Director and received a job offer. As he wrote for the university, he also dabbled in International Communication, and received his master's in teaching.

During Mike’s illustrious career at the University of Houston he has also worked in public relations with the media team. This afforded him with assignments that took him abroad to Whales, France, and Venice. He also covered the infamous Super Bowl XXXVII with Performers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Emery was getting paid to do something that he loved all while traveling and experiencing high ticketed events. He contributes the success of his career to “working hard and knowing that experience don’t happen on their own,” he also says that “he made them by networking and giving himself homework.” Professor Emery cautions his students “while doing your homework think about how to enhance your value to the organization. You are a brand therefore you must communicate, adapt, and be consistent.”

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Texas Size Scholarship Opportunities:

Texas Radio Hall of Fame Scholarship Program - The Texas Radio Hall of Fame (TRHOF) is now accepting applications. This inaugural scholarship program will offer seven individual grants of $1,000 each to students who are pursuing a course of study related to broadcasting. The winners will be determined by a review board and will be announced on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, and all recipients will be honored at a luncheon on May 19, 2022, hosted by Amber Mostyn and Mostyn Law. This event will be held in the Performance Centre of Houston’s Ensemble Theatre.

To be eligible students must be currently enrolled in a Texas college, university, art/trade institution, or community college and participating in classes that would support a career in broadcasting. All applications must be made through the TRHOF website www.TRHOF.net before Midnight Central Time on Thursday, April 28, 2022.

Doug Harris is the organization’s Executive Director and he said, “this is a major step for the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.” He went on to exclaim “the companies and individuals who are supporting this effort are demonstrating their confidence in the broadcast media and our need to nurture the talent that the industry will need to grow and prosper. Doug was named Billboard Magazine Promotion Director of the Year for his work at Houston’s Legendary AOK KLOL-FM and he has also been recognized and received dozens of accolades in the industry. He has worked in Texas at stations in Austin, Beaumont, DFW, Midland –Odessa, San Antonio, and Tyler. Doug also has movie reviews currently heard on Made in Texas Radio. He has over 30+ years' experience in marketing and many clients all over the world. Doug has a great reputation as one of the world’s premiere consumer promotions and marketing consultants and continues to help a variety of clients worldwide.

The entire TRHOF board is building a strong team of advisors to help current and future students succeed in broadcast related fields. They are looking for individuals who pose strength and balance to the organization. These applicants should have an interest in honoring the contributions of worthy broadcasters in the Texas market and every format.

Nominations and voting will be accepted in two categories: On-Are and Programming and Management and Sales. The association begins voting on the 1st with nominations being announced on the 20th. The TRHOF inductees will reveal the winners on a live nationwide broadcast channel, and they will be honored in a grand ceremony in. This special ceremony with take place at the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications in Kilgore, TX

The students involved in this process are outstanding pupils who are pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism or a similar major at a Texas University or College. This outreach program offers educational and scholarship opportunities to increase a higher learning experience through radio and media. This program leads the way to promoting the historical perspective of radio and provides a step-by-step plan for developing, achieving, and strengthening the organization overall capacity to seek the next Texas Radio Hall of Famer.

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Jack Valenti Job Fair’s Huge Success

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, the University Career Services partnered with the Valenti school of Communication with a career mixer event. This event gave University of Houston Communications majors the opportunity to land a dream job by meeting with prospective employers. It was designed to cultivate relationships between students and hiring companies by building new connections in a casual social setting. This was a fantastic opportunity for individuals who are looking for careers in communications and to expand their professional networks. This mixer promoted long-term career growth and personal development.

UH (University of Houston) students in attendance received an excellent networking opportunity to connect with companies and discuss potential employment opportunities in the industry. Students were expected to arrive on time, dress in business attire, socialize with hiring managers, and meet with career counselors to answer questions. The goal of the mixer was for students to gain insight and experience in communicating with professionals, experts connecting with organizations, and the possibility of getting a job with one of the 20 employers there with open positions. Professional headshots were also offered onsite.

When companies are hiring for several positions and want to quickly find a vast selection of candidates, they attend career mixer such as this one. By following proper job fair etiquette, you may be successful in attracting employers who are excited to consider you as a new addition to their organization. Many students find entry-level jobs to pursue after earning their degree and some are offered vacant positions on the spot. These career mixers give local businesses the opportunity to attend and recruit diverse candidates and learn about their backgrounds, skills, and qualifications. Organizations also try to ascertain if the candidate is a good fit for the culture of the company.

The participants of this mixer found many benefits in participating in an event of this magnitude. This was a wonderful way to gain access to potential employers who are eager to hire for roles in their organization. It also bult awareness in the job market and discovery existing possibilities. Students and recruiters were able to choose from a wide selection of participants and learn more about talent and services. It was an impressive array of professional applicants which increased the likelihood of finding high performing employees.

This event offers an outstanding opportunity for networking and seeking partnerships with people in their desired industry. People got the chance to speak one-on-one with multiple company representatives all in the same place. Even if they did not land an interview with a particular company, they still had a chance to make a good impression which is an invaluable opportunity. It also increased the students' chances of ending up on a list for future hires.

Attending The Jack Valenti School of Communication career mixer was a smart move for many UH communications majors' students. Benefits included: gaining experience with professional connections, learning about the viability of local positions, and the possibility of gainful employment. The communication & Marketing Mixer partnered with Houston’s top organization to make this event a success and unite the community with hope.

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Valenti School of Communication African News Database

Jack Valenti School of Communication scholars are world renowned for their extensive and life changing research efforts. Assistant Professor of Journalism, Dani Madrid-Morales stands tall among the students and alumni that have been awarded research grants in connection with their Valenti School projects and programs. Madrid-Morales' grant stems from the University of Houston Libraries with a partnership alongside the UH College of Technology. His research focuses on developing a multilingual database of digital news which may be accessed in 54 African countries.

The Alexa.com database will collect information from all major online news sources within a country and build upon that. Initially, their intakes came from the United States and Europe due to some difficulties finding African news. This lack is what catapulted Madrid-Morales to collect data that is imperative to the online news markets in Africa. Monitoring online news in this fashion is new to this part of the world and Madrid-Morales and his team intend to make this platform available to researchers in Africa because currently they have limited commercial database access.

This project has been awarded a $5,998 grant which will cover a two-month subscription to Alexa.com in conjunction with a grant from the University of Houston Libraries. These funds have assisted Madrid-Morales and his team with their research efforts of composing lists of websites to gather pertinent stories, political agendas, plus social and economic happenings. Early on the team began looking at English-speaking African countries, however they plan to expand the technology to collect news in multiple languages and scripts. This grant gives them the ability to tackle issues and scale up their project to include 44 additional countries. Also, the grant allows two undergraduate students – Mashumtiha Periyasamy and a Valenti School of Communication student the opportunity to participate in this study.

In the next few years, this project will prove to be an ambitious undertaking. There is so much research to be done on global media studies, international politics, popular culture, and geographically focus it into the African market. Dr. Madrid-Morales holds a Ph.D. degree in media and communication from City University of Hong Kong, and M.A. degrees in international relations (Freie Universität, Berlin) and contemporary East Asian studies (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). He also has been published in top peer-reviewed journals, speaks seven languages, and worked as a broadcast journalist covering world affairs. His expertise in all these areas will greatly assist this program with getting up and running.

Dr. Madrid-Morales' primary area of research includes entertainment media, cross-border consumption of popular culture, and intercultural/international communication. His use of qualitative and quantitative methods coincides with the research tools and processes that he engages with. His teaching portfolio includes multimedia production, global communication, and video journalism.

The Alexa.com database will provide knowledge and implement change in Africa and around the world. This platform will be game changing in online markets that will benefit greatly from uncensored news and access to current events. Dr. Madrid-Morales' work at the Valenti School has been phenomenal and with the partnership of the University of Houston Libraries and the UH College of Technology this program is headed for success.

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The Strength of the Jack Valenti School of Communication

The University of Houston’s Jack J. Valenti School of Communications has many academic programs to major in. Students looking to find a communication-based career have a plethora of concentrations to choose from. This college offers Undergraduate degrees in Health Communication, Journalism, Media Production, Strategic Communication. It also offers graduate degrees in Health Communication, Public Relations, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Global and Intercultural Communication. With so many avenues of study one is bound to find their area of interest.

I have chosen to pursue a Strategic Communications, B.A. which is a popular program in the Valenti School. Like many college students I initially struggled with finding the perfect fit in my field of study. When I first began taking classes at UH, I wanted to be a dental hygienist. I started taking my basic classes and I was lucky to get a paid internship at a local dental office. In a few short years, I discovered that I do not like working inside people mouths all day and changed my major to business. After taking a few killer math courses; business was not the right fit for me. I took the career assessment on the UH website and viola it said the communications was a good fit and I agreed.

The experience was similar for Lyrik Walker, a broadcast journalist majors at the Valenti School. She too struggled with what area to choose and after taking the UH career assessment was introduced into the possibility of taking to path of Communication degrees. She began taking some broadcast journalism classes and enjoyed them immensely. Lyrik attended the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) 2020 Basics Bootcamp in February. The events were a two-day training that prepared attendees for a career in in the newsroom by using hands-on workshops, networking opportunities, and interactive talks with industry veterans.

Lyrik was also introduced to the foundational and the technical aspects of journalism through extended training sessions. She appreciated networking with people who gave valuable insight on how to apply for larger media markets right out of college. She discovered that everyone journey is different and there are lots of things you must do as a reporter. It’s not just stepping in front of camera and reporting news and events. There is a lot of research involved, fact checking, and investigating.

The purpose of NABJ is to provide quality programs and services to advocate on the behalf of Black journalist. They also focus on making sure that age-old practices and lessons are still taught to young writers. These skills include practices such as producing a competent package or understanding the mission of the newsroom.

The strength of the Jack Valenti School of Communication is it diverse programs that offers highly sought-after fields of study. Whether it’s a Strategic Communication, Media Production, or Journalism concentration program the options are plenty to drive any career involving social connections. These degrees are all aimed at directing students toward professional success in both academic and non-academic ventures. They allow scholar to build strategic thinking, analytical skills, increase communication capabilities, and become a strong leader.

The Valenti School of Communication focuses on keeping students abreast of the latest developments and practices in the field. By using extensive research to examine the affects societies at large experiences. This is the biggest UH College for a good reason because it produces educated, tech-savvy, and ethical graduates with the skills required to excel in the ever changing, challenging – yet exciting digital world.