Comm & Media Week Offers Speakers, Workshops, and a Film

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Dr. Courtney Brannon Donoghue, associate professor of Cinema Studies at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, returns to her hometown of Corpus Christi to serve as visiting scholar for Comm and Media Week. The annual series of events presented by the Department of Communication & Media at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi takes place Monday, April 1 through Thursday, April 4, and includes both on-campus and community events. Comm & Media Week’s events showcase aspects of communication and media in personal and professional lives, encouraging critical engagement, and discussion outside the classroom.

Brannon Donoghue’s research areas include Brazilian media, conglomerate Hollywood and international operations, women in production, film festivals, and distribution studies. Her 2017 book, “Localising Hollywood,” addresses international operations, including creative partnerships, production strategies, and promotional and distribution processes. Brannon Donoghue was born and raised in Corpus Christi and is a graduate of Mary Carroll High School.   

 “Dr. Brannon Donoghue is an exemplary media industries scholar, who critically examines the shifting conditions and practices that shape the media that ultimately make it to our screens—at the local multiplex, on our TVs and computers, and around the world,” said event organizer Dr. Ethan Thompson, professor of media arts in the Department of Communication and Media at A&M-Corpus Christi.  

In addition to Brannon Donoghue, Comm and Media Week also includes activities and events featuring Jo Herrera, an audience engagement specialist for Public Radio International, KRIS TV sports journalist and Island University alumnus Jeremiah Marshall, and Stephanie Cude Russell, communications director for the United Way of the Coastal Bend and an A&M-Corpus Christi alumna.

The 2019 Comm & Media Week events include:

April 1

• Student Game Night: Primarily geared to students, members of the Comm Club student organization host the kickoff event with free games and pizza from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Breakers Game Room in the University Center on campus. More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/events/303299770339176/
• Sports & Communication: A Conversation with Jon Palumbo and Jeremiah Marshall: Island University Athletics Director Jon Palumbo and KRIS TV journalist and A&M University-Corpus Christi alumnus Jeremiah Marshall will talk with students about the role of athletics at the university, covering athletics as a journalist, and the importance of communication professionally, from 7 to 8 p.m. in the University Center Oso Room on campus. Attendees can enjoy free drinks and snacks. More information is available at https://www.facebook.com/events/427763167975349/

April 2

• New Media, Audiences, and Journalism: Jo Herrera, audience engagement specialist for Public Radio International, will appear via Skype in the New Media and Communication class taught by Dr. Anli Xiao, assistant professor of Public Relations. The class, which is held from 2 to 3:15 p.m., is limited to interested students and faculty members only.
• Internship Fair and Mixer: A networking mixer for local communication and media professionals, Islander students, and alumni will be held on Tuesday, April 2, from 5-8 p.m. at the House of Rock, 511 Starr St. This is a chance to get together in a casual atmosphere to visit and make professional connections. The event is free and open to all communication and media majors, as well as local Comm and Media professionals. Free pizza will be provided. More information is available at www.facebook.com/events/2009924345787048/.

April 3

• Keynote Speaker: The Island University will host Dr. Courtney Brannon Donoghue from noon to 2 p.m. in the University Center Oso Room. Brannon Donoghue’s keynote will describe the increased importance of international audiences for the Hollywood studios and their evolving strategy for co-producing and distributing local-language films across Europe and Latin America. The Oakland University professor will return to Texas to join the faculty of the University of North Texas in the fall. More information is available at www.facebook.com/events/2050007315300136/.    
• Going Pro with Social Media: Digital Content Workshop: Stephanie Cude Russell, communications director for the United Way of the Coastal Bend and an Island University alumna, will lead this workshop in which students will get hands-on training in social media content creation for businesses. From promoting events and candidates to selling tickets, products, and services – all communication professionals should know what to create, when, and where to post it, and most importantly, a good reason why. After a crash course in digital marketing and data-driven strategy, participants will leave the workshop with original content for their portfolios as well as a new kit of turnkey content creation tools for video, graphics, and photography. Attendees should bring a fully charged phone or tablet and charge cord. More information is available at www.facebook.com/events/320316228623776/.
• Bill Huie’s Best Picture Screening: Bill Huie, Professor Emeritus, returns for the Comm & Media Week film screening tradition to present the 2018 comedy-drama “The Favourite,” starring Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. The screening takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Corpus Christi Alamo Drafthouse, 7601 S. Staples St. Dr. Huie, who taught film studies at A&M-Corpus Christi from the 1970s through the 2000s, will briefly introduce the film and lead a discussion afterward. While the event is free, seating is limited so attendees are encouraged to reserve a seat by giving a donation. For details on how to reserve a seat, visit the donation page at Comm & Media Week.

The Best Picture Screening event is made possible by donations and sponsors like Hybrid Records, an independent vinyl-based music store run by Island University alumnus Carlos Cooper ’14. A double major in Philosophy and Media Studies, Cooper said he’s glad to give back to his alma mater to support an event that was added after he graduated from the University.

“This is only the second year of the event and I would have gone to the screening when I was in school if it that was a thing that I could have done,” Cooper said. “I went to the first screening, and it was super fun.”