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EF C-CURRENT East Carolina University The Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the School of Communication Fall 2015 From ECU to NBC Connecticut Alumni special In this issue: Dr. Brian Massey researches and publishes... 2 Georgia advertising firm meets ECU alum... 3 From ECU to NBC Connecticut... 4 PR grad finds real estate work in Charlotte... 5 Local job market... 6 Update your record... 6 Comm Crew... 7 Journalism was not the first thing on her mind when she signed up for East Carolina University. Soccer was. Christiane Cordero left her home in Los Angeles, California, and came over 2,600 miles to small town Greenville, North Carolina. That was in 2009. For the next four years she played on East Carolina’s women’s soccer team. In addition, she rediscovered her interest in journalism. Today, Cordero is an investigative reporter for an NBC-owned TV Station in Hartford, Connecticut. And, she said, she owes her career in part to the journalism faculty of East Carolina University’s School of Communication. “What I like about East Carolina [journalism program] is the charisma,” Cordero said by phone from Hartford. During her time at East Carolina University, Cordero obtained an internship with the local news station WNTC, which eventually led to a bigger internship with CNN. “We [East Carolina University] aren’t particularly known for our journalism program,” said Cordero. “Interning for WNCT is one of the perks of attending East Carolina University and I interned there for a couple of years and that’s where I got the real-life experience I needed.” After graduation, one of her colleagues from her internship at CNN suggested that she apply for a news internship where NBC assigns you to the [NBC] Today Show or the Nightly News. “I didn’t realize that for application for that you were put in the mix for a bunch of other jobs,” said Cordero. One day Cordero received a call from the NBC News Associates program, which is a yearlong program that allows aspiring journalists to gain real- life journalism experience and learn to hone their skills. by Danielle Henderson continued on page 4... Cordero poses for her picture for NBC Connecticut. photo by WVIT-TV NBC Connecticut

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Page 1: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

EF

C-CURRENTEast Carolina University

The Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the School of Communication

Fall 2015

From ECU to NBC Connecticut Alumni special

In this issue:

Dr. Brian Massey researches and publishes... 2

Georgia advertising firm meets ECU alum... 3

From ECU to NBC Connecticut... 4 PR grad finds real estate work in Charlotte... 5

Local job market... 6

Update your record... 6

Comm Crew... 7

Journalism was not the first thing on her mind when she signed up for East Carolina University. Soccer was.

Christiane Cordero left her home in Los Angeles, California, and came over 2,600 miles to small town Greenville, North Carolina. That was in 2009. For the next four years she played on East Carolina’s women’s soccer team. In addition, she rediscovered her interest in journalism.

Today, Cordero is an investigative reporter for an NBC-owned TV Station in Hartford, Connecticut. And, she said, she owes her career in part to the journalism faculty of East Carolina University’s School of Communication.

“What I like about East Carolina [journalism program] is the charisma,” Cordero said by phone from Hartford.

During her time at East Carolina University, Cordero obtained an internship with the local news station WNTC, which eventually led to a bigger internship with CNN.

“We [East Carolina University] aren’t particularly known for our journalism program,” said Cordero. “Interning for WNCT is one of the perks of attending East Carolina University and I interned there for a couple of years and that’s where I got the real-life experience I needed.”

After graduation, one of her colleagues from her internship at CNN suggested that she apply for a news internship where NBC assigns you to the [NBC] Today Show or the

Nightly News. “I didn’t realize that for

application for that you were put in the mix for a bunch of other jobs,” said Cordero.

One day Cordero received a call from the NBC News Associates program, which is a yearlong program that allows aspiring journalists to gain real-life journalism experience and learn to hone their skills.

by Danielle Henderson

continued on page 4...

Cordero poses for her picture for NBC Connecticut.

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Page 2: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

Published professor does more than just teachJoyner East, a communication/journalism major’s home at East Carolina University, is also a place where research is often underway by students and professors, such as journalist and professor, Dr. Brian Massey. One additional title you may not see on Massey’s credential list is “character,” which is one way ECU journalism student Ashley Boles likes to describe her teacher. “There is never a dull moment in his class,” Ashley stated, while still expressing that she has learned many useful things from Massey. “He’s an awesome teacher!” she stressed.

With a passion for getting answers to questions that nobody else has asked or been successful in finding, Massey is on the brink of having an article published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, a journal that is issued four times a year by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. This scholarly publication focuses on research in journalism and mass communication and is peer-reviewed, meaning blind reviewers critique the articles. Massey’s article, which he first submitted to Journalism

Quarterly in February 2015, has been peer-reviewed and returned as of September 2015. “Now I’m in the midst of

making the changes suggested and when I finish I will resend it. The fact that they actually made edits and returned it to me shows they like what they saw. It’s a good sign for me,” said Massey, who added, “This is what I do when I’m not grading papers or teaching.”

For the article, Massey conducted a survey on independent Web news sites in the summer of 2014. “Anyone can make a [news] website today, but keeping it alive is the hard part,” said Massey. “True entrepreneurship is having an idea and really knowing what to do with it.”

He wanted a resourced based view of the firms, so Massey sent a web survey to over 500 independently-

owned news websites. Roughly 133 completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 58 percent. The survey shows the performance of these businesses depends on their resources. Advertising was revealed to be one of the most profitable resources with a revenue diversity score of 89 percent.

In the article, Massey also explores both tangible and intangible resources within each independent news website and which is more effective for the survival of the business. “Say you can either go buy the nicest newest computer or laptop that is capable of doing lots of things and could help your business, or you can go to a seminar and actually learn how to do lots of things that could help your business,” said Massey, referring to tangible versus intangible sources. The tangible resource would be the new computer, while the seminar is the intangible one. Massey’s research and survey show that intangible resources are most related to these sites. Therefore, going to the seminar would be the best choice for these businesses.

In addition to working on his own publications, Massey has teamed up with another communication professor, Dr. Cindy Elmore, working to bring newer diverse courses such as Entrepreneurial Journalism to the School of Communication.

by Heather Bunn

Dr. Brian Massey types at his computer in Joyner East.

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Page 3: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

Georgia advertising firm meets ECU alum

East Carolina University’s School of Communication alumna Katey Lezotte is currently an account coordinator at Robertson & Markowitz Public Relations and Advertising Inc. in Savannah, Georgia. Lezotte has held several jobs in the communications field since graduating in 2012 and says the knowledge and experiences she gained at ECU helped her reach success in her career today.

“I think at ECU you get the most hands-on experience, the classes are small and the teachers are awesome,” said Lezotte.

Lezotte attended North Carolina State University her freshman year and was unsure what she wanted to pursue. Lezotte said she had always enjoyed writing and editing so when she saw that ECU had a journalism program she transferred her sophomore year. Her love for writing led her to get involved with the student newspaper, The East Carolinian, where she started as a writer and worked her way up to editor.

ECU’s School of Communication professor, Dr. Glenn Hubbard, advises students to take advantage of the student media

opportunities, such as The East Carolinian.

“There’s nothing like experience. Your college degree only gets you so far,” said Dr. Hubbard.

Lezotte spent her time at ECU focusing on journalism but said she fell in love with public relations after working her first internship at J Public Relations in New York City. Lezotte said she came across this internship opportunity through her work for The East Carolinian, when she wrote an article about two former ECU Pirates who started the public relations company.

“I got that first internship with a PR company and the way that I met them was initially writing about them through the paper. It was two former Pirates who had graduated and started their

own bi-coastal PR firm,” said Lezotte.

Lezotte said having both journalism and public relations experience has been helpful in her work today.

“The companies I’ve worked for usually have to do a little bit of everything so it was extremely helpful to have experience on both sides of the fence,” said Lezotte.

The communications courses and teachers at ECU adequately prepared Lezotte for the future by giving her hands on, real world experience she said. Lezotte recalls working with Dr. Hubbard and a small group of students on a special project as one her favorite experiences.

“We were doing a video for the university in a way that would’ve happened in real life. They ‘hired’ us, we worked with other people, and then presented the final project to the ‘client’,” said Lezotte.

Dr. Hubbard said he feels that giving students these real world projects helps them to be more motivated knowing that there is a client or audience dependent on their work and that these projects also give students something to add to their portfolio.

“It’s nice to know that you get a good grade but it’s even more rewarding to feel like you’ve done something that is real and benefiting more people,” said Dr. Hubbard.

by Ashley Federici

continued on page 7...

Lezzote smiles for a picture with a friend on graduation day.

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Page 4: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

She was asked if she had any interest in moving to Hart-ford, Connecticut. Cordero said, “I was able to move here and get the bigger station or the bigger market experience as far as journalism [media] ethics. I was in a bigger mar-ket but I was still a small fish in a big market.”

Cordero worked as news associate for about six months before two of her colleagues left. Their departure left an opening for an investigative reporter and she knew that was her chance. She said, “I went to executive producer and I told her that I’ve been doing this for six months

now and I applied for the job and I just wanted to let you know.” She and the executive producer both decided that she needed more on-air experience before she could take the position on the investigative reporting team. Cordero said, “From then on, I did about eight to 10 stories where I was basically proving myself to them. It was December of last year

when my news director approached me and said, ‘You’re ready. You got the job, now go get the stories’.”

Her first story as an investigative reporter is her most well known one; it is the story of Cassandra C., the Connecticut teenager who was forced to receive

chemotherapy treatment. Soon after Cordero wrote the story, the Today Show contacted her and said that

they were bringing in a crew and that they were going to follow the story as well. When the NBC Today Show

contacted her, she had no idea what to do.

She said, “Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it and that was one of those times.” This was her first major story and working with the NBC Today Show on this story was unlike anything she had ever done.

Her success comes as no surprise to her East Carolina University journalism

ECU to NBC Connecticut

“Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it and that was one of those times.”

professors. Brian Massey, an associate professor, said, “She came for advice. You didn’t have to get on her case and she got her work done. She was a great student.”

When her contract is up in the year 2017, her goal is to go to a sister station in

the Bay or Los Angeles area. She says, “I want to go be closer to home and they have the best investigative team in the Bay Area.”

story continued from page 1

Do you miss your college days?

Want to stay up to date with what is

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Check out w w w. e c u . e d u /

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Page 5: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

While working for one of the largest home building companies in the United States, School of Communication graduate and Charlotte-native Mary Katherine Whelan reminisces on her time spent at East Carolina University.

Whelan landed an interview with Taylor Morrison (formerly Orleans Homes) after studying public relations and feels very lucky that her boss, a former East Carolina graduate, gave her a chance with the company right after graduation.

“I will never be able to thank him enough for that,” Whelan said. “It’s all about finding that person to give you your first chance in the real world.”

Whelan works as a Community Sales Associate for Taylor Morrison. This means that she is the person who sits in the model homes and tries to sell houses.

Like any job, Whelan worked her way up to that position. She started off as the Marketing Coordinator. After conversations with her boss, lots of training

and receiving her real estate license, she decided to try out sales. However, there is a lot more to the job than meets the eye.

“I am basically a professional counselor,

architect, construction manager, negotiator, real estate agent and shrink all wrapped into one title,” Whelan said.

It seems that Whelan works hard and excels in the professional field, and Whelan excelled during her time at East Carolina University, as well. She was a server at Tripps, an athletic academic tutor and mentor, and the social director for her sorority Zeta Tau Alpha.

Despite all of her success, though, she faced obstacles.

Whelan entered her

freshman year in 2010 as an intended nursing major, but switched to public relations in 2012. She took classes at ECU over the summer to ensure she would graduate in four years. At

the end of her 4 years, her initial plan was to go Physical Therapy Assistant School at Central Piedmont Community College. However, when those plans fell through, Whelan didn’t know what to do because she had no internships. Whelan wishes she had gotten any kind of internship, but

fortunately Taylor Morrison pulled through regardless.

Whelan almost gets teary-eyed when she looks back at her memories and lessons learned at ECU and considers them the best she has ever had. From time management to organization, Whelan walks away from ECU with many vital skills and lessons under her belt.

“The most valuable thing I learned at ECU was that you can get through anything if you set your mind to it,” Whelan said.

PR grad finds real estate work in Charlotteby Mackenzie Tewksbury

continued on page 6...

Whelan poses for a photo with her coworkers at Taylor Morrison in Charlotte, NC.

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Page 6: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

Whelan enjoyed the classes in the School of Communication much more than she enjoyed organic chemistry when she was a nursing major. She liked being able to choose from a variety of classes, how interactive her classes were, and how much freedom she was given with her workload. She appreciated how the professors really seemed like they were there to help their students, noting her favorite

Whelan works in Charlotte

Update Your Record: Let us know what you’re up to. Even if you’ve only had a change in phone number or email

address, please let us know.

Please email the following to:

Barbara Bullington, Alumni Relations Committee Chair, at

[email protected]

Name: Semester/year of graduation: Degree: Email: Phone number: Current job title: Company/organization: Personal news (such as marriage, children, awards, etc.):

professor as Dr. Michael Cavanaugh.

Her favorite part about ECU included an autumn day, a tailgate and the words

“PURPLE” and “GOLD” echoing through the whole town of Greenville…Pirate football!

“She goes in an hour before the game, eats her hot dog and Coca-cola and stays until the very last second.”

When not studying in Joyner East, Whelan was rooting for the Pirates on Ficklen Drive.

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“She was and still is a HUGE fan,” close friend Hallie Vardeman said. “She goes in an hour before the game, eats her hot dog and Coca-Cola and stays until the very last second.”

While Whelan is excited that she has the opportunity to be back working in her hometown of Charlotte, she will never forget her roots in Greenville.

“I would never take back my time at ECU,” Whelan said. “It never gets easier to leave Greenville, no matter how old you get.”

The Greenville Times

Local Job MarketWNCT

Taylor Morrison

The Daily Reflector

The News & Observer

WNCN

Our State Magazine

Wilson Daily Times

story continued from page 5

Listed are local job possibilites for School of Communication Alumni

Page 7: C-Current Newsletter for the East Carolina University Scool of Communication

“[They] believed in us and believed in our work and I just found that to be very motivating,” said Lezotte.ECU’s School of Communication offers a wide range of courses from video news production to media writing. Lezotte said that having this variety of knowledge has helped make her a well-rounded employee.

“I’ve realized that [variety] is very essential especially in our ever changing world with technology moving a mile a minute. We just need to be ready to adapt to anything that comes our way, especially in the communication field,” said Lezotte.

Working as an account coordinator Lezotte said she serves as the liaison to the clients. She is the communicating link from the graphic designers, web developers and media buyers to the client. Lezotte said she has to make sure everything is running smoothly and on time for the client.

“It’s very deadline oriented and client oriented, making sure that we get the client everything that they need,” said Lezotte.

Robertson & Markowitz is a full service advertising, marketing and PR company. Lezotte said she likes this work environment because there is always something to do.

“I’m the type of person who likes to do a bunch of

things at once so for me I like being in a full service atmosphere because it allows me to do so many things and work with so many different people,” said Lezotte.

After moving three times since

graduating, Lezotte said she plans on staying with Robertson and Markowitz in Savannah, Georgia for a while. Lezotte lives with her husband, whom she recently married in June, and her German Sheppard. Lezotte enjoys trying new restaurants, reading fashion blogs and watching Netflix in her free time.

Lezotte said she misses all of her professors at ECU and is thankful for all that the School of Communication taught her.

“I can’t tell people enough how much I loved ECU,” said Lezotte.

“I can’t tell people enough how much I loved ECU.”

Help the School of Communication continue to grow: Join CommCrew for Friends and Alumni of the East Carolina

University School of Communication.Name _________________________Address _______________________Phone ________________________E-mail _______________________Recent Alumni ($25) _____ Member ($50) _____ Patron ($100) _____ Benefactor ($250) _____ Director ($500) _____ Chancellor’s Society ($1,000) _____ Call me about corporate sponsorship _______________Other (Amount) $_________

Your membership supports academic scholarships, student journalism and creative media production.

Please make your check payable to the ECU Foundation and return to: Dr. Linda Kean, Director, School of Communication, 102 Joyner East Greenville, NC 27858-4353

story continued from page 3

Lezotte continues life in Savannah, Georgia

Lezotte worked as an editor for The East Carolinian.

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