A monthly publication of the NWC Communication Department

Upcoming Events

Theatre: Side Show

November 1-3
(more info)

NWC Speak-off

November 12

Thanksgiving Break

November 21-25

Featured

Student

Lexi Bertsch
Junior

Major: Public Relations

What are your plans for the future? My goal for the future is to work in sports, ideally as an athletic communicator at a college level. This would include working under the Athletic Department at a school and more specifically with a college team, promoting the program and students, writing stories and working games.

What opportunities have you had at Northwestern?

I have had two summer internships while at Northwestern, at Faith Radio and Miss MN Teen Pageants. I have also had several volunteer opportunities which have helped me decide what I enjoy.

What is your favorite thing about NWC?
The thing I enjoy most about being a Northwestern student is the friendships I have made. I am extremely thankful for the genuine, Christ-centered relationships I have developed while at NWC.

Featured

Alumnus

Ben Schoofs

2002

Degree:

Broadcasting

Where has life taken you after Northwestern?

I started as a Production Assistant at KSTP-TV Minneapolis before graduating, and afterwards I worked my up to become a Technical Director. Then I added directing to my skills and became a Director/Technical Director. I mostly direct and TD newscasts, but also do non-news programs like Twin Cities Live, Sports Wrap, and At Issue. Almost everything I do is live format, so it is very intense, high-pressure, exciting and rewarding work. When I'm not at work, I'm playing percussion with my church orchestra and spending time with my three girls, ages five,three and one. This fall I'm teaching the NWC Live television workshop at Northwestern, and I'm enjoying sharing the knowledge I've gained in the industry with my students.

What advice do you have for current students?

Take advantage of any and every opportunity you can find because this industry is all about networking. The more people you know, the more advantageous your position is when you graduate. Also, enjoy the unique opportunity that you have to be at Northwestern and to be getting such a Bible-centered, Christ-focused education that instills in you quality biblical worldview principles that you can bring with you into an industry that very much needs salt and light.

Music is momentous in fall Theatre production

The Northwestern College Theatre program today presents its first production of the school year, Side Show, with an inspiring, complex musical score. The bold Broadway musical hit runs through this Saturday, November 3 with performances at 7 p.m. in Maranatha Hall.

Directed by Doc Rainbow, the musical is based on the real story of talented conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who are discovered in a circus freak show by a musician and talent scout. The twins are introduced to the highs and lows of show business in vaudeville, a comic theatrical piece of various acts.

David Kozamchak, musical director of Side Show, said, "Side Show is a very complex musical on many different levels. The story has many different layers and is an emotional journey for both the cast and the audience. This complexity is reflected in the music itself. Almost the entire show is told through the music with very limited dialogue. The pace of the show is non-stop with one great song after the other."

The 28-piece orchestra practiced five three-hour rehearsals before combining with the cast this week leading up to opening night.

"Side Show is a musical that most people are not familiar with. I wasn't either! But, believe me, this is one show that you will not want to miss. The music is fantastic," said Kozamchak.

NWC staff and students can still obtain free tickets for all three performances at the Ticket Office or by calling 651-631-5151. Ticket prices for those outside of Northwestern are available online.

PR Student wins free pass to Advertising Week

No big presentations, resumes or essays were required for Chase Donahue to win a free trip to New York City. Instead, popular Facebook game Words with Friends was the key to sending the senior public relations major on an expenses-paid trip to attend Advertising Week. Donahue beat a famous creative director at the game and was the only winner out of five to be selected to attend Advertising Week for five days in early October.

Donahue aspires to pursue a career in advertising. He said, "I have always been a creative person, so I wanted to find an occupation that could harness that. Being a PR major has forced me to learn public relations in the classroom and be a student of advertising outside of the classroom. The way I see it, advertising is the best place to work to have the opportunity to create new things and change the world with big ideas."

Advertising Week is an annual, world-renowned event in New York City. Over 125 countries and more than 80,000 professionals attend the weeklong affair of seminars, award ceremonies, networking events and other activities. During the week, Donahue attended seminars and was given full media access to the event. He also had the opportunity to write for the Advertising Week daily blog, strengthening his writing skills and portfolio.

"Ultimately, my time at Advertising Week taught me to be passionate about what I am doing with my life," said Donahue, "To love every minute of it and to approach it with all my ability. I think that goes for any student, not just communications. We are gifted at specific things; those are the areas we should be pursuing. Being resilient and striving to be great at those talents shouldn't just be a choice for some. It should be expected of us all. We are all called to hone our skills and do them to the best of our ability for God's glory. That should be exciting and inspirational in itself."

Whitworth ready to launch into broadcasting career

Senior Electronic Media Communication major Jodi Whitworth is ready to launch her career after a variety of internships and awards based on her Northwestern education.

She began dabbling in television as the anchor and producer of Eagle 7 News and soon became established in her major. This summer, she interned at WCIA TV in Illinois and was awarded Minnesota's Alliance for Women in Media's annual Diamond Awards Diversity Scholarship. Through her current internship at KSTP 5 Eyewitness News and a foundational four years at NWC, Whitworth has learned how to be a witness in a secular media industry.

Whitworth explained, "Clearly the media industry can be pretty rough sometimes, but I never shove my faith in anyone's face. I try to keep my attitude positive and be encouraging to other people whom I work with. While out on a story once, a cameraman who I was working with remembered that I went to Northwestern and said, 'So, what are you, like a Bible thumper?' I replied, 'I'm a Christian.' He just kind of looked at me, caught off guard, and smiled. I just thought that was kind of cool."

As a 5 Eyewitness News intern, Whitworth shadows reporters in the field during the weekday. On the weekends, she goes out into the field with a cameraman and acts as a reporter. The weekends are an essential learning experience because she is in charge of and responsible for the story.

"My respect for broadcasting has heightened so much since I first enrolled at Northwestern," said Whitworth. "Telling a gripping story and having credibility is so important, and it's truly my passion. Looking the part just won't do the trick, but actually knowing what you're doing is what is going to take you far. Northwestern has been a huge part in my journey."

Whitworth graduates next month and aims to become a reporter in a large city, such as Chicago or Atlanta. She also aspires to making it to national television because she believes broadcast journalism is a huge ministry.

"Northwestern has given me a foundation. I definitely felt confident going into internships with the knowledge I had gathered from NWC. Also, with my extensive interning (three internships) I am totally confident that I will get where I need and want to be in few years. I'm already getting prospects from top 100 markets interested in my work."

Click here to view Whitworth's demo reel.

Notable Notes

Senior EMC major Anna Carey has launched a campaign to raise funds for the production of her senior film, Mother of Us All, which voices the struggle experienced by many women in the 1960's questioning where their identity is held. Find out more about the project and view a short trailer on her Kickstarter page.

Senior PR major Cody Durkee has two paid internships, one with Horsager Leadership, Inc. and another at Minnesota for Marriage, the grassroots campaign to pass the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.

Senior PR major Drew Worthing has a paid internship with The Rouen Group, a public relations company in Minneapolis.

Dan Wolter spoke in Dr. Kaiser's PR Principles & Concepts class on October 5. Wolter is currently the Pfizer's director of government relations and public affairs for Indiana, Michigan and Ohio and was formerly a political speechwriter and spokesperson.

PR graduate Megan Fraboni ('10), spoke to Dr. Kaiser's PR Principles class about her job as marketing communications specialist for Caribou Coffee and about her career path and the benefits of networking.

On October 26, Dr. Kaiser was featured on TPT's Almanac, discussing his recent book, Company Town. The video can be viewed online.

Dr. Kaiser recently attended the 35th annual conference of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, & Gender in Tacoma, Washington, and presented a paper, "A Longitudinal Analysis of Collective Action Framing, Counterframing, and the Impact of Exogenous Shocks in the Conflict over Title IX."

Note From the Chair

This weekend the Northwestern College Theatre program will present Side Show, a musical based on the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who worked as a circus act before becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s.

The show opens with the company singing "Come Look at the Freaks," with the cruel line, "Come see God's mistakes." It reminds us of a time when people who deviated significantly from the norm were put on display for the amusement of "normal" people. The play goes on to challenge our ideas about what it means to be normal, and about who is worthy of love.

We don't have those sorts of sideshows today, of course. We have reality television instead. ("Honey Boo Boo," America is laughing at you, not with you.) Ironically, a current program featuring Minnesota's famous conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany Hensel, is among the least exploitative of the reality television genre. The girls come off as sweet, fun and a lot more well-adjusted and "normal" than the real housewives and Kardashians who infest the airwaves today.

There's something unflattering deep in the human spirit that tempts us to feel better about ourselves by pointing and laughing at someone else. The cure is to remember who we are in the sight of God. Compared to the glory of God's original plan for His creation, our fallen selves are all pretty much pond scum, and when we give into the temptation to compare ourselves with others we're really just arguing over whether we're from the top or bottom of the scum layer. But despite this, the God who knew us before we were formed in the womb looks at us through the eyes of love, and we are precious in His sight.

Doug Trouten
Communication Department Chair