Moderating the Networking in Media Panel at MCNY - Feb. 26, 2009

Back in February, I transformed from The Film Panel Notetaker into The Film Panel Moderator when I had the great pleasure of moderating the Networking in Media panel discussion at Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY). Joining me were panelists Liz Nord, Stephanie Cockerl and Fred Chong Rutherford. Thanks to Paula Landry, co-writer of This Business of Film, who shot and edited the videos of the panel below, and beneath that is more information about our panel. Enjoy!

(Introduction. Video by Paula Landry)

(Part 2. Video by Paula Landry.)

About the Panel:

Networking is an essential part of any media professional’s career, whether it be for a job search, finding new clients, establishing important relationships and more. From film to TV to the Internet to Theater to Music and beyond, networking is becoming more and more important especially with the advent of online social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook, but where do you draw the line in terms of sharing private and personal information online? What are some do’s and don’ts of networking and how can we best optimize our contacts, time, and resources to successfully navigate networking in the ever-evolving media landscape? Professionals from various media are here to give some insights into these questions and more as you may find them helpful as you embark on completing your Constructive Actions (CAs).

Moderator:

Brian Geldin is a freelance public relations consultant who has worked with independent filmmakers on both documentary and narrative feature publicity. He is also the founder and Chief Notetaker of "The Film Panel Notetaker," a blog where he shares notes from film panel discussions, Q&As, and other film and media-related events. Brian is a 2003 graduate of the MBA in Media Management program at Metropolitan College of New York.

Panelists:

Stephanie M. Cockerl is the owner of nextSTEPH, which specializes in online marketing, web site analysis, web site design, and development. With over 10 years of experience, nextSTEPH has won numerous awards including being a finalist in the Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneurs, and receiving the Bronze Award from Portfolios.com. Stephanie has been featured in MediaBistro's AvantGuild; in Webgrrls.com; in Silicon Salley Magazine; and as a "Featured Technodiva" on iVillage.com. She is also a contributing author. Stephanie received her MBA in Media Management from Metropolitan College of New York and a Bachelor of Architecture Degree (B. Arch) from Cornell University.

Liz Nord is a producer and documentary filmmaker. Most recently, she ran MTV's Street Team ’08, a groundbreaking collaboration with the Knight Foundation and the Associated Press, wherein 51 state-based citizen journalists covered the ’08 elections from a youth perspective, across all media platforms - web, mobile, broadcast, and virtual. This effort contributed to both MTV's winning an Emmy Award for Public Service, and to the most influential youth vote in history. In 2006, she toured the world with her critically acclaimed film about rebellious young Israelis, “Jericho’s Echo: Punk Rock in the Holy Land”. When she’s not gallivanting around the globe with film projects, she is a media educator, lecturer, and columnist. She recently relocated to New York from the Bay Area, where she ran a media education non-profit and served on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Women in Film and TV.

Fred Chong Rutherford has over a decade of international experience in digital media production. Works he's produced have appeared at the Seattle International Film Festival, the San Diego Comic Con, Satellites Independent Film Festival, and a plethora of online outlets. He specializes in interactive marketing for the web, digital TV, mobile devices and more. Fred is currently based in New York City. He holds a BA from Western Washington University and his MBA from MCNY.

Spoke at Metropolitan College of New York Friday Night

I would like to thank Professor Paula Landry for inviting me to speak Friday night in her Film Business class that she co-instructs with Professor and President Stephen R. Greenwald at Metropolitan College of New York, my alma matter where I attended grad school for Media Management a few years back. The program served as a foundation for my notetaking, since it was during my studies there that I began to attend film panel discussions at festivals such as Cannes, and though I didn't realize it at the time, I would soon be sharing my notes on this very blog.

Flash forward to Friday night, and there I was explaining the genesis of The Film Panel Notetaker to a new batch of young media entrepreneurs, all with various concentrations. Speaking of which, you might be seeing some notes posted here in the near future from some of these students on a wide spectrum of panel discussions from the music, fashion, public relations and web industries.

I am hoping to work with Paula soon to program a panel discussion at the school. I will keep you informed of any developments.