Julie Keck, one of the co-chairs of the Center for Community Media’s Advisory Board, said the “primary goal of the (CCM) board …  is to serve the center’s mission, and for me part of the board’s responsibility is to make sure that the activities of the center enable a smooth transition for students from academic to professional life, whatever that means for them.”

Along with providing resources and support for students at GSU, Keck said: “As members of the board, we’re called upon to share advice based on what we know about our corners of the industry.” Keck added, “what is expected of professionals, what are best practices, and what are the lessons of the past that can benefit students as they look to the future.”

Having 15 board members with comprehensive backgrounds in media serving CCM better helps assist its mission. Keck said. “Each board member comes to the table with years of experience and relevant knowledge, which make us a great sounding board for those running the current units of the center – Media Across the Curriculum (MAC), Student Media Institute (SMI), Media Research Initiative (MRI) – as they evolve their offerings through the years.”

“One thing I hope to do is help increase opportunities for strategic partnerships that can lead to opportunities up to and including employment post-graduation,” Keck said. “Because each of the board members has years of experience in their fields, we also come with wide networks, local and beyond.

“As we learn more about what opportunities students are curious about, we’ll be able to support them with outreach and introductions to support connections.”

“One area of expertise I bring to the table is a lot of experience around audience identification and engagement, leading to promotional activities,” Keck said. “So much work goes into creating media content, whether it’s TV, radio, or digital news, and if you’re investing the time and energy to craft something great, it’s also important to invest the energy into getting it out in the world. For me, promotion has to be a purposeful act considered from the start of media creation: who is creating this, who is it for, and how do you engage the intended audience?”

Asked where CCM might be in 5-10 years, Keck said: “One of the things I hope for is that by working together to strengthen the center, we can support the continued growth of the local media ecosystem in the Southland. This area deserves talented media professionals from and from the region who can apply their technical skill and their first-hand knowledge of and passion for the area.

“It could be a model for other similar regions that straddle large cities and more rural areas, finding answers to the question: how do we carve our space for this region while also connecting with the wider community? Everyone in the Southland will benefit, from media makers to media consumers. This isn’t to say this isn’t already happening, but my hope is that we can deepen and accelerate this process.”

(Note: Nuha Abdessalam is a student member of the CCM Advisory Board.)