Category Archives: Alumni News
Advertising Grad on Broadway? Alumni Spotlight: Phil Brooks
Phil Brooks, who graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in Advertising, has made strides in the video production industry since graduating in 2007. After finishing his degree, Phil moved to NYC and began working with Final Cut USA, where he continues to work fifteen years later. In addition to his work in video production for advertisements and documentaries, Phil is also an animator and designer. He holds expertise in visual effects, motion graphics, film production, and post production, to name a few of his many skills.
Phil’s most recent work includes a promotional trailer for a new … Read more “Advertising Grad on Broadway? Alumni Spotlight: Phil Brooks”
CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students
As many students around the country had their summer internship plans put on hold because of COVID-19 and economic uncertainty, the University of Tennessee’s New York City Alumni Chapter quickly organized a virtual internship program for future communicators.
The VOLs Remote Internship pilot program paired five interns from CCI with social media and digital communication roles at nonprofit organizations dedicated to education.
CCI Board of Visitors member Jamie Lonie (PR ’10), who also serves as president of New York City Alumni Chapter, said the idea for a digital internship program was born from the November 2019 CCI Board of Visitors … Read more “CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students”
2020 Social Media Week: Q&A with Sookie Park (AD ’13)
The 2020 UT Social Media Week will be held Feb. 18-20 and features social media and news professionals from near and far, including three CCI graduates. Admission is free for all six sessions, which will take place in the Communications Building.
Sookie Park (AD ’13) is the Director of Partnership Activation at Complexity Gaming, one of America’s premier esports organizations now headquartered in Frisco, Texas. She will speak on “esports and Marketing to the New Generation” on Thursday from 11:10 a.m.-12:25 p.m. in Scripps Lab Theater.
A native of Daegu, South Korea, Park entered the traditional sports and esports industry … Read more “2020 Social Media Week: Q&A with Sookie Park (AD ’13)”
#SheCan Campaign Comes to Life
#SheCan Campaign Comes to Life written by Cara Hunter
When students spend an entire semester working on a project, they long for their ideas to be utilized for a real organization. For Alexandria Dodson and her fellow group members, Kayley Green, Maci Mays, Madi Mayfield, Bridgette Givand, Madeleine Constantine, this dream became a reality.
Dodson is an alumna of the School of Advertising and Public Relations and graduated from the University of Tennessee in December of 2017. During her final semester at UT, Dodson completed Public Relations Campaigns, a course that brings together all the skills that public relations majors … Read more “#SheCan Campaign Comes to Life”
ADPR Alumni Win UT Award
On Friday, September 7 two alumni from the School of Advertising and Public Relations won awards at the UT Knoxville Alumni Board annual event. 
Among them were: Chris Grabenstein (BS/JEM ’77 & an emeritus member of CCI’s Board of Visitors) received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and Erin Hauck (BS/AD ’07) received the Alumni Promise Award.
Please see the full story here.
Laura Gamo (’18) Featured in Torchbearer Magazine
Laura Gamo was born in Colombia and moved with her family to Florida when she was six. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina in 2016, she started her master’s studies in UT’s School of Advertising and Public Relations as the graduate assistant to the Chancellor’s Honors Program. Laura received an award from the Sammie Lynn Puett Endowment in Public Relations.
“I am finding my truth through words,” says Gamo. “As a woman of color and an immigrant to this country, I’ve become a unique hybrid as a student, an individual, and a professional. Having struggled … Read more “Laura Gamo (’18) Featured in Torchbearer Magazine”
Alumni Spotlight: Kaily Groover (’16)
Alumni Spotlight: Kaily Groover
Less than a month after graduating from the College of Communication and Information, Kaily Groover is a Paid Media Account Coordinator for Cohn & Wolfe in New York City. Hear from Kaity below:
In my new role, I will be elevating her clients’ paid media strategies, executing digital advertising practices and using innovative tactics to bolster the reach of earned and owned media. As part of the application screening process, I took part in a series of Skype interviews and had to submit a large final project. The project included creating an original 14-month paid media campaign consisting … Read more “Alumni Spotlight: Kaily Groover (’16)”
ADPR Sweeps College-Wide Awards
ADPR Sweeps College-Wide Awards
Written by Laura Gamo, MS Student in the School of Advertising & Public Relations
On Friday, October 13, 2017, the University of Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information held the 2017 CCI Awards and Scholarship Donor Appreciation Banquet.
Each year, the banquet recognizes accomplished faculty and alumni of the College and celebrates current students who have earned scholarships provided by our friends and donors. This past year, several students from the School were awarded scholarships to fund their studies, internships, and other co-curricular and professional development activities.
This year’s Advertising Alumna of the Year, Erin Hauck, … Read more “ADPR Sweeps College-Wide Awards”
ADPR Alum Wins, Top Teaching Paper at AEJMC
Meet School of Advertising and Public Relations Alum: Karen Freberg, Ph.D.
Written by Kyungji Lee, MS Student in the School of Advertising & Public Relations
Karen Freberg graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2011 with a Ph.D. in Public Relations. Karen is internationally recognized expert in social media. Chris Strub, the editor of Digital storytelling and mobile live streaming video in Medium, named Dr. Freberg as one of the “100 micro-micro influencers”. Her websites (www.karenfreberg.com, karenfreberg.com/blog) and communication channels are popular content sites.
Dr. Freberg has had an amazing year in 2017!
First, Karen became … Read more “ADPR Alum Wins, Top Teaching Paper at AEJMC”