Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations

ADPR Welcomes Jasmine Fehr

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Jasmine FehrJasmine Fehr is a first-year master’s student studying in the College of Communication & Information, with a concentration in Advertising. Jasmin runs track and cross country on the teams here at UT, Knoxville. Originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, she has lived in the U.S. for five years. This past spring, Jasmine completed her BA in Psychology at the University of Portland in Oregon. Jasmine hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and either pursue further academia or practice as a psychologist.

Chazni Darden Named MAIP Fellow

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Chazni DardenChazni Darden, a senior advertising student in the School of Advertising and Public Relations was named as a MAIP Fellow for 2021. The Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) fellowship focuses on placing highly skilled BIPOC or multicultural students within the advertising industry. The highly competitive program combines real-world training and professional development through an immersive summer program. This year, the program will be held virtually for all fellows.

MAIP fellows are selected from over 3,800 colleges, universities, and portfolio schools and are interviewed by industry recruitment professionals. MAIP’s slogan “together we triumph” embodies their goals of bringing a diverse community into the advertising field.

Darden was also an intern through the inaugural VOLs Remote Internship Program which paired ADPR students with social and digital internships in the nonprofit sector. Now in its second year, the program hopes to pair 8-10 students with remote internships this summer.

Chazni shared her story with us:

Q: What brought you to ADPR?
I was an undecided business major, and I felt the program was too stuffy and not creatively focused. I quickly realized that I could merge marketing with the creative aspects of business through an advertising major. I switched and never looked back.

Q: What do you like about being a major in ADPR?
Even though there are over 400 majors, ADPR feels like a small family. You get to know all of your professors one on one. The small class sizes allow us to work in groups and to find our strengths while working on our weaknesses. We also have two student organizations that help us learn more about the industry and to network with professionals.

Q: What helped get you to where you are now?

AdClub and PRSSA. I highly encourage students to join both. The student organizations are how I found out about the annual New York City trip. By going on the trip, I learned more about the field and found my path in production. I got more out of the trip than I expected because the alumni were so welcoming and encouraging. I don’t know that I would be where I am today without the trip. I’m thankful to the department for providing financial assistance on these trips. It helps students get the same opportunities as everyone else.

Q: Do you have any advice for students?
I would tell women, especially women of color not to be afraid. Show the world who you truly are and show your creativity. Don’t be intimated by anyone because you are worthy of being there in the room.

Q: How did COVID-19 change your plans?

Last year when everything shutdown, I couldn’t find an internship over the summer. I knew I needed the experience in order to succeed but after weeks of searching there was nothing out there. Then I received the email about the VOLs Remote Internship Program. I was so thankful for the opportunity and I immediately applied to the program. After interviewing with Jamie Lonie, I was picked for the program. I was paired with Teach for America, Houston. The entire experience was wonderful, and I learned how to do industry work outside of an agency. It helped me to think outside of the box.

More information about the VOLs Remote Internship can be found by visiting their website here. To see more about Darden and her role in the program you can visit cci.utk.edu.

Q: Who will you be paired with this summer?
I was paired with Movers and Shakers in Santa Monica. They’re a boutique startup agency that began operations in 2016. I’ll be working on the integrated production of ads and commercials. I’m looking forward to working with them and seeing what I can contribute to their campaigns. They were behind the Elf makeup song on TikTok and received national attention because of the campaign.

I hope I can share a lot about my experience with my Instagram takeover on @utadpr.

This story is part of our Women’s History Month series which highlights how the women of ADPR #ChooseToChallenge. You can see more stories in our news archives.

Giving Back
To donate to the VOLs Remote Internship Program, please visit giving.utk.edu/volsremoteinternship

Contacts
School of Advertising and PR: adpr@utk.edu

VOLs Remote Internship Program: Jamie Lonie, VOLinternship@gmail.com

Jill Williams Joins ADPR

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Jill WilliamsWe’re pleased to introduce to you our new ADPR student assistant, Jill Williams! Originally from Nashville, TN, she enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors. Jill attended UT for her undergraduate education where she received her bachelor’s in communication and information with a concentration in PR. Before graduating in May of 2020, she began to explore her options and decided she wanted to reach new heights and become a master’s candidate in PR here at UT. Her research interests include computer-mediated communication and how it affects relationships and also crisis communications. “Attending graduate school amid a pandemic is a whirlwind,” Williams said. “The faculty and staff have been exceptionally positive and flexible during this time of uncertainty and I’m thankful to still be able to receive a rewarding education.” Jill is planning to write her thesis in the coming year and hopes to continue her education in the social science field and pursue a Ph.D.

Advertising PhD Student Analyzes Super Bowl

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Alex CarterOur very own Advertising PhD student, Alex Carter, has spent the past two years using the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center to understand how various social media platforms react to major events like last night’s Super Bowl.

Especially in an event like the Super Bowl, companies use engagement on Twitter to measure the success of an advertisement in order to gauge whether the millions spent were worth it.

Click HERE to read more into Alex’s findings of the Super Bowl LV advertisements and performers.

CCI Alumni Start VOLs Remote Internship Program for Students

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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 meeting and became even more meaningful as entire industries started relying heavily on remote work in March. 

The new summer program was open to rising seniors and recent graduates with particular emphasis on recruiting first-generation college students and students from low-income communities.

“Depending on each student’s background, some may be more likely to have the means or networks to secure an internship in a big city like New York, Chicago, or D.C. whereas others might not have the same connections or resources in those places,” Lonie said. “Moreover, even when students secure internships in another city, there are cost implications to spending a few months there. Many students may also have commitments in the summer to their family or other jobs locally.”  

“As most communications professional shifted to online work, we saw remote social media work as a way to make internship opportunities more accessible and equitable for all students. They can still gain real-world work experience, even from home.”

The first class of interns included: Kyle Basila (Public Relations), Chazni Darden (Advertising), Tadezja Maxwell (Public Relations), Alana Peery (Advertising), and Josh Witt (Journalism and Electronic Media). 

The internships lasted 8-10 weeks, during which participants learned how to create social media content in the voices of their organizations and gained experience using digital collaboration and social media management tools. Each student was provided a stipend, either through scholarship gifts from alumni and supporters or directly through the organizations.

Interns were each paired with young CCI alumni already working in communications and digital media. The mentors, all working in for-profit industries, provided concrete feedback on digital communications best practices along with career advice on navigating the industry. Alumni mentors included Jessica DiTommaso (2014), Beau Cobb, Schahrzad Mehdia (2016), Charlie Sells (2010), and Abigail Ritch (2013).

The program was also made possible with support from many other supportive CCI alumni and staff, including co-organizers Laura Gamo (2018) and Taylor Presley (2013)  along with guidance from Dr. Sally McMillan.

Lonie said the goal is to continue to grow the summer program to include more students and more majors. “It looks like the future of communications work will continue to happen online and often remotely,” he said, “so we want to expand this internship program next summer and give more students these opportunities.”

Meet the 2020 interns: 

Kyle Basila

Social and Growth Intern, Understood

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Major: Public Relations (Plans to graduate: Spring ’21)

Founded in 2014, Understood is a nonprofit that assists people with thinking and learning differences to thrive by providing them with helpful digital resources and communities. The organization has also helped thousands of people with all types of disabilities succeed in school and find employment at inclusive companies. 

Basila: “I feel like I learned the most about social media writing, and I’m a stronger copy writer now. On Facebook and Twitter, you don’t have space to throw paragraphs out there. I gained a good understanding about how to get a point across and make it engaging.”

Chazni Darden

Social Media Intern, Teach for America Houston

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Major: Advertising (Plans to graduate: Spring ’21)

Teach For America’s goal is to ensure that every child in the country has access to an excellent and equitable education. In an effort to expand opportunities for low-income students, Teach For America recruits people to commit at least two years teaching in a public school. Darden specifically worked for the Teach for America Houston region. 

Darden: “I learned to use Sprout Social, a useful tool keep track of what you’re posting and look at the results to know what’s working. Some of my posts were more engaging than others, so I took that audience feedback to figure out how to make future content work best.”

Tadezja Maxwell

Social Media Intern, Comp-U-Dopt

Hometown: Lewisburg, Tennessee

Major: Public Relations (Plans to graduate: Fall ’20)

Comp-U-Dopt was founded in 2007 with the goal of ensuring every child has equal access to education and opportunities. The organization fills this need by providing home computers and digital training to students in low-income communities. In addition to opening job and educational prospects to students, Comp-U-Dopt also fulfills an environmental need by repurposing used hardware that would have likely ended up in landfills. 

Maxwell: “Before the social media internship, I had never truly understood the analytical side of engagements and reach. I was able to use this performance data to create better posts. Also, I leader how understanding the language of an organization is most important. You can’t make great content if you don’t know the organization’s voice.”

Alana Peery

Social Media Intern, Teach for All

Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee

Major: Advertising (Plans to graduate: Spring ’21)

Teach for All is a global education program whose goal is to develop leadership in communities to improve education and expand opportunities for children. Fellows at network partners around the world commit to at least two years of teaching in schools in areas of need. After her Teach for All internship, Peery accepted a new internship with BigWheel, a Knoxville-based creative agency.  

Peery: “I learned so much thanks to my manager Daniela, the communications team at Teach for All, and my mentor Beau Cobb. Most importantly, I learned how to use what the organization wants to say and create content for them. Starting out, it was difficult for me to find out how to use the proper tone in my social posts, but over time, I learned how to find the client’s voice and use it in my content.”

Josh Witt

Digital Marketing Intern, GBC-Education via Amplifi

Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee

Major: Journalism and Electronic Media (’19)

The Global Business Coalition for Education builds connections and cooperation between businesses, government agencies, foundations, and civil society organizations  with a goal to ensure that every child has a great start to life, a safe place to learn, and skills for the future of work. Witt had previously interned as a writer with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which helped him translate complicated scientific material into writing that was easily understandable to the public.

Witt: “Getting to use a professional social media management product like Sprout Social was really helpful for me, especially learning to leverage the social listening features to monitor what our nonprofit audience was thinking and sharing.”

PR Student Takes Inaugural Lollapalooza Class

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Senior public relations student Grant Mitchell had the opportunity to participate in Lollapalooza’s inaugural five-week class at DePaul University. During the class, he learned about networking in the music industry and the importance of learning from entry level positions.

“When it comes to any industry, perseverance is key, and this class helped reinforce that for me through all of the guest speakers,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell cites the ADPR community as being critical to him having gained the opportunity to participate in the course. “Everyone in ADPR has been so supportive of me and the professors have been an integral part of me finding opportunities like this one,” Mitchell said.

Senior ADPR Student Talks Summer Internships in a Pandemic

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Patrick Boyd shows off his remote office on the first day of his internship with FCB Health

As a result of attending the annual ADPR New York City networking trip in January 2020, Patrick Boyd landed a once-in-a-lifetime internship working in account management for FCB Health, a healthcare advertising company with a thriving internship program.

Typically, FCB Health’s internship program brings opportunity for the interns to work in the heart of New York City, with workshops, networking opportunities and working on various advertising campaign projects. However, the rise of COVID-19 cases caused FCB Health to make the tough decision to move the internship to remote working.

“Obviously I was a little bummed out when coronavirus changed my plans of working in New York City for the summer,” Boyd said. “But as interns, we had all of the speakers we were supposed to, we were busy every day, we were able to get mentors, we had people to check-in with and so many resources available without even physically being in the office.”

From the end of June to mid-August, Boyd collaborated with interns from around the country in the account management department. He worked with various research technologies, wrote creative briefs and even was part of a pitch to the CEO.

“It felt like I was doing an internship every day which I enjoyed because that was the goal for this summer,” Boyd said. “ADPR prepared me unbelievably well for this internship. I felt like I knew what I was doing and just had a foundation to be able to learn more.”

Boyd started as a sports management major when he first came to UT. As soon as he changed his major to advertising, future job opportunities and real-world practice were the reality of his classes.

“I love it because the faculty just works right beside you and the people you meet in classes become your family,” Boyd said. “You can take yourself as far as you want to go.”

Marketing a Vol Hotel

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Ben Weprin (’01) has developed a national brand on building and repurposing hotel properties in college towns to appeal to alumni returning to their alma maters. His latest project has brought him back to his own alma mater, and he has given fellow Vols a chance to be a part of the project.

Weprin opened Graduate Knoxville in the former Hilton Garden Inn on Cumberland Avenue on August 13. The revamp includes a lot of features that will make Vols cheer, including UT-themed illustrations by cartoonist Marshall Ramsey (’91) in the lobby. And thanks to a friendship between Weprin and Peyton Manning (’97), the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Saloon 16, will boast the largest collection of Manning family memorabilia anywhere.

Late last fall, Graduate Hotels reached out to Associate Professor Courtney Childers of the School of Advertising and Public Relations to see if her students could work on a real-world marketing campaign for the hotel. The project was perfect for her Advertising Management class.

“The syllabus indicated that we would have a legitimate client for the final project,” said Kara Wegner, a Nashville native who graduates in August with a degree in advertising and a minor in business. “Dr. Childers informed us in March who our client was, so we pretty much hit the ground running.”

Read the full story on The Torchbearer website.

CCI Presents at 2020 AEJMC Conference

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Faculty and graduate students from the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information (CCI) presented 10 peer-reviewed research papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) annual conference, which was held virtually Aug. 6-9.

In addition, six CCI faculty served as panelists, moderators, and discussants during the conference.

Faculty serving in AEJMC leadership roles include: Amber Roessner, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, who was elected to the Standing Committee on Research, and Joy Jenkins, JEM assistant professor, who is the incoming head of the Magazine Media Division. Moonhee Cho, associate professor in the School of Advertising and Public Relations, was selected as an AEJMC 2020-21 Institute for Diverse Leadership Fellow and will serve as a member of the AEJMC Research Committee.

Others serving AEJMC divisions, interest groups, and commissions include: JEM professor Maria Fontenot, PF&R committee chair for the Electronic News Division; Roessner, teaching standards co-chair for the History Division; Jenkins, research committee co-chair for the Commission on the Status of Women; doctoral student Charli Kerns, newsletter co-editor for the Commission on the Status of Women; and doctoral student Darina Sarelska, Presidential Diversity & Inclusion Career Development Graduate Student Fellow. CCI Dean Mike Wirth is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication Executive Committee (ASJMC).

Advertising and Political Communication Divisions

• “Time, Space and Convergence in Advertising and Public Relations: Contemporary Analysis of Job Market Trends” by PhD student Andrew Brown, ADPR Professor Sally McMillan, PhD student Alexander Carter, and PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean

• “Best Practices in Online Course Development and Instruction: Targeting Advertising Students in a Post COVID-19 World” by PhD student Betsy DeSimone and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers

History Division

• “Our Forgotten Mother: Daisy Bates and Her School Integration Campaign” by JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner and Monique Freemon (PhD ’20)

Mass Communication and Society Division

• “News Media and Twitter Users’ Framing of the Russian Linked Facebook Ads Issue” by JEM Director & Professor Catherine Luther and PhD student Xu Zhang

Public Relations Division:

• “CEO Activism & Employee Relations: Factors Affecting Employees’ Sense of Belonging in Workplace” by ADPR Associate Professor Moonhee Cho, ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu, and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)

Public Relations and Communication Technology Divisions

• “Alexa, What Do You Know: An Investigation of Smart Speakers and Privacy Perceptions” by PhD student Nicholas Sarafolean and ADPR Associate Professor Courtney Carpenter Childers

• “The Target of Incivility: Examining the Uncivil Discourse on Social Media Platforms” by JEM Assistant Professor Mustafa Oz and Bahtiyar Nurumov (Suleyman Demiral University)

• “Effects of Narratives on Individuals’ Skepticism Toward Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts” by ADPR Assistant Professor Sifan Xu and PhD student Anna Kochigina

Sports Communication Interest Group

“Game Time or Not? Behavioral Predictors of Sports Brand Engagement on Social Media” by ADPR Assistant Professor Matthew Pittman and Brandon Boatwright (PhD ’20)

“Occupational and Job Sex Segregation in Sports Information: A 10-year Update” by PhD student Charli Kerns and JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside

Faculty and doctoral students who served as moderators, discussants, panelists and workshop leaders are: JEM Lecturer Maria Fontenot, JEM Professor Mark Harmon, JEM Assistant Professor Joy Jenkins, JEM Associate Professor Amber Roessner, JEM Associate Professor Erin Whiteside, and CCI Dean Mike Wirth.

ADPR Students Win at 2020 Addy Awards

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2020 Addy Awards

Fifteen students from the School of Advertising and Public Relations and a graphic design major earned 24 honors at the Knoxville American Advertising Federation (AAF) awards.

Senior Kara Wegner earned a Gold Addy Award for her work on Land of Ice and Fire and a Silver Addy Award for Indelible Faces. Graphic design major Ndigi Gichingiri took home a Gold Addy for Burnt Out. Sarah Melancon and Hanna Dice both earned Silver Addys.

Advertising majors who earned Bronze Citations of Excellence included: Alyssa Brown, Madison Cullen, Lauren Friend, Wendy Harmon, Anna House, Kristy Ilia, Yulisia Lopez, Macy Meredith, Alyssa Nichols, Jasmine Rogers, Brianna Szurpicki, and Caroline Waters. Melancon earned a Bronze Citation of Excellence in addition to her Silver Addy, and Associate Professor Courtney Childers’ ADPR 450 class was also awarded a bronze citation for their work on Delta Dental’s Delta Vision campaign.

2020 Knoxville Addy Awards

Alyssa Brown

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Entertain with Toys R Us
  • The Gift of Godiva

Madison Cullen

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Quaker Oats Ad

Hanna Dice

Silver Addy Award

  • Japan Passport Redesign

Lauren Friend

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Rejuvenate Your Mood

Ndigi Gichingiri (Graphic Design)

Gold Addy Award

  • Burnt Out

Wendy Harmon

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Dig Dog

Anna House

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Honey Magazine Campaign

Kristy Ilia

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Back 2 Square 1

Yulisia Lopez

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Portfolio (2)

Sarah Melancon

Silver Addy

  • Saltwater Brewery

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Saltwater Brewery

Macy Meredith

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Bennett Galleries

Alyssa Nichols

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • How You Can Help Brochure

Jasmine Rogers

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Sherwin-Williams Color Snap Brochure
  • Sherwin-Williams Color Snap App

Brianna Szurpicki

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Depop (2)

Caroline Waters

Bronze Citations of Excellence

  • Bennett Galleries Billboard
  • Chick-fil-A Ad

Kara Wegner

Gold Addy Award

  • Land of Fire and Ice

Silver Addy Award

  • Indelible Faces

Dr. Childers’ 450 Class

Bronze Citation of Excellence

  • Delta Dental Delta Vision Campaign