Two Important Points on Which My Teaching Philosophy Is Based

As an Emmy Award-winning public television producer with over 15 years of solid leadership of creative production teams and teaching postsecondary students, I am positioned to make a meaningful addition to University of Wisconsin-Madison – College of Ag and Life Sciences as your next Lecturer.

Please consider these highlights:

• Award-winning producer/director/editor of documentaries, television, videos
• Excels in mentoring and inspiring creative team members and students in video production storytelling
• Committed to high ethical and professional standards
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, and Avid

As a producer of award-winning documentaries and programs, I have dedicated my career to tell engaging stories through the medium of video. As an instructor at Madison Media Institute, I taught all aspects of video production ¬– from concept to completion – including development, research, producing, budgeting, scripting, directing, videography, lighting, graphics, animation, editing, and distribution. As a teaching assistant in graduate school, I taught analysis of documentary classics to explain how structure, visual devices, and sound strategies are used in non-fiction filmmaking to play on emotion, push an agenda, or simply convey information.

My teaching philosophy is based on two simple but very important points: I possess a comprehensive knowledge of video production and enjoy motivating students via my enthusiastic way of communicating and passion for producing, directing, and editing. Beyond the fundamental teaching of the technical process to create videos, I emphasize that communication, collaboration, and thorough planning are the keys to producing smooth-running, successful programs on time and within budget. Keeping the audience in mind is also critical while writing, shooting, and editing to ensure the message is clear, accurate, and appropriate for the intended viewer. I foster critical thinking, instill journalistic ethics, and promote learning by doing. I stress to students that they should adapt to rapid technological advances, but the basic principles and elements of video storytelling remain the same and they must master those skills foremost.

Classes often consist of a short lecture, an excerpt from a documentary or photography portfolio, and a technical demonstration. Then I challenge students with weekly production assignments developed from their own ideas and based on the lecture, excerpt or demo in class. I keep a rigorous pace throughout the semester, but I listen, encourage, inspire, and respect students throughout. Mid-way through the semester I require an evaluation to provide feedback regarding how the class is working for them. I adjust the class if needed. I strive to develop a fertile learning environment that creates a dynamic, engaging place that inspires fascination and curiosity beyond the walls of the classroom and moves students to prosper into inquisitive life-long learners and productive members of society.

My documentary work for public television focuses on history, health care, arts and culture, architecture, and the outdoors. During pledge drives, my projects produced for Milwaukee PBS set new fundraising records for the public television station and the ratings for my 5-1/2 hour series about Milwaukee history had the highest numbers of all of the PBS stations in the nation for the week the production premiered.

As program director for WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, not only did I oversee all productions, I was also responsible for holding the network to the highest journalistic standards. WisconsinEye is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit, media organization whose mission is to cover Wisconsin government and produce programs about public policy. I stayed up-to-date on new technologies and mentored the diverse staff regarding innovative ways to generate programs for the public. The culture I created at WisconsinEye was collegial, collaborative, and creative, forming an atmosphere of achievement for the production staff as we produced award-winning long- and short-form documentaries, regular series programs, social media videos, and live coverage throughout the region.

I offer to you my expertise in creative video production and the ability to connect with students to effectively teach the knowledge I have acquired over the years. I encourage you to consider how my talents and experience could benefit the University of Wisconsin-Madison – College of Ag and Life Sciences.