COM 117

On Thursday November 14th, 2013,  I watched a lecture about “Arising from Tragedy”. On December 21st, 1988 the Pan Am 103 plane was bombed in a terrorist attack and killed thirty five Syracuse University students. Alexia Tseras was a student that was killed in the plane bombing. She was a London photo journalist major, and when she died, her parents created the Alexia Foundation to support photo communication. Out of tragedy, a lot of good has happened. Humans have the ability to arise from tragedy, and through communication we are able to create change and hope amidst disaster. As humans, we all strive to share stories that reflect life. Through photography we can create a bridge beyond vocal language. Peoples’ lives change and political movements can happen because of photos and that’s what the Alexia Foundation is all about– creating movement — creating change.

The three photojournalists and Alexia Foundation winners, Darcy Padilla, Louie Palu, and Tim Matsui,  talked about how photos can bring about change. Louie Palu said that you need to have a deep understanding of the subject and the big picture that you are trying to document. “It’s all about building community and dialogue. When you create dialogue within a community you have a toolbox for change and empowerment”. Darcy Padilla said that you have really care a lot about a subject and do your research. She said, “when it comes to poverty, you have lay the foundation for something to be discovered”. Tim Matsui said that “you use photography to create dialogue about topics you want to create change in, like for me, sexual violence. There is a trend toward story telling instead of photography”.

The next question asked was if the three photojournalists considered themselves advocacy photographers, meaning photographers that take pictures to make something happen. All three photojournalists said that honest and transparency are important but that you have to frame a situation or subject in a certain way in order to create change. They then explained that first hand experiences make the best stories, so if you want to create change you need to put yourself in the subject’s situation and live that story for yourself to truly understand it.

Overall, the presentation was a great one and I really learned a lot about how important photojournalism is in creating change throughout the nation and around the world. It’s amazing to me that photos can create a movement for social, political, and economic change.

This past Tuesday I went to see Rob Brotherton speak in Newhouse 3. He is the public relations manager at Escada, which is a huge multi-million dollar company. He told his story about his journey to fame in the fashion world.

Rob Brotherton was a dual vocal performance and advertising major and has worked in the fashion industry for over ten years now. He started off in Newhouse and VPA and also completed the fashion and beauty communications milestone. He began his fashion career by working with Adam Lippes who worked with Oscar del la Renta. After that he worked with Zac Posen as an intern and then became the public relations coordinator and then soon after the corporate communications manager. After, he got his job at Escada.

The lecture began with Brotherton talking about what exactly fashion public relations is all about. He said that it is working internally for a fashion label and covering editorial, celebrity, and special events. At the events you meet very important people and Brotherton said that public relations is all about who you know and that you need to get to know the people in charge if you want to be successful.

Brotherton then told us all about how his boss at Zac Posen gave him the opportunity to dress Oprah for the Oscars. He said it was a great experience and that Oprah was actually pretty difficult to satisfy but that he enjoyed the experience because it gave him more opportunities in the future to dress more celebrities.

I learned a lot about the fashion world including the tips that media presence is huge when you are styling celebrities, and that brand campaigns are most effective when a celebrity is advocating for it. I also learned that entertainment is a huge industry and that it takes a village to cultivate fame. The final thing I learned was to sell your soul (in a good way). If you want to make it to the top, you have to be willing to put in the extra hours at work even if you are not required to. This presentation made me extremely excited to begin working in fashion public relations after I graduate from Newhouse.

On Wednesday, I had the great opportunity to watch the screening of the HBO Documentary: Glickman, made by James Freedman. I myself, want to be a sportscaster and thus this film was not only good because it was a story of adversity, prejudice, sports and success, but appealed to people like me who want to be in the field itself.

Marty Glickman was born in Brooklyn to Romanian Jews that escaped to avoid further persecution. Marty was a star athlete in high school. He played basketball, football, ran track and did almost everything else in between. When he was eighteen he took part in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and his life changed forever. He was one of only a few Jews that looked Hitler straight in the eye and lived to tell the story. Unfortunately, this story would haunt Marty until his death because he was unable to take part in the Olympics because of his Jewish background. Instead Jesse Owens and others from the American Track Team took his place. The world would never be able to witness to athletic prowess of Marty Glickman.

Using this event as motivation Glickman became one of the most famous broadcaster in a generation of broadcasters. He would become what others had only hoped to be and set the bar. He came up with the terms swoosh and was able to paint a picture in the minds of viewers and listeners alike of what was going on. He did this by using simple, catchy phrases and exuberant personality. He would retire in 1992 but, would help other famous broadcasters, many from Syracuse University, his alma mater. He went to Syracuse in the 1930’s before Newhouse had set a name for itself.

Marv Albert, Mike Breen and Bob Costas would all take Marty’s place in the world of broadcasting by using some of his language in their presentations, but added their own flair. Marty would also mentor Women as well. Now they too have become premier sports commentators as well.

All In all I learned that the end is truly not the end. Overcoming hardships only leads you to strive for more. This idea lives on in all of us today. Prejudice still exists but has fallen. Marty lives on in all of us and has taught us that we are all humans and can strive to be only what our heart desires. He might have died in 2001, but his language and enthusiasm lives on in sports commentators and people alike.

Photography Changes the World

Unlike movies, photos are motionless, but sometimes they can be more powerful.

I learned about the Alexia Foundation, met three great photographer, and most importantly, I felt the power of photography.

Alexia Tsairis was one of the victims in the tragic terrorist attack 25 years ago. She was a talented photographer and who knows what she might have achieved if she was not on that plane. When I think about this, I realize how wonderful and fragile a person’s life can be. I should cherish every single day of my life and never waste it. Although she is no longer here, but the moments she captured with her camera will last.

As a photographer, every time you press the shutter, there should be a story to tell. When the three photographers discussing their experience, I could feel the passion and obsession for good pictures and stories. I wish I can be like them.

During the event, there was one picture that I just could not stop thinking of, although it was not relevant to the event.

I’m a lucky guy. Thanks to my parents, I can study abroad. However, many children in China are still struggling about getting an opportunity to sit in a classroom and learn. This picture is very heart-shaking. As an advocate photo, it is very successful. The girl’s face is so artless and I can see the desire for knowledge from her big beautiful eyes. It is related to the “Hope Project” in China which gives many of these children the chance to learn. This picture has persuaded many people to donate money to the “Hope Project” to build schools, and also many teachers in cities to go to the poor areas to give those children a bright future. Pictures like this can let people think about others and care about others.

Sometimes good films tell good stories, but good photos let people think about good stories. Those stories can reach deep into their heart and bring changes to the world.

Marty Glickman was the first jock-turned- broadcaster in the history of our media. He changed the landscape of sports and television. He took his first job as a broadcaster simply because of the pay, and later ended up getting hired in the Marines with a job in telecommunication because of his experience using a microphone. He learned that you could grow with your career in media as a broadcaster, and if you want to do something you can work hard and get it done.

Glickman started broadcasting professional basketball because no one had done it yet. He unknowingly changed the way Americans thought of basketball, simply through the works of radio broadcast. Some say he embedded the game into the brains of America. He invented basketball vernacular such as “swish.” Basketball was not aired on TV at the time, so he allowed radio listeners to imagine the game. He made radio the theater of the mind. He was, “television on the radio.”

A few years later, he started broadcasting the NBA. Advertisements were worked in to the broadcast. Companies, like the hot dog fast food restaurant Nedicks, hired Glickman to broadcast tie-ins. After a good play or shot, Glickman would say it was, “Good like Nedicks.” Hearing it from Glickman made people want to go and get a hot dog from Nedicks. Suddenly he and three other Jewish broadcasters were fired, because the NBA didn’t want to be seen as “too Jewish.” They justified their firing by saying that Glickman was too “New York.” The NBA turned to hire Western types, because that was supposed to be an accurate representation of America. Because Glickman’s broadcasts were only heard in the Greater New York area, people in the Midwest “missed out on hearing the worlds greatest basketball announcer.”

Marty Glickman was “typical New York.” He worked for the NY Giants and the NY Knicks, as well as Yonkers horse-racing for WMGM. While the Giants changed the world of professional football, Glickman was a big part of that. He did a radio play-by-play for the championship games. When he broadcasted, he described the weather and the aura of the game. His vocal inflections were orchestral. Everybody could understand him. When there was a TV blackout for Giants championship game, Marty played a huge role in making the game come to life. This was the football experience for New Yorkers.

Some names last forever.

Marty Glickman is one of them. He was such a special person and the legacy he left for sports, for fans and for human is just inestimable. His life was composed with one great story after another.

The documentary film was fantastic. From the interviewees of this film, we can tell how much impact Mr. Glickman had on the sports media industry. Many of them who are very famous now were actually Marty’s students. It is really hard to make such a documentary film. After the movie, the producer, James Freedman, talked about the process of gathering information and footage. He spent two years searching for footage. Because of his effort, 90% of the footage was actually donated.

Mr. Freedman told us a story about Marty that adequately showed how great Marty was as a sports announcer. There was a time when New York city could not air Giant’s game on TV. Marty was the only source from which people could know what was happening on the court. Marty, as a sports announcer, could perfectly make people visualize the game just by hearing his voice. He was probably the only guy who could manage to do that. During his reporting, the cars on the street would pull over because his voice was full of energy and excitement that drivers could not drive safely.

He invented many words to describe the actions. My favorite term is “swish”, which describes the sound of the basketball falling into the basket without touching the rim. That is also my favorite sound and now I know how to call it.

The most impressive scene of this movie was the story Marty told at the very end. He talked about an experience he had with a Japanese runner. Before the game, as they were digging the starting hole, the Japanese runner, Suzuki, friendly smiled to him. After the game, although Marty beat him, although they could not communicate with language, Suzuki still came over and congratulated him. A few months later, during the wartime, Marty was a first lieutenant in marine and Suzuki was in Kamikaze, one of the scariest troops in history. They were enemies. Suzuki died in a mission. However, Marty cried for his enemy for the relationship they had in no more than five minutes. That is the essence of sports. It brings people together whether they are friends or enemies.

To be honest, I had no idea who was Marty Glickman before seeing the movie. I guess that is the enchantment of documentary film. It gives me the chance to know and admire a man like Marty.