MCA-I? Who Are We Really?

Sometimes we are a little too close to something to be able to define it. This past Thursday evening on the Leader’s Conference Webinar someone expressed concern over an inability to define who we are as an association. After five years on the board and 25 years as a member, these concerns trigger a tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. At this stage of my life, I no longer spend time arguing over questions like why air exists. I’m just glad it does and I hope it lasts as long as I do. In my all-boys high school, certain members of our faculty had a name for discourse like this; two words, both beginning with the letter “M”, the first one being “mental”.

After the meeting I changed shirts and attended a holiday party at the other end of my condominium. Now, given, probably all of these folks had at least a bachelor’s degree, each of those who inquired as to my avocation had no problem grasping the concept of media producer.

MCA-I is an association of media communicators. We are web designers, writers, videographers, even the people who provide the voice over-narration. We are story-tellers and not unlike the golden age of television, some of us are proficient at more than one of these disciplines. Now, we could create a different association for each of these crafts but who has the time or money to go out and hire an executive director and incorporate each group? Besides, part of the value of involvement in an association is to mingle with specialists in all of the craft. What do we have in common? We all contribute to telling a story, and we have a legacy that goes all the way back to when the only stories to be heard across the land and handed down from one generation to another were told around a campfire, under the stars.

It’s as simple as that.

For many, this time of year is when new resolutions are made. So, take a few minutes to remember who YOU are, WHAT you do and WHY you do it. Then figure out what you need from your professional association and resolve to GET INVOLVED in 2010. The opportunity lies before you and the clock is ticking. The most important benefit of involvement at the international level? It’s fun.

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