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As Bob Dylan once wrote, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." For the first 20 years of my career as an independent writer, producer & director, those words had little meaning in my particular field. The industry had some basic standards; and, though there were choices when it came to shooting and editing, everything fit pretty neatly within some very strict industry parameters. Today, according to one source, there are more than 200 (yes, you read that correctly) types of video files in the wild. ...

Inside the February 2010 Edition of MCA-I eNews: New Sponsor provides Benefit of the Month: Crews Control, March Member Madness Returns with more prizes, President's Message, Member Profile: Randal Schultz, Thank You to Our Sponsors, San Diego MediaProCamp a Big Hit, Media Festival Winners Announced, Social Media Primer: Part 2, Renew or Join Today, Post Your Resume!, Follow Us, Meeting Calendar

By Susan Solomon • susan@skscreative.com • www.skscreative.com Relationships begin with conversations. With the advent of social marketing, technology has shifted the power away from editors, publisher and the establishment to the people. According to a recent Edelman Trust Barometer survey, people are saying, “I can no longer rely on a single source of information. The omniscient, all-powerful, single source – whether it’s a news anchor, doctor, CEO or ...

Randal Schultz kind of started at the top. One of his first freelance jobs out of USC was for ESPN's Superbowl coverage. He has produced broadcast and corporate video projects for such clients as Yamaha, ESPN, Disney, Nissan, 31 Flavors, UPN, PBS, Lifetime, Coors, Budweiser, AARP, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MagLite. He has also operated news bureaus for various programs, including 10 years with a nationally syndicated financial news show. He became an MCA-I Life Member 25 years ago.

Read eNews Online January 2010 Benefit of the Month: LEIGHTRONIX March Member Madness Returns President's Message New Board Announced Thank You to Our Sponsors MediaProCamps in SoCal Media Festival Update Social Media Primer Renew or Join Today Post Your Resume! Follow Us Calendar Web Video Site Provides MCA-I Members with Common Location ...

Tasked with giving a speech and feel the tension setting in? You know the subject matter, but the thought of doing it live in front of an audience makes your throat tighten? Here are a few tips to help you relax, breathe right and articulate clearly.

Think of social marketing as coffee talk - with more meaning, greater intimacy and the potential for profound impact. But like meeting friends at a coffee house, it takes planning and tending. It’s a completely different value proposition than mass communication. Are there places for mass media AND one-on-one exchanges? Sure. Should small and big businesses toss one in favor of the other? No. So, where do you employ which method? The answer depends on what you’re saying and ...

Like many of you reading this, I am looking for 2010 to be the year that turns it around for all of us professionally and personally in our careers and home life. I know so many quality people with great skills and business sense who are without a regular job and income, it is very disturbing to see how the economy has put so many lives and families in turmoil. Here in Detroit, it is probably even more extreme because of the financial issues of the automotive industry. But as those companies ...

The high engagement factor of video, combined with better customer targeting and improved Internet tracking capabilities, offers advertisers a highly accountable way to improve response rates and deliver bottom line results.

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 ...

Inside the December 2009 edition of eNews: Benefit of the Month: Final Draft, Media Festival Entries Online for Members, President's Message, Did you Vote Yet?, Thank You to Our Sponsors, Member Profile: Fred Wyman, Brother Can You Spare an Hour, Renew or Join Today, Post Your Resume!, Follow Us on Twitter et. al., Calendar

Fred Wyman is contributing to our industry as an instructor, mentor and student of the media. In addition to teaching, Fred serves as the Department Chair at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Professor Wyman has gained national recognition as a producer of award winning DVDs, as well as a dedicated professor of modern electronic media.

Inside this edition of eNews: Member Benefit of the Month: Total Training, MCA-I Media Festival Needs a Few Good Judges, President's Column: More Benefits Than Most Members Know, Chapter Programming: Try a Theme for 2010, Thanks to our sponsors, Member Profile: Dustin McEntarfer, Kansas City, Ballot for 2010 Online in Early December, Join or Renew Today, Post a Resume, Calendar

Dustin McEntarfer is the 2009 President of the MCA-I Kansas City chapter. A Digital Media Specialist for Honeywell FM&T, Dustin joined MCA-I about seven years ago and leads the chapter with this philosophy: Have fun and care about what you are doing.

One of the high points for MCA-I this year has been the updating and acquisition of new member benefits. Much of this has been championed by our benefits committee; Erin Fergusson, Karen Matelic, Rick Davis and Dustin McEntarfer. Discounts on products, services and medical insurance is a great way for us to leverage our membership numbers to get a better deal on what we need to ply our craft and I’m looking forward to that list growing. Another benefit is one that only about five percent of ...

Inside this edition: Member Benefit Survey Results, MCA-I Media Festival Enters Judging Phase, President's Column: We're on the Right Track, Chapter Leaders Support MCA-I Bylaws, Thanks to our sponsors, Meet Your MCA-I Chapter Leaders: Hangin' in KC , Nominating Committee Needs Your Suggestions, Join or Renew Today, "Find a Job" Re-activated, Calendar

(Danny Edward's BBQ for lunch on Friday - the party is just getting started.) If you missed the KC Leadership Summit, you missed the best barbeque in the USA! The KC MCA-I Chapter made sure we spent every free minute soaking up the flavor and fun of this city of fountains. If I were to use ONE word to describe Leadership Summit fall 2009 -- I’d say it was an eye-opener on several fronts. Members came prepared to make decisions. It was clear the Board had done ...

Inside this edition of MCA-I eNews: Member Benefit: Adobe Extends 15% Discount Indefinitely, MCA-I Media Festival Call for Entries Extended to September 30, 2009, President's Column: We're Almost There, Meeting Best Practices: Share your chapter's story, Thanks to our sponsors, BoD Member Profile: Gary Shifflet, Nominating Committee Needs Your Suggestions, Join or Renew Today, "Find a Job" Re-activated, Calendar

Chapter Leaders - please either print this PDF for distribution in your chapters, or send it along in an email. Media Festival Promo PDF - 2009

This simple, elegant program allows you to pick the source video pixel ratio and the source video aspect ratio. Aspect Calc then calculates the correct dimensions based on a height or width that you enter.