Sierra's Sage Advice to SC State Communications Students

On March 16 SC State students learned the power of perseverance, patience and positivity.  

The Communications Program's Media Professionals Speaker Series brought from Columbia Sierra Artemus, of WIS-TV. She is the producer and sometimes host of the station's daily "Soda City Live" program. 

Sierra also has her own podcast, SiTV, and is a sought after speaker, brand strategist, community activist, and youth advocate. 

A native of Columbia, Sierra graduated from Richland Northeast High School and the University of South Carolina (B.S. Broadcast Journalism). 

Sierra's' degree from USC was 11 years in the making. She says she had to pay her own way through school and this caused some stops and starts. 

"You've got to be eager and hungry," she told the students. Sierra's career path reflects this attitude. 

Sydaija Smalls Turns Internship into Fulltime Reporting Job!

 

All of us in the Communications Program and Department of English and Communications are so proud of December 2022 graduate Sydaija "Syd" Smalls who did not waste time gaining a great job! She is a news reporter/multimedia reporter at Charleston's WCIV-TV.  

Syd can also be seen on the Fox 24 7 p.m. newscast in Charleston.

Syd took the big walk across the stage at SMH on Dec. 16. That semester she had an internship at the Charleston station. News Director Cathy Hobbs was so impressed with the Goose Creek High School graduate (and now SC State grad) that by early 2023 she offered her a job. 

Before coming to Orangeburg, Syd studied broadcasting and other media at Trident Technical College. At SC State she quickly became a mainstay at Bulldog News Now (BNN) as an anchor and reporter. 

Syd graduated with top academic honors and is also an excellent role model for current and prospective students in how hard work and determination can pay off! And the value of having a high-quality internship where you impress the professionals there is important too. 

Check out Sydaija Small's Linkedin site here. 

In fine fashion, Syd always represented SC State, BNN, the Communications Club, and our program.

In September 2022, Syd and Midrina Tucker (below) covered U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Columbia. 

Go Syd! Bulldog Nation is howling with joy and pride! 

Communications Club Launches Spiked Magazine!

 

Congratulations to the staff of SC State's new online magazine, Spiked! It debuted in late February 2023 and is quite fresh, fun, interesting and well-produced. 

Click here to see it front to back.

Chasity Gilmore (pictured right with Aliyah Jerrell and Midrina Tucker) deserves credit as the mastermind of this publication. It was Chasity who expressed the goal to begin a magazine "for SC State students by SC State students." 

She brought together a talented, dedicated staff of fellow Communications Club members. Together they created this first issue. 

This is an important new addition to campus life and we are excited for the future of Spiked!  

Valentine's Day Fundraiser a Sweet Success!

Candy, pinatas, and Valentine's Day-themed photo opportunities successfully combined on Feb. 14 when the Communications Club staged quite the happening! Students, staff and faculty donated bags and bags of candy that were sold for $2 a handful. Swings at the colorful pinatas were $1.50 for three tries. And over at the Student Center photos were $8 for three. More than $500 was raised during the daylong event. The students want to use the fund to acquire T-shirts promoting Spiked, the new student-produced online magazine. 

Here are some photos from the fun day that day picture perfect weather!

Here are the three candy sale VIPs (from right): Tay Travis, Summer Gray and Aliyah Jerrell. They were here from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (ish) and were so good about inviting passing students to stop by our table of goodies! 

Chasity Gilmore (right) is president of the Communications Club and the editor of the new Spiked magazine. Next to her is Midrina Tucker and also here is Aliyah Jerrell. 

Sheen Magazine Has Exciting Student Opportunities!

Sheen magazine is a beautiful 16-year-old bi-monthly publication that is all about beauty tips and successful, inspiring people.

And it is based right here in South Carolina in Greenville (Fountain Inn to be specific). 

The magazine was launched around 2006 in part to promote the company's Nairobi hair and skin products.

Representatives say 100,000 copies of Sheen are printed six times a year and distributed nationally and internationally. They also touted their associated online presence as drawing one million views.

Check out Sheen's behind-the-scenes photo shoot video.

Many thanks and congratulations to the Communications Program's Andrea Milford-Williams and Rolonda Davis for the fine event on Feb. 16 that they organized for our students featuring representatives of Sheen magazine! This could be an excellent ambassador and internship opportunity for our major for years to come. Kudos to the Career Center also for its part. 

Sheen promotions director Darren Martin (pictured) explained these student opportunities and after the event, numerous students sought more information. We have lots of students from S.C.'s Upstate region so this could be an exciting opportunity for them! 

Martin said he is looking for SC State students to serve as Sheen ambassadors. He is seeking writers to become columnists to share "the HBCU experience...and we could also select someone to set up promotions...we could ask you to set up a fashion show on campus," he said. 

Editor-in-chief Kristyn Harris, a Lander University (Greenwood, S.C.) graduate, told the students when asked that the best part of her job is "the connections" she makes, meeting and getting to know the celebrities often in the magazine and on the covers, and the many freelance writers and photographers she brings in to provide content. 

Current and former students interested in connecting with Sheen can do so by calling (864) 862-6782, emailing info@sheenmagazine.com, or writing to PO Box 6533, Greenville, SC 29607.

The Communication Program is committed to bringing high-quality professionals to campus on a regular basis during the school year. 

SC State Radio Rebounding from Pandemic

The small staff at the radio stations of SC State operating out of Nance Hall became even smaller since the COVID-19 breakout more than two years ago. Carl A'see lost pretty much all of his volunteer and part-time on-air people (one of whom died). A student-run online station also went dormat. 

But things are looking up. A'see has recently added two ESPN stations to his rebranded Statement Media organization. 

Meeting with students in Patrick Harwood's Radio Production on March 29 A'see said he is giving interviews for new announcers for his WSSB 90.3 FM jazz station. And he wants students to know his door is open for those who are highly motivated, willing to work hard and learn about the radio business. 

 A'see (wearing a red mask) has been with SC State radio since 2008. And he is an SC State alumnus. 

"The Possibilities are Endless" Public Information Manager Tells Students

"Community service." Women's History Month Speaker Janet Parker told South Carolina State University communication students that if they only remember one thing from her March 15 virtual talk that it be those two words.

Parker is the public information manager for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office in Charlotte. Here is her Linkedin site.  

Prior to this position, she was a broadcast journalist for many years at stations in Columbia and Charlotte where she was a producer, reporter, anchor and executive producer. During her virtual talk, Parker said at the University of South Carolina she started as a psychology major but didn't really like her first classes in that field of study.