VisualCV

I am an educator, author, and multimedia journalist. Currently, I'm an Associate Professor of Communication and Chair of the Communication Arts Department at National University. I teach courses in media story-telling, strategic communication, comm technologies, content production, and journalism.

Every class I teach has a new media or new technologies twist...I don't seem to be able to help myself. Fifteen years ago, my students complained: "I don't see why I have to have email; the Computer Center doesn't even know how to sign me up." Now they complain: "I don't see why I have to sign up for Second Life/Twitter/Ning/Jaiku; it's so frustrating."

My colleagues and I developed B.A. and M.A. programs in Strategic Communications, and now we're designing and creating online courses for these and other CommArts Department programs. I approach online courses as a media producer, since that is my background. Online course design and development is one of the most rewarding activities I've ever experienced. It is such a satisfying mix of writing, documents, audio, video, interactive activities -- a multimedia cornucopia for developers, instructors, and students alike!

For the past two years, I've been looking at Web 2.0 platforms as mass media for marketing and social influence purposes. I'm particularly interested in the use of these new platforms in political campaigns. 

My other research focus is adult learners' expectations of interaction in online courses.

I am now working on my sixth book, Media Management: Making, Moving & Marketing Digital Content. I am also an avid videoblogger.

UCLA  Adjunct Professor

    I taught classes or workshops at the UCLA Extension School just about every semester between 1992 and 2002 at the UCLA Extension School, School of Entertainment and Performing Arts.

Pepperdine University  Assistant Professor

    I began my academic teaching career at Pepperdine University, from 1988 to 1994. I taught Video Production, Broadcast Programming, Writing for the Media, Communication Theory, and Communication Technologies in the Communication Division. In 1993, I began writing my first book and went on to do research and write books and articles full time after I left Pepperdine.

California State University, Northridge  B.A., Political Science

    I spent two years flailing around, then went to live in Europe for three years.After visiting the Jeu de Paume, the Tate Gallery, the Bauhaus Museum, Barcelona, and the Sistine Chapel, I was ready to learn something. My second two years at CSUN were a joy. Two of my professors, Andrea Levin from the Art History Department and M. Morton Auerbach from the Political Science Department, cleared the way for me to spend the whole time studying Marshall McLuhan. It was an incredible, indelible academic experience. When I went to graduate school, I chose to study mediated interactive communication. Lucky me.

Advertising Copywriter

    I learned how to write in the ad biz at Foote, Cone & Belding, Ogilvy & Mather, and the old Erwin-Wasey. When I went to work at FCB, I didn't know what I wanted to do there. I'd look in the offices of art directors and it looked like they must have so much fun. But I'd never shown any ability to draw or put together visual projects, so I knew it wouldn't work for me. I must have been at the agency for six months when I realized they PAID WRITERS!!!! I couldn't believe it. I thought everybody could write. I knew I could...I wouldn't even have to go back to school for it! The advertising industry was a good writing school and they even paid me to learn. It doesn't get better than that.

Assorted Weird Jobs

  Question writer for Jeopardy

  Question writer for Family Feud

  Horoscope writer

  Grant writer for federal community-based drug rehabilitation facilities

  Art gallery photographer

  Sound (wo)man for video shoot in Poland (Warsaw, Lodz, Katowice, Auschwitz)

  Videographer for children's birthday parties