MC 580: Media Convergence
Morgan | Courtney | Maile
Who we are
Maile Widman
Morgan Huelsman
Courtney Liebl
Our Convergence Team
Working alonside one another on every element of our project, we came together to formulate a solid, multi-platform project that brought together visual storytelling, audio, and written word to discuss diversity in terms of disabilities at Kansas State University.
Maile Widman:
My portion of the overall project was through helping as a videographer, editor, interviewer, researcher, web-designer, and writer. By helping equally with my other teammates, I was able to effectively assist towards our main goal of telling our audience how K-State and the Journalism and Mass Communication Department handles various disabilities.
A little bit more about myself: growing up, I always had a knack for anything creative. I was definitely the kid on the block coming up with new games and ideas. As I got older, I realized I had some decent talent in writing and telling stories through words. Once I hit high school I realized two things: 1. There is not much in the way of jobs for print journalists and you either make it or you don't if you're a novelist. 2. There are more ways to tell a story than through written word. That's when I started paying attention more to creative works in terms of digital media. Whether that was what a news story looked like, to major films, and television shows. If someone was successful in making me "lose myself" in my present setting/world and able to transfix my mind or my emotions to another place through their video, that just wowed me. The thought that someone knows how to make another leave their reality to take part in the one you've visually created made me want to learn how to do that. Coming to K-State, being able to have a camera in my hands since day one has been KEY to my success and growth as a student. Outside of the classroom, becoming involved with the Wildcat Watch Student Video Productions group on campus is where my creativity, knowledge, and talent really took a jump! Everything I couldn't get enough of in the classroom, I was able to get in that program. I graduate in May, so after this point, I have dreams of working within feature film or television productions. My passion above all else is to use my talents to create emotion, provoke different mindsets, and different actions from my audience. Wherever God takes me is where I'll go as long as he keeps a camera in my hands!
To read my blog on how this journey (and others) have gone, read my blog!
Morgan Huelsman:
During this multimedia project, I have worked as a videographer, editor, interviewer, researcher, writer and photgrapher. Courtney, Maile and myself have been working together productively and timely to effectively create a multimedia story about how K-State and the JMC Department handles working with those who have disabilities.
I believe that the most powerful tool one can have is the ability to share others stories. This is the tool I have and the job I want to spend my life doing. I have become a storyteller, a multimedia journalist, and a creator. I find my passion from telling one’s stories to inspire and to inform others. I believe that everyone has a past, a present and a future that's worth a deeper look. I think that news in all of its forms has the ability to change the way we perceive the world positively and negatively. I want to help viewers, listeners and readers know what is prevalent and what is important. Being versatile, open minded and a hard worker has helped me to create innovative work in all aspects of video production and broadcast. Kansas State, my professors and classmates have had a huge influence on helping me get to where I am in my journalistic career. My classmates pushed me to new creative heights and my professors always believed in my wild story ideas.
I found a huge passion in journalism and creativity very early on in my life but it was because of K-State and all of these individuals that truly made me love the career that I chose. I couldn't imagine working in a different field and I can't wait to see what lies head!
Check out my blog to see our progess on this project and more! https:morganhuelsman.wordpress.com
Courtney Liebl:
Throughout this multimedia convergence project, I've worked as a videographer, writer, researcher, photographer, editor, and interviewer. I've taken all of the things that I've learned from the past MC courses and I've applied them here into making one cohesive convergence project. I'm excited to share Professor William Adams' story and to provide a more in depth look at Multiple Sclerosis. Maile, Morgan, and I have been putting in a lot of hours and time on this to create a multimedia project that takes an interesting and personal look at diversity within the JMC Department.
Well, my story is probably unlike many of my other classmates/fellow videographers. I never really picked up a camera until my sophomore year of college. I never really even had a passion for it throughout my childhood or throughout high school. To be honest, I started out wanting to become the next Erin Andrews but once I got to college I realized that being live on camera is absolutely terrifying and I really wasn't very good at it so that's when I decided to try my hand at being behind the camera. I still haven't really found that "passionate spark" yet that everyone says they get when they find out what they want to do for the rest of their lives, so I'm aiming to try my hand at all of the different types of media to see what happens.
Fun facts about me: I LOVE Beyonce'. She is The Queen and anyone who knows me knows that I'm almost borderline unhealthily obsessed with her but I will never apologize for my obsession. Pizza is one of my main food groups and it is the key to happiness. I love any and all dogs. I believe that they were made specifically by God to be put here on Earth to make humans happy :) But not cats. NO. And I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd and I went to see the last movie 3 times in theaters and cried every time and stood up and clapped when Mrs. Weasley killed Bellatrix.
I hope everyone enjoys looking at our site and hearing Professor Adams' story and reading and learning more about Multiple Sclerosis.
To learn about how this journey (and others) have gone, read my blog!
https://courtneyliebl580.wordpress.com/