RRC: Two Years After, First Day for Some

I couldn't help but smile today as I thought of the new batch of Cre-comms filing into Princess Street classrooms for their first day of studies at Red River College. They may not know it yet, but they're about to have the best two years of their young lives.

I chose Public Relations for my major in my second year of Creative Communications, and one of the last exercises I was given was a speech writing assignment. The speech was on a school-related topic, and I wrote it for a classmate who read it aloud in front of the class. The topic was on helpful tips a Cre-comm graduate might give to a group of first year students. Themes in the speech touched on time management skills, being a parent while attending school, personal motivation, a social life (or lack thereof), and getting the most out of what RRC has to offer.

One theme that stood out for me the most as I wrote the speech was the type of people you will meet. Your instructors, college staff, and classmates are about to become a big part of your life from now on, but always know that the challenges you will encounter are shared challenges. All of your instructors want what is best for you, and they will teach you the best way they know how in order for you to succeed. The person sitting beside you in class will know exactly what you're going through because they are experiencing the same challenges with you. I would say "good luck," but it's not about luck. Help each other, work hard, and all of you will do well. No question about it.

I know it sounds cliché to say, but I don't know how else to say it.

Except this.

Enjoy your time. The next two years will speed by. The crazy thing is, no matter how hard it becomes, you will miss it once it's all said and done.

Finding Niche-land

Two years ago I chose to enrol in one of the most respected programs that Winnipeg has to offer. And as of last evening, I hold in my hand a hard-fought piece of paper that officially declares my achievement in Red River College's Creative Communications program. In the past month I've seen several online comments from my classmates about our impending graduation. We've worked tremendously hard. It's a bittersweet time, but for many of us a new reality begins and we are faced with one of the biggest questions in our lives. Where do we want to work?

I, and as I learned of many of my classmates, have a wide range of interests. We may not yet feel that the world is our oyster–more like freshly-hatched newborn turtles scrambling to the safety of the ocean–but we must never forget that we've been taught well, and with a little self-reflection we will find an area of interest where we will excel. In CreComm, I chose from a course list that reflected my own interests and what I felt would provide the most value to my future employer. I chose Public Relations as my major, but on top of the required courses such as Journalism, Advertising, Media Production, and Oral Presentation, I chose:

*electronic desktop publishing

*image editing

*advanced website design

*non-profit communications

*freelance business management

*television documentary production

*photography

*and to top it off, a 200-page sci-fantasy novel

So how well will my course decisions deliver work to me overall? It ultimately depends on where I focus my energy and how I pursue my plan for employment.

My strongest interests are in food and music. Before I entered CreComm, I came very close to entering RRC's Culinary Arts program such is my love for food. I am always cruising the web looking for new ways to prepare food, and I am not afraid to try something different in the kitchen. I've learned to play a wide variety of stringed instruments and I even took cello instruction for three years before I entered college. I am eager to spend more time doing these things I love, and my plan is to focus my career efforts in one of these areas. In the coming weeks I will be visiting companies and organizations that fall into my sphere of interest. It's an exciting time for me and for those I will approach; I have a lot to offer.

My official RRC transcript arrived in the mail a short while ago. Seeing how well I had performed validated my efforts and performance in a program that, at times, can foster a love-hate relationship. But always when the dust settled, the former emotion held true. I look forward to finding the right employer for me. I've worked for many years in other jobs, but the past two years in college have re-molded me for something more purposeful. The same is for all of 2011's graduating class of which I am a part of. Our talents will find the niche for what suits us best.

And now, the end is near...

For the past three weeks, I’ve had the good fortune of interning at a branding agency in Winnipeg called, Blacksheep Strategy. I first heard of Blacksheep through my wife. Her coworker has a close friend who works at the agency, and to her, it sounded like a very good environment for me to share in. Once I did a little research into Blacksheep, I had to agree, and my advisor, Kenton Larsen, arranged the placement for me.

Blacksheep Strategy works in an interesting environment. A separate asset within these walls is the agency, Coupland Jeffrey. Coupland Jeffrey, “is the only national advertising agency in Canada focused exclusively on agriculture.” The two principals, Derrick Coupland and Russell Jeffrey, run a very friendly environment for their employees to work in. They’ve found a great group of people to meet their stated goal of helping their clients, "solve their branding problems." I've really enjoyed my time with them, and I hope I made a helpful contribution in Blacksheep's day-to-day activities. I've assisted in projects with large companies such as Monsanto, DEKALB, and Viterra. I was fascinated with what I learned in the research about these companies and how they represent their products. Their similar mission of increasing the quality and quantity of the world's food supply is admirable, and the science that is involved in much of this is simply amazing.

Today marks the end of my internship with the people at Blacksheep, but it also represents the final checkmark to my college curriculum. It’s hard to believe that two years have come and gone and that in a few weeks I will hold my college diploma in my hands. It has been tough going at times, but with the support of the people around me – family, friends, and peers – I was able to meet my academic and personal goals.

I am excited for what my future will bring and the people in my life with which I will share it.

Fini.

That day has come. My final class in Creative Communications ended yesterday at 4 p.m. Two years have come and gone in what at times has felt like a blink of an eye, but in the next moment felt like an anchor that threatened to pull me under. Red River College as an anchor had a second purpose. It gave me firm station in those same turbulent waters so I couldn't drift off into the unknown.

In the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of working on one of my last major assignments, Festive Al. I made the final corrections to my documentary yesterday afternoon and submitted it to our creative arts award ceremony called the CCMA's. There are so many talented people in my class I can't honestly predict what my chances are in winning (probably slim), but a nomination would make me just as happy.

While I have enjoyed many of my assignments in these past two years, the work I did on Festive Al was a great way to wind up this last week of classes. I probably spent at least 40 hours logging footage, editing, and converting files – not to mention all the field work I did with my subject, Al Simmons. As entertainers go, Al was a fantastic person to work with. His professionalism, attention to detail, and sense of humour were a great source of inspiration for my documentary, and for me personally. His passion for laughter and his creative genius could be written about extensively. He has so many wonderful stories from his 40+ year career that someone should propose to write his biography. Future IPP anyone???

Above are a few screen-shots from my documentary. Festive Al was a labour of love. I had five hours of footage to create what needed to be at a minimum of eight minutes in length. Festive Al is fourteen minutes long, and it could have easily been extended. All told, it shows all that it needed to show; one man learning Canada's second official language for his upcoming performances at Festival du Voyageur.

The Future Is Nine Weeks Away

On April 29, 2011, I will have officially completed the Creative Communications program at Red River College. This date is only about nine weeks away, and I can't believe how excited I am for it to arrive.

I love my days at RRC, but my career awaits!

I met several people today while I filmed in a downtown firm that reminded me of how much I needed a change from what I had been doing a few years ago. These people genuinely looked happy in their careers–the way every person should be. The job I left several years ago to attend college barely got me out of bed in the morning, and it was ruining my body. I was reminded that it is truly a gift to find something you enjoy and are committed to each morning you wake up.

In the next few weeks I will be in the final push to complete my major assignments. My experiences at the college will soon be over. I already know it's going to be an emotional time, but all good things must come to an end. I've accomplished so much in the last two years, and I have a lot to be proud of. I am convinced its made me a better person.

In the least, its corrected my grammer (grammar, kidding).

The entire experience has reflected a mirror on my own potential. I will leave RRC with more confidence in my ability than I have had in my entire life. The most valuable lesson college has taught me is this;

You're never too old to learn if you're willing to learn.

1958: Two Pet Hamsters

There are times in CreComm that the workload is overwhelming, but I always manage to get it done. Certain projects come along though that don't feel like they'll be work at all.

In a few short days I will have the pleasure of filming Al Simmons, children's entertainer, for my TV Documentary Production class at Red River College. I will be recording a couple of Al's performances during an upcoming festival, and through the film I hope to gain some insight into his 40 year career.

My wife and I saw one of Al's performances a year ago in Winnipeg and we thoroughly enjoyed his blend of whimsy, fun, and cleverness.

I will film Al as much as possible and this weekend he has invited me out to film at his home. Al has been excited about my project from the very start and I think he will be very fun to work with. Through our phone conversations and emails he's been a very friendly and helpful guy.

Our class only received this assignment last week, so I'm glad that its off to a strong start. My finished project isn't due until April, so I'll have lots of time to edit; which could be hard. As this is a short documentary, there is the potential that a lot of my footage won't be used.

Darn...

And now, the time is near, and so I face...

...the end of Semester 3. Yay!

I don't know if I've ever had a late post (oops), but I'm happy to say that I've completed my last assignment for this semester. I've been working on building a four-page website for the past seven hours at the college. It's my last task for Image Editing, and now that it's done I can say that it looks great. If only the actual business that the idea is framed around existed, I would have it hosted and displayed on the web. I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders as I was concerned about my competency going into this assignment, but I feel I have done a decent job. All that I have remaining is an exam in Canadian Literature and then I am done.

I look forward to my fourth semester at Red River College, but I'm looking forward to resting even more. There's at least a couple of things I've had to put on the back-burner at home the past few months; not the least of which will be installing two chandelier light fixtures in our home before Christmas arrives.

My life is wayyyyyyy too much fun.

The New Professionals

Today, me and some of my CreComm peers held a mock news conference at Red River College. I can't disclose any details of our announcement for fear of anyone reading this may misunderstand and actually think the content of our announcement was something that was actually taking place. Needless to say, it was a very fun event that put our institution in a very positive light.

The Public Relations majors (of which I am a part of) all did exceedingly well in their preparations, and designed two exceptional media kits. A lot of work went into both of them and it showed. The Media Production majors handled their camera equipment very well, and did a fine job of setting up in the limited amount of time they had. Last, but not least, the Journalism majors stepped up to the plate and asked very thoughtful questions. They are bound to write great stories using the quotes provided to them by "our representatives" of the College who stood in for their real-life counterparts today.

Cheers! to everyone who had a hand in making this "event" run smoothly today, and for CreComm existing in the first place to make our communications training possible.