Linfield University’s second NW Media Fest was longer and larger than the original, but still stayed true to its mission of giving Linfield students the chance to connect individually with journalists, musicians, entertainment executives and even the largest independent comic publisher in the country.
Four days of programming kicked off Tuesday with a screening of silent horror classic “Nosferatu” accompanied live by organist Dean Lemire performing his original, at times improvisational, score. Between then and Friday night’s closer with Dark Horse Comics CEO Mike Richardson, there were more than a dozen events from this year’s eight featured guests.
While many of the events were large and open to the public, including an Erickson Lecture from Guardian columnist and American Book Award winner Moustafa Bayoumi, Richardson’s Friday night talk “The Stories Behind the Stories: Behind the Scenes of Dark Horse Comics’ Most Iconic Projects”, and a songwriting workshop from Nashville country-music artists Jessie G ’12 and Christian Santangelo ’15, just as significant were the smaller, student-only sessions held during the day.
On Thursday — ”Journalism Day” — KOIN sportscaster Brenna Greene and USA Today’s Portland sports correspondent Lindsay Schnell held an early afternoon discussion titled “The Hook: What Makes a Good Story.” The two doled out tips on sniffing out what other reporters may have missed and building trust with sources necessary for them to open up on more difficult stories, but some of the most meaningful interaction came afterwards at Starbucks.
Schnell, who teaches feature writing at Linfield, was on a mission — one of her students, Taetum Lynn Pa-Kalani, had just been hired as a basketball sideline reporter for Linfield Sports Network, and could really benefit from a conversation with Greene.
“We talked about the different factors that go into sideline reporting — what to pay attention to during the game and how to find the human interest stories within the team,” Kalani said. “I’m so grateful for all of the tips and tricks that Brenna shared … and the opportunity Linfield creates for students to connect with professionals in the industries we aspire to work in.”
Kevin Curry, assistant professor of journalism and media studies and NW Media Fest’s primary organizer, said he was delighted by the event’s reception and growth.
“The Linfield community got to experience the breadth of the media world — journalism, music, graphic novel publishing, streaming entertainment and more,” he said. “We appreciate all of our NW Media Fest guests — they were willing to share not only ideas and wisdom, but also the individual connections that can make all the difference as students prepare to enter these exciting but competitive industries.”
NW Media Fest 2023 in pictures
Please note: images in the following gallery do not contain alt text. For captioned versions of NW MediaFest photos, please contact newsroom@linfield.edu.
