Confabs | Member Training | Pinnacle Awards
Kat Medina
“Media Macro: Online Career Networking and More”
5 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 15
Cost: FREE
Journalism is starting to look very different as the world gets ever more connected. Media now expands beyond the newsroom into marketing, interactives, documentary and more. With the variety of career options for those who love journalism and broadcast, how do we prepare students to find a career they love using the skills they already get to perfect within student media?
Media Macro was developed to help showcase and expand what students see as a "journalism job," encompassing perspectives from freelance writers, short form filmmakers, interactive illustrators and more. This training will break down how to identify and collect student and alumni data to follow trends in career placements, establish connections with student media alumni mentors, and develop programming and resources that show the variety of media career options.
Presented by Kat Medina, Director of Student Media, Savannah College of Art and Design
Register for the April Confab
Crystal Howard
Billy Ferris
"Building a Successful Student-Led TV Station"
5 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 20
Cost: FREE
The conversation will focus on TV newsroom structure, defining roles, and creating sustainable and resourceful workflows for producing consistent student-led content. We will discuss staff structure, best practices for meetings and content creation, equipment and software options, payroll structures, collaboration opportunities, and more.
Presented by Crystal Howard, University of Texas at El Paso, and Billy Ferris, Auburn University
BILLY FERRIS is the assistant director of Student Media at Auburn University. The student-run media outlets he oversees are The Auburn Plainsman (Newspaper), The Auburn Circle (Literary & Arts Magazine), Eagle Eye TV (TV Station), The Glomerata (Yearbook) and WEGL 91.1FM (Radio Station). Billy oversees the strategic direction of Student Media at Auburn while supervising a staff of three full-time professionals. He also serves as the primary advisor to The Auburn Plainsman and Eagle Eye TV. Billy has been a part of Auburn Student Media since 2015. Before that, Billy has been an instructor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Auburn University.
CRYSTAL HOWARD is the assistant director of Student Media & Publications at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she oversees The Prospector and Minero Magazine. She brings over a decade of experience in media and communications. A former TV reporter and assistant director of student media at Georgia Southern University, she now brings her industry experience into student affairs, mentoring the next generation of journalists through hands-on storytelling and multimedia production. Her work centers on leadership development, ethical journalism, and helping students find their voice and see themselves as professionals in the media industry. Outside of work, she’s a runner, proud mom, and firm believer that storytelling isn’t just a skill, it’s a tool for confidence, voice, and impact.
Register for the May Confab
Save the date for a two-day in-depth training about advertising, scheduled for May 11 and May 12 via Zoom. The cost will be $200 for members and $350 for non-members. More details coming soon!
The 2026 Pinnacle Awards are now open, and entries will be accepted via BetterBNC until midnight ET Wednesday, June 17. Finalists will be announced in August, and winners will be announced at the CMA/ACP joint Fall National Convention Nov. 4-7 at the Westin Kansas City Crown Center.
The Pinnacle College Media Awards are a national contest, recognizing excellence in student-produced college media. The contest honors overall excellence in student work on college newspapers, websites, magazines, yearbooks, radio and television stations, produced during an academic year.
Complete information regarding categories, rules and instructions, and entry guidelines can be found here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected].
