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Fun Facts
As a child, I created my own space program, dragging home large cardboard boxes to build into rocket ships. Eventually I turned my creative exploration to film, producing small movies when I was in high school. Following college, I was a writer and producer, winning numerous awards for video projects that supported charitable and philanthropic missions. These include many projects for children’s charities. I’m certified by the Maine Photographic Workshops in producing children’s television.
About Me
My background spans both the corporate and academic worlds. For 20+ years, I worked in the film and video industry. I've served as president of Have a Ball, Creative Director at Clear Solutions eLearning Group at Sprint; and as a Professor of writing and multimedia design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Kansas City Art Institute. My teaching includes writing, speech, journalism, multimedia production, and arts integration.
Experience
My teaching includes college and adult-learners. During the last 10+ years, I created a classroom program for children that I run successfully in elementary schools through the Kansas City Young Audiences. I also recently received the Excellence in Education Award for my work at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Approach
My classroom is an adventure in awareness. Rather than teaching how the hammer works, I focus on why it works and how to implement its use for success. The goal is to problem solve as they work and then implement solutions in the most effective way. Knowing where to find answers and think through problems makes the student extremely adaptable creatively and in work. A student commented, "A lot of things you preached to us in class ... are things no one teaches you in any college class."
Request Me NowUniversity of Missouri Kansas City
Communications Studies
University of Missouri Kansas City
Communications
Graduate CourseworkAdobe Flash Tutoring
I've used and taught students how to create interactive media and animation using Flash since 2001. I teach a Certificate Program for adult professionals at the Kansas City Art Institute which utilizes Flash for 2D animation. I have also worked with middle-school teachers in how to create story through kinetic typography employing Flash.
Communication Tutoring
My qualifications in teaching communications is based on years of work in the fields of commercial production, broadcast, and sales. I adhere to and teach that story in first and foremost in all communications. I also partner communications with the psychology of message delivery via the AIDA and FAB business models. Every story is a message. That message needs to create change in the audience. That change is sold through the communication of the benefits of the change.
Writing Tutoring
I've taught writing at the college level for many years. Recent curriculum includes commercial script writing, advertising, and public relations. My experience as a writer includes 20+ years writing and editing content for training, interactive media, and commercial production. A student recently wrote, "Without your course and creative teaching methods, I wouldn't have been able to break down a 1000+ word article into a one paragraph story and gain the credibility in my field for these new prospects."
Psychology Tutoring
My major is Communications with a minor in psychology. To deliver an effective message the presenter needs to understand and appreciate human motivation. These methods include attention/interest/desire/action (AIDA,) and assessing an audience's motivation utilizing Maslow's hierarchy. These principles are integral in the curriculum I present in speech, public communication, and writing for the media.
HTML Tutoring
I've built and managed numerous Web sites for national clients, including Wylie Communications, Rev Up Readership, and the KC CDC. I've also created multilingual sites such as Global Healthy Child. I've taught HTML and CSS through KCAI, training many students in the design and construction of their corporate sites. I have also taught PHP and Javascript programming.
Video Production Tutoring
I've built and managed two video production facilities. I've provided instruction to production personnel and taught workshops in cinematography, editing, and screenwriting. I also taught video production, from writing to post-production, through UMKC and the Kansas City Art Institute. I am fluent with Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, and am a certified Avid editor.
Arts Tutoring
My experience as an arts instructor in K-12 stems from classes I teach through Kansas City Young Audiences. My programs include How Many Stories in a Cupcake, a curriculum I designed to teach children to communicate through story. This project involves students writing the story, then producing it with animation or photos. I have also educated teens through KCAI's Pre-College ArtLab (PCAL,) a three-week residency program for freshman through senior high school students.
Psychology Tutoring
My major is Communications with a minor in psychology. To deliver an effective message the presenter needs to understand and appreciate human motivation. These methods include attention/interest/desire/action (AIDA,) and assessing an audience's motivation utilizing Maslow's hierarchy. These principles are integral in the curriculum I present in speech, public communication, and writing for the media.
Request Me Now