eChaser: April 2011 / p2

Versatile and prolific Susannah Charleson — she has written magazine and newsletter articles, multimedia productions, PSAs, news stories, commercials, features and movie reviews for commercial radio, radio theatre and parody for public radio, even catalogue copy for a vintage jewelry store — will cover some of the most difficult aspects of entry into commercial publishing at the regular third-Monday meeting of the Writers’ Guild of Texas, 7 p.m. April 18 at the Richardson Public Library. • Rescheduled from March: Authors Tony Eldridge (“The Samson Effect”) and Kat Smith (“The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing”) will explain “How to Market Your Book and You” at a WGT seminar, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Richardson Civic Center. Eldridge also shares book marketing advice and tips on his blog, and Smith is a publisher/manufacturer and formerly cohost of a syndicated show on ABC Radio. • WGT third-Monday early-birds: SPJ member Carmen Goldthwaite on creative nonfiction, May 16; WGT All-Stars Read-In, June 20.

IABC local update: You and your team consistently produce quality, but sometimes you top it. You push the envelope, you find the sweet spot, you take communications to the Nth degree. If you did work like that in 2010, IABC Fort Worth’s Bronze Quill awards will tell the world. BQs reward strategists and tacticians and managers, writers, photographers, graphic artists, designers and producers, and students training for these professions. Submissions come from businesses and corporations, municipal governments, nonprofits, educational institutions and private agencies. Winners receive a personalized trophy or certificate, recognition at the IABC meeting July 26 and on the chapter website, and lifetime fame (you never know). Entries close May 6.

IABC local update II: IABC Dallas will take a look at H-E-B Partners from the inside out with “Because People Matter: Sustaining a Culture of Service and Appreciation” at the IABC Dallas luncheon Tuesday, April 12. Info here.

PRSA local update: April is National Accreditation Month. Established in 1964, accreditation is the only national public relations postgraduate certification program. More than 5,000 professionals hold the APR, and GFW PRSA offers three $100 scholarships to members who successfully complete the process. Additionally, the Southwest District offers 10 $100 scholarships, and every PRSA member is eligible to receive a $100 rebate from national. Contact accreditation committee co-chairs Sandra Brodnicki, APR, sandra@brodnickipr.com, or Gigi Westerman, APR, gigi@strategicimageinc.com. More at prsa.org/learning/accreditation/. To get you in the mood, a get-together is planned for 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at Blue Mesa Grill for current APRs and those considering obtaining accreditation. A cash bar (with happy hour pricing) will be available. Same RSVPs.

PRSA local update II: April 8 is Pro-Am Day at Dallas PRSA. Register here.

SPJ Digital Media Committee update. This resource from SPJ national takes the form of a blog, “Net Worked,” and it’s loaded with items to enhance your multimedia toolbox. E- any ideas for a blog or a request to be a guest blogger to DMC vice chair Rebecca Aguilar at aguilar.thereporter@yahoo.com. Here’s a sampling of the newest additions. CuePrompter: No more memorizing scripts for your video blog. This free webware turns your computer into a teleprompter just like what the television anchors use on the nightly news. Comes in handy if you’re not good at ad libbing and want to make your video blog perfect. Digital media skills every young journalist needs. DMC chairman Jennifer Peebles focuses on the technology recent j-school grads should know to succeed in the real world (hint: it’s more than just the software). Tools that help you get more from Twitter. Here, David Sheets explores Twitpic, Tweetee, Formulists, et al., for those times when you have more than you can say in 140 characters.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

The UTA newspaper’s revamped website, theshorthorn.com, received a Silver Crown in Columbia Scholastic Press Association spring judging. The Shorthorn also is a finalist for SPJ Mark of Excellence regional best newspaper. ...

Rosa’s Café and Tortilla Factory, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with more than 30 locations across Texas, has a new marketing partner — the Balcom Agency. The announcement came after a two-month review and final presentations by six creative agencies in the Southwest.

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NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS

SPJ ... Liz Sehon, Fort Worth Business Press ... Amber Tafoya, freelance graphic artist/communication technology student ... Britney Tabor, Denton Record-Chronicle

PRSA ... Jeff Rodriguez, Fort Worth Library ... Kristen Bostick, Goodwill ... Jerry Circelli, Chesapeake Energy ... Joe Stout, Lockheed Martin ... Sohana Kutub, Hutson Creative Group ... Nicholas Olivier, USA Canoe/Kayak ... Renee Brendle (associate) ... Audrey Taubert, JODesign ... Jessica Rector, (associate)

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