media

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IMC@SLC In Toronto

This past Friday, IMC@SLC students went on a field trip to Toronto, along with a few second year students from the college IMC program.

The first stop was Dundas Square where students were given time to explore the area and try to complete a scavenger hunt. A few things that I found on the scavenger hunt were; an ad-free spot in Dundas Square (picture available in gallery), a flyer being handed out in front of the Eaten Centre (Black History Month flyers), an ad that is steps away from purchase (H&M – pictures available in gallery), and also estimated which ad(s) cost the most; those being probably the H&M ads that would be $1 million per print ad (of which there was 3) plus the moving/video ad with them that would be more than $1 million, or the Air Transat ad – which had 3 very large parts to it.

The next stop was Fuze Marketing. Here we got a tour of the building, and then got time to talk to people who work there (a creative resource manager/digital project coordinator, a copyrighter, and someone from the creative team) before having some pizza. Things I took away from this visit was that to get a job in this area it’s all about who you know and your connections. We were advised to get to know as many people in the business as you can and have good standing with them/keep in contact, and that doing internships are a very good way to get hired. Though the tip we were given about internships is to get involved as much as possible; if you sit and wait for people to come to you with work, it won’t happen – go to people and offer to help them, ask what you can do, etc; get as involved in as many projects as you can. Essentially just make it more trouble for the people you are working for to fire you than to hire you full-time.

After Fuze Marketing and a lunch break, we went to Bell Media. After a very (unfortunately) brief but very interesting talk with the marketing manager at Bell Media, we were given a tour of the building. We saw the Toronto breaking news room, the business channel studio, e-talk, the Marilyn Dennis show studio, and finally, got to be in the audience at Much Music for the Much VJ search after show. This was a very interesting experience. It was neat to see the inside of all the studios and how small they actually are though they appear very large on TV. A thing that really caught my attention was that there wasn’t cameramen in most of the studios; the cameras were remote-controlled robots that were either controlled by the person onscreen, or from a control room. Much Music was the only place I saw cameramen. It was also a little.. odd? To see first-hand what it’s like being on live television and realizing how fake the VJs or personalities really are, along with how the audience must be fake as well and act happy and excited no matter how bored or grumpy they are.

I think the three key takeaways from the trip for me would be:

  1. A work week is never only the hours it is “supposed” to be, and your day never ends when your “shift” or whichever is finished – work is until the projects is done (which is never because there are always more).
  2. Professionalism is key. Don’t fangirl over celebs if you work with them, don’t come to work in sweats, etc.
  3. Connections are important. Network, network, network! Positive influences and impressions!
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How I respond to media

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My response to media in the world is kind of a mixture of things.

Disbelief, annoyance, disgust, disinterest and similar feelings is one response. Disbelief for what I’m being told, disbelief for what is being shown; annoyance at the amount of incoming media to my brain. Absolute disgust and anger at the over-sexualization and inappropriateness in media. The way that most advertising will try to sell anything with sex, and have no shame. The way ads like Calvin Klein are not only sold with sex – but sold with images that represent rape and male dominance. I hate the way all media portrays women; and the messages it sends them.

But I also have positive reactions to media as well. For example music; I really enjoy music, though my response to it is also again mixed. Most of the mainstream Hollywood music I am disgusted with – all of the men singing all about women and getting them in their bed and money, cars, and stuff. All the girls whining about boys breaking up with them – *cough* Taylor Swift *cough.

Advertising also can pull me in sometimes. Catchy commercials are really the ones that get me. Things like Hotwire.com (“H-O-T W-I-R-E – Hotwire dot com!“), the DQ commercials, Old Spice; basically anything I can talk along with or memorize.

So basically my responses to media very much depends on the form of media, what it’s saying, and some days; just my mood.

Though if I really really had to sum it up in one-two words, I would say I’m critical, or a sponge. I am very critical of media; the way women are portrayed, whether or not it is being sold with sex (because all media is sold, no matter what form of media it is), is any persons or group being excluded or put down, etc. But on the opposite side I can also just be a sponge that is so naive it believes any advertising that says “this is the best thing ever and it will do this better than anything else and you need it now!”.