 Cheryl Smith, courtesy of her LinkedIn profile.  Cheryl Smith says her Don't Believe the Hype Celebrity Bowl-a-thon has raised more than $300,000. It has funded numerous nonprofit and journalism causes. What are some of the outcomes achieved from this event? We have helped finance travel and accommodations for journalism students attending conferences and conventions, career enhancement programs and workshops. When big funders fall through, we were able to use funds raised to help with feeding students, providing transportation or purchasing supplies for the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists Urban Journalism Workshop. Some of the funds have helped young journalists with training. Tell me about that work. We have paid registration fees to conventions. Additionally, the proceeds from the event have helped take students to conventions in Seattle, Phoenix, Orlando, D.C., Atlanta, Indianapolis, Houston, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Oklahoma. Jeffries Street Learning Center, the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and the African American Museum of Dallas are just a few of the beneficiaries over the years. Anything else to add? I love doing this event and I love bringing people together for a good time and a good cause. | Cheryl Smith knows how to organize a longstanding and successful fundraiser that supports her passion for journalism and fun gatherings. The veteran Dallas publisher, journalist and National Association of Black Journalists' board secretary founded the Don't Believe the Hype Celebrity Bowl-a-thon a little more than two decades ago. The 23rd annual event, slated in Dallas June 17, 2017, promises to supply ample laughter, loads of good-natured, competitive bowling and financial support for various causes. Smith, who has made her mark across all media platforms, also serves as longtime president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists. Additionally, she led the NABJ Region VII during two terms as director. A tireless advocate for journalism and journalists, she revealed during a Question-and-Answer interview conducted by email, how the Bowl-a-thon got its name, some of the event's beneficiaries and the highest score she's ever bowled. Where did the name of the event come from? "Don't Believe the Hype" is a hit song from the popular rap group, Public Enemy. I used the song as the opening for my award-winning talk show on KKDA-AM, "Reporters Roundtable with Cheryl Smith." When I decided to come up with a fundraiser, I bounced around names and a friend suggested I use the song. So, I called Chuck D and told him what I wanted to do and asked his permission. He said, 'Yes!' He actually came for the first event and also for the 10th anniversary. What was your original vision? Just to bring together people to have fun and raise money for scholarships. Have you achieved your original vision? Yes, people consider the event to be a quality program and while I have raised a significant amount of money over the past 22 years, I would like to raise so much more. How much money has the event raised since its inception? We have raised over $300,000. Why did you decide to use bowling to raise money? Growing up in New Jersey, we went to the movies, bowled and skated. I felt that bowling was something that people of all ages can do. After a while, I couldn't see myself 85 [and] skating. Maybe there are some, but not me. ... What's the best game (score) you've bowled? I was on a bowling team in 8th grade and used to go bowling with my Godmother and her friends. The best game I bowled was about three years ago, and it was like a 230. Everyone was amazed. I was and am still in shock.  |
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 Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Dallas immigration attorney M. Elizabeth Cedillo-Pereira and her husband Oscar Pereira, a mechanical engineer on the Joint Strike Fighter Program at Lockheed Martin Corp., say Dr. King's influence is alive and well, especially in the immigration reform battle. They agreed to be interviewed for my MLK Day 2013 blog post. The interviews were conducted at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas, Texas New Year's Day, where attorney Cedillo-Pereira gave the keynote address at the Dallas County Elected Official Swearing-In Ceremony. All photos by Regina L. Burns. Q: What do you think of Dr. King's legacy in 2013? Q: How is Dr. King's legacy impactful in your work as an immigration attorney? Q; What is the call to action? © 2013 Harvest Reapers Communications; All Rights Reserved.
Celebrating with Bishop T.D. Jakes at The Potter's House's 16th church anniversary picnic at Circle R Ranch 6.30.12
First, let’s use the Babylon Business Dictionary’s definition of the word “innovator.” “n. one who innovates, one who makes changes, one who introduces new methods or procedures” Innovative megapastor, entrepreneur and author Bishop T.D. Jakes is preaching memorable sermons that can be translated into strategic lessons for innovators. The July 1, 2012 sermon “Commitment” coincided with the 16th anniversary of The Potter’s House’s founding. Jakes issued a call to service for members in the 30,000-plus megachurch. The July 15, 2012 sermon “Is There Not a Cause?” provided insight into the damaging effects of narcissism. Using that backdrop, here are 12 lessons for innovators that I gleaned from listening to Bishop Jakes, whose comments are in quotation marks: 1. Step out on faith – “You will get a great return because there’s been a great investment.” 2. Embrace sacrifice; make it work for you – “Be sacrificial of your time [and] resources.” 3. Put everything into achieving your dreams – “People won’t believe in your dream unless you do.” 4. Find something beyond you to contribute to –“Do you believe in anything other than you?” 5. Give your way through –“I put my whole check into my first church. I didn’t have but seven members.” 6. Keep your promises and commitments—“What do people get when they get you?” 7. Pay the price to be great—“Greatness costs what it costs.” 8. Share in the responsibility AND the benefits –“You want the benefits but you don’t want the responsibility.” 9. Expect no reward – “Stop expecting to be rewarded for [doing] what you’re supposed to do.” 10. Demonstrate that you value relationships by reciprocating -“Any relationship that has no reciprocity will die.” 11. Use social media intelligently – “Say something that makes me want to follow you [on Twitter].” 12. It’s not about you – “Marriage is about sacrifice.” Also of interest: 4 insights gleaned from the friendship of Bishop T.D. Jakes and Rev. Joel Osteen SharePoint 2010 – Level 1 In an effort to continually expand my technological education, I am pursuing a Project Management certification. Recently, I completed a SharePoint 2010 – Level 1 class and plan on taking SharePoint Level 2. And speaking of SharePoint, I was especially interested to see this headline: From PCWorld: NewsGator to Integrate Its SharePoint Add-on With Yammer My Summer Reading/Listening List Tony Award nominee and funnyman David Alan Grier’s “Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth” audiobook caught my attention during a recent library visit. It’s a frank and edgy breakdown on President Obama’s election to going ballistic after being voted off of “Dancing With the Stars.” Flickr photo by Alipyon  PR measurement guru K.D. Paine spoke to the May 31, 2012 Joint Communicator’s Luncheon at Thanksgiving Tower (Tower Club), where I bought her book " Measure What Matters." It’s an excellent resource for anyone engaged in marketing, social media and PR. Photo from Ms. Paine's Twitter profile  I discovered strength strategist, author and researcher Marcus Buckingham on the “Oprah” show and his audiobook “The One Thing You Need to Know About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success” is a keeper. His research is sound and this is an excellent tool for innovators. Photo from Mr. Buckingham's Twitter profile View my other book-related blog posts
The Careers/Job Hunt edition (March 2012) of Public Relations Tactics includes an article I wrote. The path of perseverance: Carving out a new career explores the journeys of three former journalists who transitioned successfully to public relations. Read the article here.  Ginger Anderson is a career development facilitator with RESCARE, Inc. Ginger Anderson is a career development facilitator with RESCARE, Inc. and works at the Richardson Workforce Center in Richardson, Texas. Q: What are the first steps a career changer should take when beginning a job search? A: Before you start a job search, know what your minimum personal budget is and what salary range will meet that. Don’t expect to make what you did at your last job. Ask yourself ‘what is the absolute minimum I can live on'? Anything above that is gravy. Q: How can the career changer obtain experience in a new industry? A: Do volunteer work to hone the skills you need. We have to show the employer that we are trying to increase our skills... Then during the interview, tell the hiring manager that you are willing to learn from the bottom up—it’s the best way to learn about a new industry. Assure the prospective employer that you are there to help the company grow and obtain it goals. Anderson is reachable at ginger.anderson@rescare.com.  Wiley Henry has transitioned from journalism to PR. Wiley Henry, a portrait artist, photographer and former newspaper editor, went through a period of unemployment until he landed a senior account services specialist/writer job. Q: Was your faith tested [during your unemployment]? A: Oh yes, definitely tested. I stayed on bended knees hoping and praying that the Lord would open a door for me. And He did. And it was definitely a faith-tester ... . Every time I thought I was getting close to landing a job, it failed. It didn’t come through. And also, just when unemployment [benefits] were about to run out, that’s when I got the call from Deidre [Malone, who hired him to work for her firm, Memphis-based The Carter Malone Group LLC]. I had about a month left [of unemployment benefits]. That’s God... . We are taught in church that God is an on-time God [and] that He was will be there when you least expect Him to be. I’m a living witness that He will be right there. Henry is reachable at wileyhenry@earthlink.net.  Before she founded her PR firm in Memphis, Tenn., Deidre Malone was a broadcast journalist. Deidre Malone runs her own PR firm, The Carter Malone Group LLC, based in Memphis, Tennessee. She hired Wiley Henry to help her firm's clients. Q: What advice do you have for journalists who may be considering PR? A: Seek a mentor. When you are a journalist sometimes you have an affinity to not want to deal with public relations professionals. This is an awesome career to have … . A great deal of what we do is strategic communications. I recommend they seek out small PR firms that may need assistance like Wiley ... . You can learn to pitch and put together a communications strategy. That’s something you can learn. Her firm is reachable at http://www.thecartermalonegroup.com/.  Yolette Garcia successfully transitioned to PR from running the newsroom at KERA in Dallas. Yolette Garcia left her news management job at KERA in Dallas because she wanted a new career path. She joined SMU's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development as assistant dean of external affairs and outreach. Here is an audio excerpt from my January 2012 interview with her:  Anthony HIcks, APR, is PR director at a Memphis nonprofit. Anthony Hicks, APR, is director of public relations and development at Shelby Residential and Vocational Services in Memphis. Hicks, formerly a staff reporter at the Arkansas Gazette, has advice for journalists or anyone else considering a job in PR. Q: Do you have any regrets about PR? A: The biggest challenge is managing expectations of senior executives. Unfortunately, public relations is a difficult field to understand if you are not experienced in it. Consequently, many organizational leaders do not have experience in public relations. That means the public relations person is expected to work miracles. Have a thick skin. Be strategic. Always be strategic. Q: Why get the APR (Accreditation in PR credential)? A: I got it because I wanted to be recognized as the best in my field. I wanted to know for myself that I had the best skills that my industry required and I wanted some authentication. You have to be in PR for a while to get it. I knew it would be a valuable commodity to have. PR is highly competitive so anything you can do to differentiate yourself, the better off you are. Q: Any other advice? A: Before and after joining a company, learn its business thoroughly. Once hired you will consistently use your innate news gathering skills to identify programs and initiatives in the company that will make good news stories -- adapted to the press release format. A reporter’s instinct will serve you well in public relations and media relations. Understand that once you make the transition, reporters are not publicists for the company you work for. For more information about Shelby Residential and Vocational Services, go to http://www.srvs.org/  Screen capture from NewsEngin's website The Dallas Morning News uses software from a company founded by former journalists to report scores online in "real time" for area high school football teams, resulting in “millions of page views,” according to a newspaper online editor. The Morning News is the “only newspaper in America with real-time scoring,” said Kyle Whitfield, SportsDayHS's interactive community editor. He said the newspaper uses software from NewsEngin[Inc.], “a third party vendor in St. Louis” coupled with a squadron of freelancers that cover 200 Dallas-Fort Worth-area high schools. NewsEngin TeamPlayer “NewsEngin TeamPlayer is a browser-based application that couples the passion of high-school sports with intuitive technology to give news organizations a powerful backbone for their community Web sites and print publications. TeamPlayer can collect, organize and automatically reverse-publish all of a region’s high school sports scores and statistics,” according to NewsEngin's website. NewsEngin recently announced it has added "70 publications to the roster of news organizations that rely on its Ampere suite of cloud-based content production services." High School Football Sells SportsDayHS’s freelancers cover football games from August through December including reporting statistics and writing brief stories. The statistics go into a database and show up on SportsDayHS’s website. Whitfield said the information can be accessed on smartphones also. With so many eyeballs piercing the website and smartphones to get this unique content, high school is “easiest to sell and most profitable,” according to Whitfield, adding, advertisers want a local audience. Want a PT Job? In fact, the newspaper's sports department will host training sessions this summer for freelancers covering the upcoming season. Are you interested in earning some extra cash and having fun at the same time? According to an email Whitfield sent me, this is a part-time job that pays. College students and others who have experience covering high school football and already live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area should apply, especially if you can write well on deadline and have solid computer skills. To apply, send your resume and clips to SportsDayHS online editor Kyle Whitfield- kwhitfield@dallasnews.com.  Richland College students and me with Photo editor Michael Hamtil (kneeling) at "The Dallas Morning News" 2.23.12, courtesy of "The Dallas Morning News" Richland College Students Tour Newspaper Whitfield, a LSU graduate, told some of my Richland College students about his job and how he got it during a Feb. 23, 2012 tour of the Morning News. He talked about editing his college newspaper, studying late into the night and having a strong work ethic. Richland students observed a morning news meeting and also met Photo editor Michael Hamtil (in picture above) who showed us the photo selection process. Deputy Managing Editor/Sports Bob Yates was our gracious tour guide. He gave us a detailed overview of the newspaper's operation and sections. Did you know the Morning News has won nine Pulitzer Prizes? (I was in the building the day David Leeson won his Pulitzer and it was a wonderful experience watching his elation.) Some of my students want to pursue careers in journalism, others are interested in public relations. Yates asked whether they wanted to be reporters or writers? After listening to their answers Yates said, “Be a great reporter, editors can help you [write well].” I recently joined Richland's adjunct faculty and I'm having a good time teaching news writing and, of course, weaving in New Media when it works. Sidebars and Pluses March is Women's History Month and I'm rereading excerpts of "With Ossie & Ruby: In This Life Together," a dual-memoir by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Their rich journey in American theater continues to inspire. ### I recently learned that abolitionist Frederick Douglass was among several pioneering black newspaper editors. According to William S. McFeely, author of Frederick Douglass, "At least four other newspapers edited by African Americans were in existence when Douglass announced that the North Star would be published." Douglass announced his intention to publish North Star in a letter dated Oct. 28, 1847 to abolitionist and Quaker Amy Post, according to the book. ### From the Newseum's website: 'Up From Slavery: The Black Press'  Photo of commemorative poster distributed on 1.16.12 at the City of Irving's (TX) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. annual observance I wrapped up the Dr. King holiday by attending the City of Irving's annual program. This year’s theme is "A Living Memorial: The Man, The Message, The Monument." Written and adapted by Jacqueline Madden, who is special events coordinator at the Irving Parks and Recreation Division, the program focused on the Washington, D.C.-based MLK Memorial. Attendees received a commemorative poster emblazoned with "LOVE NOT HATE" which aptly captured the sentiment of last night’s program. Madden weaved together vintage and recent King-related video, stellar musical performances by violinist Richmond Punch and vocalist/author Brenda Ellis and more. The program also included speeches and performances by the amazing Dallas Black Dance Theatre II—all designed to educate the audience about Dr. King’s message of "justice, democracy, hope and love." If you have not attended Irving's MLK program, please put this on your calendar for next year. This was my fourth year to attend Irving's observance and I always leave enlightened and amazed. Earlier in the day I went to the MLK parade in Dallas and plan to upload a video to the YouTube channel, when it’s edited. Once again I participated in the Turkey Trot in Dallas on Thanksgiving. Here are a few photos celebrating the fun event. Check out my specially-crafted turkey day hat!        
Marilyn Calhoun, a 22-year breast cancer survivor, is still advocating awareness and prevention. The retired Dallas principal and veteran educator wants women to be proactive, get mammograms as well as participate in other breast cancer prevention programs. Calhoun originally shared her triumphant journey in a 2011 Harvest Reapers Communications’ video interview. Her words still ring true and her message is more important than ever, so please take the time to watch:  Photo illustration by Regina L. Burns Magazines are becoming more innovative by embracing mobile and digital platforms enabling brands to engage consumers using fully integrated campaigns, according to three Fortune 500 marketers who spoke at the Dallas Advertising League’s 12th annual Magazine Day luncheon. Ruby Anik, senior vice president of Brand Marketing at J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (JC Penney), Paul Golden, chief marketing officer at Samsung Telecommunications America and Erick Soderstorm, vice president of Brand Marketing and Advertising at AT&T, discussed on May 10, 2011 the ‘sending power’ “of print” relative to the digital content inundating consumers. “Everything is media today,” said Soderstorm, who stressed the importance of having a dialogue instead of a monologue with consumers. He said an exchange of ideas creates advocacy. He urged magazines to “be trend hunters” and to remember that content is still king. Anik said her company, in an effort to reach teen consumers, was challenged by the mindset “it’s our mothers’ store.” JC Penney created a “sweet 16 group,” said Anik. The team uses a “360-degree, fully integrated” approach in successfully promoting “hot” items to the 16-year-old demographic, she said. Golden outlined an “integrated campaign with Condé Nast” that asked consumers what they wanted. He said he could not reveal specific results and summarized by stating Samsung received “double digit brand metric lifts” that engaged the audience with “digital content and community.” Don Rossi, senior advisor of Marketing and Advertising at The Association of Magazine Media, moderated the panel discussion, which was held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas.  From left to right: Kelly Walker, account executive at The Wall Street Journal, and I after the Dallas Ad League luncheon. |
 Author:Regina L. Burns, M.A., Project+, is an award-winning multimedia journalist and editor specializing in Black History and African American stories at Harvest Reapers Communications. Her work has been published in Texas Highways magazine, WFAA-TV, The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as well as The Commercial Appeal, the Tri-State Defender and The Flyer, among others. Archives
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