118: Women Leading in the Realm of Communication and CCI

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 13 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.
To begin our show this week Laeticia Cerdas interviews Warner Brothers Senior Producer Image and Sound, Victoria Kennedy. They begin with a discussion of what got Victoria into the industry backtracking to her high school experience. Victoria explains how that is when she began in journalism and got the opportunity to shadow at the local news station. They talk about her trajectory post college from small-town news in Sherman-Dennison, Texas, to a bigger market in Dallas, Texas, and how she got into her current position in Atlanta as Senior Producer Image + Sound. The pair also revisit some moments in Victoria’s career that stick with her to this day, such as working breaking news during the Sandy Hook shooting and the Orlando bar shooting, where she was called to report on the scene. Finally, Laeticia asks Victoria what advice she would give to journalism students, which includes making connections with the professionals met along the way, persevering despite how hard of a market it can be to pierce, and for students to take risks and decide what they want early on. 
Our final segment this week looks at the career of Claudia Camp, the Associate Director of Communications for Latin America at Activision Blizzard sits down to speak with Jannelle Martinez about what it has been like working with Blizzard for over 8 years. Claudia and Jannelle discuss the various challenges and opportunities of managing communication across a large region such as Latin America. She touches on tackling language barriers, travel, and the importance of effective communication when working with different countries, especially when handling campaigns. Additionally, Claudia explores how the gaming industry connects to creative and cultural industries through its use of collaborations such as how Blizzard partners with various artists and film companies to reach broader audiences and attract more attention to their launches. In wrapping up the interview the pair touch on social media influencers' role in public relations and how they have aided in bringing together a sense of community. For anyone looking to work in the field of communication, particularly in gaming, Claudia offers valuable tips and tricks to help achieve those goals, highlighting the importance of teamwork and adaptability.