Master's Student Wins Video Award from GSPRA Conference

Ben Elliott, a second-year master's student studying public relations, helped produce a video for Clarke County Public Schools that won a Silver Award of Merit at the Georgia School Public Relations Association conference. Elliott is currently a graduate assistant in the public relations department of the Clarke County School district, as well as a master's student in the Grady College at the University of Georgia. The video that Elliott worked on was an educational tool that informed of the International Baccalaureate learning framework.

Elliott's supervisor, Anisa Sullivan Jimenez, CCPS Director of Public Relations and Communications, passed on her commendations to Grady College. "This award is a testament to the quality work produced by the partnership between the school district and the Grady College."

AdPR M.A. Alumni Spotlight: Phillip Fain

Phillip Fain

Phillip Fain, a 2011 M.A. graduate, is originally from Stone Mountain and Decatur, Georgia. In November, he will be relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for Google.

What was your concentration and when did you graduate? Where did you do your undergraduate work, and what was your major? I obtained my Masters of Arts in Journalism and Mass Comm. with an advertising concentration. I received my Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

What activities were you involved while in Grady/UGA? I was a proud member of Graduate and Professional Scholars (G.A.P.S.) and Black Male Leadership Society (B.M.L.S). However, I'd say my miscellaneous volunteering and mentoring opportunities were most the most memorable and rewarding. I've always placed more value in being involved with random projects regardless of affiliation as being more important than simply paying membership dues to multiple organizations to claim membership.

What are you doing now and how did you get there? What are your career plans? I graduated in December 2011 and I've been working at EricMower & Associates. I've gained a lot of great experience working on the GE account as an Assistant Account Executive. I recently accepted an offer to work for Google as part of their advertising services team starting in mid-November.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your career today? Grady is the reason I am where I am today. The faculty and staff at Grady genuinely cared about my growth and potential, and always went above and beyond to help me succeed. Very few people know that I originally thought I was going to have to join the military so I could afford to pay for grad school. I have the utmost respect and admiration for our troops, but that's not the life I dreamed of for myself. I wanted to work in the wonderful world of advertising. Fortunately, Mrs.Debbie Sickles encouraged me to obtain an assistantship opportunity working as a graduate/research assistant. Subsequently, Dr. Karen King and Dr. Elli Roushanzamir have written amazing letters of recommendation that have helped me get advertising positions in Manhattan, Atlanta and San Francisco.

What is your favorite Grady memory? My favorite memory was the Grad Caucus Tailgate we had before the 2011 UGA vs. Auburn game on the Grady lawn. Dr. Springston playing the guitar, Dr. Reichert playing baseball with his kids, Mrs. Debbie's signature dishes on the picnic table ... ah, good times.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students? Sleep is overrated — nap less and do more. Even though you're a college student, treat Monday through Friday like a 9-5 job. Stay on campus all day and get work done even if you don't have class. You'll be amazed how much more productive your days are, and how much more epic your weekends become.