Fifth Anniversary of I-Comm Week to feature C-SPAN CEO

The College of Mass Communications and Information Studies will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its annual I-Comm Week March 31 – April 4.

I-Comm week is held by the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies and brings in professionals from all aspects of the communications industry to participate in lectures, panel discussions, presentations and social events. The event is intended to illustrate the college’s intrinsic link to society.

“Our theme this year is ‘Telling our Story,’ ”said Dean Charles Beirbauer. “We think of ourselves — in journalism, advertising, public relations, librarianship and all — as storytellers, communicating and sharing with the public through a multitude of media and venues.”

Brian Lamb, C-SPAN CEO and chairman, will be this year’s featured guest. Lamb will discuss his experiences with the C-SPAN network as the keynote speaker for the Deans’ Lecture. The lecture will be held in the School of Law auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3.

“Over the span of nearly 30 years, C-SPAN has grown to be an indispensible resource and a window on the workings of American government and politics,” said Bierbauer. “Brian Lamb has created, nurtured and perpetuated C-SPAN as a chronicle, an archive and an interactive part of the national dialogue: Who better than Lamb to be this year’s keynote speaker for our Deans’ Lecture?”

Lamb has been at the helm of C-SPAN since its launch in 1979. He also has had a regular on-air presence since the network began, interviewing six different American presidents and world leaders, such as Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev. He interviewed more than 800 non-fiction authors as part of the weekly series, “Booknotes,” which began in 1989 and ran for 15 years. Currently, Brian hosts “Q and A,” an hour-long interview program Sunday evenings. The show features key individuals in politics, media, education and technology.

I-Comm Week also will feature the annual Cocky Awards presentation. This year’s Cocky Award for Best Super Bowl Ad will be presented to Mike Boulia from the BBDO Ad Agency in New York. Boulia and his team were responsible for creating the Diet Pepsi Max spot. The Cocky Awards presentation will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Capstone classroom.

The week also will feature a talk by journalism student and “Survivor: China” participant, Jamie Dugan. Dugan will speak in the Capstone classroom at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 1. The week will conclude with a fifth-anniversary celebration at the Arnold School of Public Health. The night will revolve around the theme, “Telling Our Stories,” and will feature professional Gullah storyteller Natalie Daise and storytellers Brian McCreight, Bill Corder and Amanda Brewer. The event will be held at 6 p.m. April 4.

For more information about I-Comm Week, visit www.sc.edu/cmcis or call 803-777-4105.