UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In an ongoing effort to prepare students for the fast-changing media environment, the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State will host three events as part of "Digital Days," scheduled Sept. 18-20 on the University Park campus.
The events, sponsored by Barnes and Noble, will bring together alumni, experts and professionals from a variety of digital media and advertising companies. Three alumni and one faculty member from the Bellisario College of Communications will be featured in the events.
During the events, students will learn more about the job functions skills and requirements for opportunities at advertising agencies, ad technology platforms, public relations firms, publishers, social media providers, specialty marketers and and others.
The goal is to expose students to the modern world of media, analytics and programmatic advertising in ways that will help them make connections between emerging technologies and business practices.
Initial events are:
-- “Facebook: The Currency of Data” at 6 p.m., Sept. 18, Carnegie Cinema: Alumni Will Post and Carlo Pitocco, who both work for Facebook, will help students discover how Facebook is leveraging data for audience insights that help brands build relationships. Post is industry manager, global marketing solutions (consumer package goods) for Facebook, while Pitocco is a creative agency partner.
-- “PSU + Beyond: Media Training in a Digital World” at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 19, 129 Waring Building: Lee Ahern and Elise James-Decruise will discuss how the Bellisario College is changing the curriculum, and how New Marketing Institute is meeting industry demand for lifelong learning in the digital age. Special focus will be on the importance of industry certification options for students, during their time at Penn State and beyond. Ahern is an associate professor and coordinator of the digital trends and media analytics minor at Penn State, and James-Decruise, senior director and head of global training at New Marketing Institute
-- “How AccuWeather Continues to Reinvent Itself and Its Products in the Digital Media Evolution” at 4:45 p.m. Sept. 20, Carnegie Cinema: Students will find out how AccuWeather continues to innovate and adapt, developing new products and new revenue sources to thrive in an environment that has been immensely challenging, and devastating, to many content providers. Alumnus Richard Frank, vice president and creative director at AccuWeather, and Dallas Durant, director of market research at AccuWeather, will be the presenters.
All of the sessions are free and open to the public.