Harrington School of Communication and Media to host film and writing alumni panel, career fair today, Feb. 6

KINGSTON, R.I. — February 6, 2020 — Today the Harrington School of Communication and Media will host its annual career fair as well as a panel discussion featuring nine URI alumni who will talk about their career experiences in writing and film and answer questions from students. The event will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Atrium two of the Memorial Union, 50 Lower College Road, Kingston campus.

“The alumni panel event is a great opportunity for Harrington School students to meet graduates from the writing and rhetoric and film media programs,” said Heather Johnson, a professor in the Writing and Rhetoric Department. “We host this event — which precedes the Harrington Career Fair — in the belief that it offers students an important bridge between the learning in their courses and real workplace expectations.”

The panel includes:

  • Chris Anderson, ‘18, a freelance documentary and commercial filmmaker whose most recent film tells the story of the tragedy and triumph of former Boston Red Sox player Tony Conigliaro, who in 1967, was hit in the face by a pitch that caused a severe eye injury and derailed his career. In addition, Anderson works in content development for a diverse number of industries.
  • Dimitry Ashby, ‘18, has contributed to AMC’s film, NOS4A2, and 20th Century Fox’s upcoming film Free Guy. Ashby also focuses on Providence-area entertainment projects and providing local filmmakers a space to showcase their talent.
  • Allie Furlong, ‘12, has assisted in the production of 12 feature films and five television series over the past seven years. She has served as a script supervisor, set dresser and production assistant.
  • Jack Ieronimo, ‘18, is an editor for Gnarly Bay, a production company based in Westerly, Rhode Island, which creates documentary-style content for companies such as L.L. Bean, Fuji Film, Publix, and the North American Forest Partnership. On the side, he also films weddings for Conte Sound Productions.
  • Steve Levin, ‘13, has worked on feature films, documentaries, live events and commercial productions, and currently owns and operates his own wedding videography company. Levin is also a freelance camera assistant and videographer.
  • Taylor Pilderian, ‘17, is a freelance costume designer and stylist who designed the pilot for “Delivery Girl,” which premiered in the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. She has also designed two full seasons of one of LEGO’s web series, and has served as a design assistant on two feature films for the Lifetime Movie Network.
  • Kaitlyn Murray, ‘14, is an associate editor of custom publications for Rhode Island Monthly. She was hired as an editorial assistant in 2015 and has worked her way up.
  • Jaclyn Wing, B.A. ‘14, is associate director of development communications for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and a contributing writer for Performer Magazine. Wing was previously a creative services writer for the March of Dimes foundation.
  • Olivia Dolphin, B.A. ‘13, is a UX content strategist for Liberty Mutual Insurance where she works on its digital sales team. Dolphin founded Wizards in Space Literary Magazine in 2016, and has previously worked in marketing and nonprofit development.

Career Fair

The panel will be followed by the Harrington School’s annual career fair from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road, Kingston campus. There are currently 30 employers registered to recruit students for full-and part-time jobs, as well as internships for the summer and next fall. This year’s participating employers include:

  • Amica Mutual Insurance Company
  • FM Global
  • Regan Communications Group
  • Rhode Island Broadcasters Association
  • Rhode Island Monthly Magazine
  • Sinclair Broadcasting Group
  • The Greysmith Companies
  • Vistaprint
  • The Ryan Center and Boss Arena

“The diversity of organizations participating and recruiting in this year’s career fair is reflective of the strong job market for students graduating from the Harrington School,” said Adam Roth, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Harrington School. “Even if students are not in the market for an internship or job, this is great practice to speak with potential employers, make connections in the field, and learn about the kinds of positions out there that require or at least prefer strong communication skills.”

Students are encouraged to register for the career fair on Handshake and to visit the Center for Career and Experiential Education to prepare their resume. Students should arrive dressed in professional attire with copies of their resumes.

Ian Weiner, a senior journalism major and intern in the Department of Marketing and Communications, wrote this press release.