The partnership between NAU’s School of Communication and the Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is not only bringing classic films and educational opportunities to NAU but also giving students an opportunity to test their knowledge and get a taste of what they will experience after they graduate.
Zhan Xu, an associate professor at the School of Communication, is overseeing students in her PR Capstone class as they design a public relations campaign to help revamp SIFF’s image. Xu said the class has a long-standing partnership with SIFF led by Amy Hitt, professor of practice at the School of Communication, and that the work students are doing will not only be a classroom exercise, but so much more.
“Patrick Schweiss, director of SIFF, and his team have said that many of the ideas and recommendations from previous NAU students have actually been implemented over time,” Xu said. “This semester, students have been conducting communication audits, audience research and strategic analysis, applying what they have learned in class to real-world challenges that the festival is facing, particularly around branding, community engagement and reaching different audiences.”
The partnership benefits both sides by giving fresh ideas to SIFF and professional experience to students. It has been an exciting process for Rebecca Amend, a junior double-majoring in strategic communications with an emphasis in PR and creative media and film with an emphasis on independent filmmaking.
“I’ve enjoyed what feels like the culmination of all the other classes that I’ve taken and the skills that I’ve learned while in the School of Communication,” Amend said. “I like working with the Sedona International Film Festival because they are so generous with their time. It has been a very positive experience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with a nonprofit and to be able to put my head together with all the other public relations students in my class to find ways to help them.”
Amend said her team is gathering research to help SIFF reach its goals, which include using a social media strategy and online presence to target a younger demographic.
“The most interesting part of this project for me has been thinking outside the box about what might work for the 18-to 24-year-old audience,” said Andrew Pegnam, a senior majoring in strategic communications with a public relations emphasis and a dual minor in journalism and organizational communication. “We have been strategizing how to develop their messaging to appeal to new demographics. It’s about using critical thinking skills and research tactics.”
Pegnam said he did not know much about film festivals before this project, but he is excited about the opportunity to help SIFF and feels the one-on-one client experience has been a crucial part of the learning experience.
“With a project like this one, students get a professional level of experience that will help them build their resume because they are working with real clients,” Xu said. “It is not just textbooks or classroom knowledge, but real-world experience.”
Some of the students in the class are already looking for internship opportunities as they learn what professional PR looks like.
“I feel the strategic communication program at NAU is very hands-on and professors give you the tools to apply the concepts that you’ve learned with a real client,” Pegnam said. “SIFF is putting a lot of trust in us as college students, and it is pretty amazing. It has been a full circle moment, and it’s interesting to see how all the knowledge we gather just comes together as we watch that process unfold.”
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu