writing
Kennesaw State Dance Professor Billy James Hawkains
Billy James Hawkains III, was first introduced to dance from the pews of his hometown Baptist church in Detroit, MI. Despite his lack of formal coaching, the fourteen-year-old, soon-to-be dancer began taking classes at Lewis Cass Technical High School where ballet was his first genre of study. Learning at fourteen years of age what others learned at four didn’t come easy, but Billy held tight to the budding passion inside of him.
Now a multidisciplinary dancer, choreographer, writer, and filmmaker; Billy James Hawkains recently made history as the first African American male in over fifteen years to hold an MFA in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Hawkains also holds a BFA in dance performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
PR Statement [Employee DUI]
“We at Betty’s Bakery are grief-stricken by the events that took place on Saturday morning. The actions of [Truck driver] are not a reflection of our company's core values. No amount of words can begin to express our sorrow. [Truck Driver] has since been fired and we are investigating the issue to ensure this never happens within our organization again." – Betty Baker
In the online era we live in today, a company's reputation is everything. One mistake, scandal, or rumor can be heard around the world and can send decades of hard work catapulting down the drain. If left unresolved, crisis-level issues can dismantle customer trust and ruin expectations. In the example statement above, I’ve carefully written a PR statement for a false bakery. One of the employees were involved in a DUI incident that severely harmed the passengers in the colliding vehicle. Once again, this is just an example of a statement that would be made if a similar accident were to happen in real life.
Julien Baker at Blue Stage: Pitchfork Music Festival 2018
It was without a doubt the smallest stage at Pitchfork Music Festival 2018 - but the crowd of fans waiting for Baker to arrive stood in direct contrast. Nestled in a private and rather hidden sector of Union Park, Blue Stage embodied Julien’s performance in title and essence.
Armed with a Fender Telecaster and raw vocals, Julian approached the mic, captivating the crowd with her haunting guitar riffs and passionate lyricism. She was truly a one-man-band, playing lead over her guitar with the assistance of a looper pedal. Her gift for making music tangible could be seen in the faces of those in the crowd from the very first note. They didn’t just hear every lyric - they felt them too.
Film Review: The Robbery
(Sample)
Comically moving - and at times, uncomfortably personal, The Robbery gives viewers the opportunity to experience a “robbery” through the perspective of the freckle-faced, frail main character. Her presentation is laughable in itself as she isn’t exactly what the masses would consider intimidating. What she lacks in size, however, she makes up for in confidence and nonchalance. She speaks to the cab driver, Ruben, with the kind of self-assuredness we all wish we could have. She’s even comfortable enough to smoke a bowl in the back seat as she argues on the phone about how she’s going to get her dog back. The camera seems to document her every move, we don’t see the cab driver at all, and only see her face as she contemplates exactly how she’s going to get the money to save her Pitbull from the pound…