CCOM Pawcast

Happy Holidays (You’re Never “Home Alone” in CCOM)!

Happy Holidays (You’re Never “Home Alone” in CCOM)!

The email showed up in my inbox in mid-November, innocuously beginning with, “We have an idea for a Christmas season video…..” 

The quick follow-up in early December included a unique request: “If you have a black sock hat and an overcoat of sorts to bring on Friday that would be great. Let me know if you don’t have either of those and we will track them down for you to wear.” 

Little did I know how creative the CCOM content interns Ross Hollebon brought together are or how on the nose they would be with the role in which they cast me. 

Nevertheless, always eager for a fun student-led project—especially focused on the holidays—I did as instructed and showed up with a long black coat, scarf, and black hat. As it happens, David Simon ‘25, Blake Richmond ‘26, and Kyira Duchemin ‘25 took their cue from an idea that had been percolating in Ross’ twisted mind since his initial interview with me almost two years ago. They accepted the assignment and sketched out an adaptation of a character from Home Alone, played by Joe Pesci, appearing during a student dream sequence in the middle of a final exam. My part in the project took approximately twenty minutes to film, and the end product was so worth it!

It was so much fun to get to work with these three creative students not just on this project, but for the whole semester.  Each of them brought energy, inventiveness, and a true desire to amplify both Butler and CCOM, and they learned a lot from their mentor, Ross, too. 

I first got to meet David Simon ‘25, a senior Creative Media and Entertainment major in CCOM, during Prof. Cutler Armstrong’s inaugural Butler in LA program in May. We talked about the interns Ross would be hiring, while I also learned about his personal passion project on social media involving Rubik’s Cubes. David’s penchant for creative videos was on display during Homecoming in October when we produced a Bulldog Head logo out of 400 Rubik’s Cubes activation at our CCOM tent. Alumni, current students, and kids of all ages engaged with the fun that is part of our DNA.

Fun content is better when it has a business purpose and not only entertains current Bulldogs and alumni but introduces Butler and CCOM to a wider national audience. This CCOM video has earned 7.2k views on YouTube and an astounding 136k views on Instagram! On Instagram it has also garnered 5.5k “Likes,” has reached 110,517 unique accounts and total view time is 28 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes, and 18 seconds as of the morning of Dec. 21, 2024. Much of that had to do with David’s status as an international influencer with his account Captain Cuber (follow him!).

Kyira Duchemin ‘25, a senior double majoring in Music Industry Studies and Creative Media and Entertainment, has been a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board in CCOM since my arrival. In his/their role this fall I got to know him better. Kyira was always around, taking pictures of student and faculty events, storyboarding cool ideas, and learning from Ross and others—while also teaching Blake the technical side of camera equipment. Perhaps the coolest thing he helped with was covering our first Intensive Industry Experience trip to Nashville with 16 other students, again led by Prof. Armstrong. Kyira’s presence and keen eye for photos and stories helped us capture how great that trip truly was!

Kyira and CCOM Dean Joe Valenzano at a “Dogs With the Dean” event in September 2024.

Then there is Blake Richmond, a Marketing major with a Strategic Communication minor, who will be back with us in the Spring after Fall was jam packed with impact. Blake’s first class of his college career was an 8 a.m. Promotional Writing I course, taught by Ross in 2022, and he stood out immediately. Then Blake impressed me with his very first CCOM project, a competitive analysis of colleges of communication at several other universities that helped us identify some areas of distinctiveness and opportunity for CCOM. Always thriving to learn and add to his skillset, Blake has become a go-to-producer for our recent Pawcast episodes, shadowing Ross and even producing his first solo Pawcast in November. 


From left: Pawcast guest Grant Leiendecker ‘11, Vice President/Director of Butler Athletics, host CCOM Dean Joe Valenzano, Blake Richmond ’26, and guests, Dr. Bryan Foltice, associate professor of finance, and Randy Brown, a career mentor with LSB, after recording their episodes in Fairbanks Studio 50.

This holiday season, as we prepare for some rest and valuable time with those we love and cherish, I would be remiss if I didn’t say how grateful and glad I am for the time I got to spend with these three interns. Every day they remind me of why we are fortunate to do what we do, and how special Butler students are. I just need to read their request emails more carefully moving forward. 😊 

As I close out 2024, I’d like to share two more things. The first is our heartfelt wish for a happy holiday season and healthy and prosperous new year to our CCOM and Butler friends, family, and community across the globe. The second, and this is to David, Kyira and Blake, the casting of me as Harry Lyme is spot on because……Pesci was my high school nickname (he says as his gold tooth glistens 😊).

Happy Holidays!

Spring Break ’24 and More!

Spring Break ’24 and More!

Spring Break is a cherished time in the academic calendar. It represents an opportunity to step back, recharge, rest, and even have fun away from campus before the final sprint to the end of another successful academic year.

Whether traveling, visiting family, or catching up on final projects or grading (and/or sleep), it’s a well-earned moment for the CCOM community at Butler. It’s also another opportunity to reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far in 2024.

Fairbanks has been buzzing all semester, before this quiet week of respite. So, I’m taking this time to provide a recap of some of the highlights. Away we go!

The inaugural CCOM Chili Cook-Off:  As a chili fan I am a firm believer that there is no one right way to make it. This theory was put to the test with the faculty and students, as eight different chilis were entered by faculty, and then judged by students, staff, and faculty in a blind taste competition.  The winner for best overall chili and hottest chili was Prof. Bob Schultz, who made a flavorful turkey tortilla chili. The most unique prize went to Ross Hollebon for something I had never tasted before—Peanut butter chili. It was surprisingly tasty too! Finally, Prof. Carly Middleton received the most votes for the best name category for her “Girl Dinner” entry. The best part was seeing our CCOM community come together for the new event.

Cory Stark ‘08 and Larry Potash class visits: Cory Stark ’08 and Larry Potash, parent of a current Bulldog, both have illustrious careers as broadcast TV anchors and hosts in St. Louis and Chicago, respectively.  They led a discussion with students stressing the importance of reading, writing, developing a character in new stories, and exhibiting hard work and creativity.  It was an engaging conversation, and Cory even left our students with a great set of slides, entitled “The Art of the Interview.”  Click to listen to the CCOM Pawcast episode with Cory and Larry.

Stephen Bulpett class visits: Stephen Bulpett is an old friend of mine. He visited Indianapolis to cover aspects of the NBA All-Star game and shared his time to speak to a pair of classes, telling tales from his more than 35 years as a journalist. Stephen has primarily covered the Boston Celtics, and the NBA at large, as a veteran reporter for the Boston Herald and Heavy.com. He engaged with our Media Ethics class and shared, among other things, the importance of telling the truth and maintaining professionalism when working with professional athletes. He also made time to talk with first-year journalism and sports media majors.  As a proud alum of the University of Dayton, he also could not hold back from trying to push for the Big East to invite his alma mater into the fold—and I can’t say I disagree! Click to listen to the CCOM Pawcast episode with Stephen.

Indy NBA All-Star Weekend: While conversations and classroom visits with Stark, Potash, and Bulpett were occurring, 100 Butler students were working as ambassadors for Indianapolis and the NBA All-Star Weekend. Led by the indefatigable Prof. Schultz, these students traded shifts downtown during a snowstorm Friday evening and then braved frigid temperatures Saturday and Sunday to shine warmth and smiles on visitors and fans during this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  As “Street Team” ambassadors they handed out sunglasses, maps, and good ol’ Hoosier Hospitality to the 150,000 guests in town for this major sporting celebration.  One student, Katelyn Skinner, created a short video about this opportunity.  Another student, Kristin Anderson, was on her shift and saw something suspicious that she called in, and it turned out she stopped scammers from taking advantage of Indy’s guests.  A third student helped a person find their way around downtown when they looked a little lost.  That person was perennial NBA All-Star Steph Curry, of the Golden State Warriors.  I don’t think she will ever forget that moment!

My trip to New Jersey: More recently, I traveled to New Jersey to watch our men’s basketball team take on Seton Hall. It was special to attend the game with several alumni from that area. Our own Dean’s Advisory Board Chair, Dan Cooreman ‘76, and his partner joined, as did current Butler parents Dana and Jenna McClintock.  Dana, as it turns out, worked alongside an alum who was with us, Ryan Briganti ‘98, years ago at CBS. Ryan was fresh off selling advertisements for the Super Bowl—during the Super Bowl!

Day of Giving 2024: I immediately switched gears for the 2024 Day of Giving upon returning to Indianapolis. Students and faculty concentrated on redecorating many of the main hallways (and the offices of five fountains and The Collegian) to produce our very own 9-hole miniature golf course. We staged a massive upset in terms of the number of gifts in 2023, more than any other group on campus, and aimed to defend our title. Unfortunately, Athletics managed to top us this year—and I now owe our new Athletic Director a round of golf—but we still set college records for most gifts received (365), and most support received for our students (a whopping $71,411). It was great seeing all the creative putt-putt holes our faculty and students crafted to help create the Fairways at Fairbanks, as well as all the smiles and cheer we had in the building.

CCOM Butler Bound 2024: Finally, on March 1st we welcomed roughly 40 prospective students to campus for the CCOM Butler Bound experience.  This fantastic all-day event helped students who are thinking about being a Bulldog (what’s there really to think about, I say) understand more about The Butler Way and how it can impact their immediate future and career and life goals. They heard from a terrific panel of current students and a panel of alumni. They met numerous members of the CCOM faculty, toured our phenomenal facilities, and learned more about internship and study abroad opportunities. In what was a humbling moment, one student and their parents came up after the event and asked where they could go to make a deposit right there and then!

I know this has been a long read (and an even longer post to write), but it goes to show you why, as we enjoy Spring Break, it’s understandable that people are eager to relax for a moment. On the other side of this lull, we still have so many fun activities, events, and achievements to pack into the final weeks, but a deep breath now goes a long way.  So, what will yours truly be doing? I’ll be accompanying a dozen of our students to the Big East Tournament for an alumni event, a networking opportunity in the sports and media industry, and a tour of Madison Square Garden. There is no rest for the weary here—and I wouldn’t have it any other way!