OVERVIEW
VideoWorks is the in-house production studio and research lab for the Department of Journalism & Digital Communication. Launched in 2012 as a course-creation studio for the Department’s online master’s degree, the studio has evolved to serve the USF St. Petersburg community, and beyond, as a hub for digital innovation and community journalism. VideoWorks projects involve production work, research and original software development.
Composed of faculty, staff and students in USF’s Journalism Department, VideoWorks team members:
- provide technical and instructional consultation on projects involving digital training, distance learning and online community-building.
- research digital tools for gathering, analyzing and presenting data, along with inquiries into related ethical considerations, in the context of news production, information literacy, and civic engagement.
- develop software, content, and distribution models to help journalists and researchers gather, analyze, and publish digital content.
- produce course content and facilitate live-streamed classes and events; and
- capture and edit professional-quality photography and videography.
- produces original content for teaching and training, journalism, and marketing.
RESEARCH
VideoWorks focuses on two areas of historical strength: (1) digital innovation in communication, and (2) community and ethnic journalism.
Lines of inquiry current and future research projects reflect faculty strengths and include:
- studies into how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other technologies affect newsgathering and dissemination;
- connections between technology adoption and perceived credibility of news organizations;
- how “deep fake” content and the blurring lines between entertainment, opinion, advertising, and news affect media literacy; and
- potential for emerging technologies to improve journalists’ coverage of, and engagement with, under-represented communities.
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
VideoWorks produces original software to assist in data collection and analysis, as well as live event delivery. The team also provides training and support for products of interest to the broader research and journalism communities.
PRICING
Pre-production work is billed by the hour, at a rate of $100/hour. Flat/project or hourly rates can be set, depending on client preference.
THE TEAM
Mark Walters, Director
Mark Walters, a professional journalist and veterinarian, is the founding director of the online M.A. in Digital Journalism and Design. He is the author of five books. His writing has been praised by the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Nature and numerous other scholarly and popular publications. He speaks frequently on the subject of communicating science to the lay public. Dr. Walters’ reporting and writing have taken him to Africa, Asia, throughout South America and Europe, Canada and to all fifty states. He received an undergraduate degree in English literature from McGill University; a master’s from the Columbia University School of Journalism; and a D.V.M. from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Walters is a bluegrass music enthusiast and plays the 5-string banjo.
Casey Frechette, Department Chair & Associate Professor
Casey Frechette Frechette is the chair of the Department of Journalism & Digital Communication, where he teaches classes in multimedia journalism and researches online learning, media literacy, and related topics. Before joining USF, Frechette was an interactive learning producer at The Poynter Institute, where he helped build News University, a leading online journalism training platform. He was an adjunct at Poynter for three years and taught in the Institute’s online and face-to-face programs. Prior to joining Poynter, he produced multimedia lessons for Navajo students at the University of New Mexico’s Technology and Education Center. Frechette has 20 years of web development and e-learning experience, a master’s in media arts and computer science, and a doctorate in organizational learning and instructional technology. His work has appeared in The Washington Post and Foreign Policy. He is the co-author of Culturally Inclusive Instructional Design: A Guide and Framework for Building Online Wisdom Communities (Routledge, 2019) and numerous book chapters and journal articles.
Christopher Campbell, Multimedia Specialist
Chris Campbell is a multimedia specialist at VideoWorks, the department’s in-house video production studio. He films, edits and delivers online distance learning classes (both pre-recorded and streamed with interactive functionality using Wirecast and Vimeo) and other videos for departments within the university as well as for local businesses. He is skilled in the use of professional video, still, audio, and streaming technologies both in the studio and in the field. He is an adjunct professor and teaches photojournalism, video storytelling, and other multimedia classes. Before coming to the University of South Florida at Saint Petersburg, Chris worked as an environmental educator in a variety of settings, including zoos, museums, and public schools. He completed his M.A. in Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg in 2013, with a concentration in documentary filmmaking. Chris has an international perspective as well, having traveled to and lived in a variety of countries around the world.
Casey Peterson, Academic Program Specialist
Casey Peterson is a staff member in the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication at USF St. Petersburg, where he assists with administrative duties for both the physical and online degree programs. He is an adjunct professor, teaching MMC 3602: Mass Communications and Society and MMC 2100: Writing for the Mass Media. He also helps develop courses for the Digital Journalism and Design master’s degree program. Casey previously worked as office manager for the Florida Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit organization of student journalists from middle and high schools from across the state. Casey received an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Florida, and a Master of Arts degree from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USFSP.
CONTACT INFO