Seattle Film Institute Announces Master of Arts in Film Producing
Media contact:
Chris Blanchett
office: (206) 568-4387
mobile: (206) 890-4138
chris@sfi.edu
Seattle Film Institute announces a Master of Arts degree in Producing for Film online starting September 17, 2018. The program teaches skills to produce traditional film, web series and television projects and gain the project management skills needed for careers in creative arts and multi-media production. This accelerated program allows students to earn a Master of Arts degree in just 40 weeks.
"Through the integration of education technology, we can engage students all over the world who are looking for these skills. We are bringing in international film professionals via virtual classrooms to provide a dynamic experience," states Seattle Film Institute President David Shulman.
The MA program includes a focus on entrepreneurship in the creative arts sector as well as the managerial and business skills all producers need. "There is a consistent need for content creation and we want students to be poised to be leaders in this area," says newly appointed Associate Director Monique Anair, who has participated in film education for New Mexico's aggressive incentive-based film industry. "Seattle is a perfect place to combine science, technology and the arts." Seattle Film Institute sees itself being a leader in creative arts production management and will work with graduates to get their projects off the ground. "We have always supported our graduates in the local workforce, but we have the opportunity now to help provide a launch point for media projects and new creative ideas," reports Shulman, who has set the ground-work for a film and media incubator. "We already support the professional filmmaking community at SFI with space, equipment, and consulting. We are now creating a place where our grads find the support to take their dreams and ideas to the next level."
The program starts in September and SFI is now accepting applications from students wherever they are located in the USA and beyond. Students can choose a blended on-ground/online program, a totally online program or a low residency model. For the low residency model, the distance education students come to Seattle in mid-September 2018 for an intensive kick-off to the program, and again in mid-July 2019 for a concluding capstone class and graduation.
SFI Communications Director Chris Blanchett sees another benefit of the distance education option: "The students access information online and communicate and collaborate with classmates who may be in another city or another country." According to Blanchett, this component of the distance education option prepares the students for the emerging reality of the film industry. Team members in different locations around the world effectively collaborate on projects. In a very real sense, the medium and infrastructure of the distance education option becomes a key part of the training in and of itself.
To apply, students should go to sfi.edu, call (206) 568-4387, or email chris@sfi.edu. The next program start date is September 17, 2018.
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Seattle Film Institute has prepared students for successful careers in film since 1994 and is the Northwest's only nationally accredited film school offering certificate, undergraduate, and graduate degrees with programs in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Motion Graphics & Visual FX, Sound Design & Recording Arts, Producing, and Composing for Film with choices of on-ground, online and blended schedules.
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Sutherland Institute announces Rep. Chris Stewart on national security in 2018 Congressional Event Series
SALT LAKE CITY — Today Sutherland Institute announced new details for its 2018 Congressional Event Series. This series is intended to inform Utahns of critical issues being addressed by members of the delegation. Congressman Chris Stewart will speak Thursday on matters of national security. "Ensuring America's Security: Utah Leading in Military Readiness" will include remarks from the congressman, followed by two expert panels featuring Utah military leaders and defense contractors. Details for this event are below. This event is open to media. Attendees must register in advance here.
“Sutherland is pleased to act as a convener and a facilitator of transparency and accountability between Utahns and their elected officials,” said Sutherland President Rick Larsen. “We believe the 2018 Congressional Event Series accomplishes these goals. We look forward to hearing from Congressman Stewart, who has unique insights on issues of great importance, including military readiness and Utah’s contributions to national security.”
EVENT DETAILS
*Questions from the media will be permitted following a Q&A with audience members*
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Utah Army National Guard
North Salt Lake Readiness Center
1640 N. 2200 West
North Salt Lake, UT 84116
TWO PANELS WILL FOLLOW CONGRESSMAN STEWART'S BRIEF REMARKS
PANEL 1: Military Leadership
Hill Air Force Base
Utah National Guard
Utah Air National Guard
Dugway Proving Ground
Tooele Army Depot
PANEL 2: Defense Contractors
Northrop Grumman
L3 Technologies
Lockheed Martin
Boeing
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Launch your boat faster at Flaming Gorge Reservoir
DWR starts local boater program for those living near the reservoir
Vernal -- If you own a boat and reside in the towns of Manila or Dutch John, you may have just gained an express pass to launch your boat on Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has created a local boater program. The program will reduce the amount of time you spend with aquatic invasive species (AIS) specialists before launching your boat at a launch ramp on the Utah side of the reservoir.
Faster launch times
If you’ve launched any type of watercraft in Utah, you know the threat posed by quagga mussels has increased the amount of time you have to spend before launching your boat. For example, each time you visit a lake in Utah, you must complete a decontamination certification form. However, if you want to boat on Flaming Gorge—and you have a local boater sticker—an AIS specialist will not need to inspect your boat. Instead, she or he will simply verify your sticker and let you launch.
If you join the program, you’ll be required to inspect your own boat and ensure that the process of cleaning (removing all plants and debris from your boat and sea strainer), draining (all the water from your boat, such as live wells and ballast tanks) and drying (for the required length of time) has already occurred.
Jessica Wooten, a DWR AIS interdiction specialist, says interdiction specialists are working countless hours to prevent quagga mussels from spreading into waters in Utah.
“We understand the boat ramp at Flaming Gorge can become bottle necked at times,” she says, “but this local boater program will help. It’s meant to keep the boat ramp moving in a timely, more efficient manner. We want to work proactively with our local boaters so we can spend more time inspecting and decontaminating boats coming in from contaminated waters, such as Lake Powell.”
How to join
To participate in the program, you must be a resident of Manila or Dutch John, or store your watercraft in a storage facility in one of the towns. The sticker is good for one calendar year (for example, Jan. 1, 2018 - Dec. 31, 2018). You’ll receive a sticker after completing the following steps:
1. Completing a Flaming Gorge mussel awareness form
2. Completing a Mussel Aware Boater Program Course form (available at www.stdofthesea.com)
3. Providing proof of residence (for example, a utility bill, bank statement or payroll stub)
4. If you’re storing a boat in either town, you must also include a receipt confirmation from the boat storage facility where your boat is stored.
After completing the items above, submit them to a UDWR AIS interdiction specialist to receive your local boater program sticker. The sticker will be applied to the bow of the watercraft’s starboard side (the right side of the boat if looking from the rear of the boat). Each time you take your boat off of Flaming Gorge, you’ll need to clean and drain the boat, and start the drying process, before you leave the reservoir.
The local boater program is offered only on the Utah side of Flaming Gorge. Since Utah and Wyoming share the reservoir, you need to obey each state’s rules and regulations. When launching in Wyoming, you’ll still be required to stop for mandatory inspections. Your vessel must also have a Wyoming AIS sticker attached to it.
Also, please be aware that UDWR conservation officers perform random administrative check points and mandatory inspection stations across Utah. All watercraft, including those participating in the local boater program, must stop for inspection.
The UDWR will gather data daily concerning the number of local boaters entering Flaming Gorge. Also, once a month, agency staff will request feedback from boaters in the program.
Launching outside of Flaming Gorge
If you decide to boat on a water other than Flaming Gorge, you must contact an AIS interdiction specialist at Flaming Gorge first. The specialist will then contact an AIS interdiction specialist at the water you’re going to boat on.
“As a trial run,” Wooten says, “this program is honored only at Flaming Gorge. It does not serve as an all-access pass around the state. When you arrive at the boat’s new destination, you’ll still have to stop at the inspection stations.”
For more information about the program, call Wooten at 435-790-5357 or Tonya Kieffer, UDWR regional conservation outreach manager, at 801-995-2972.
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USDA Invites Comments on the Implementation of the e-Connectivity Pilot Program
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced USDA is inviting comments on the implementation of the e-Connectivity Pilot Program established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 on March 23, 2018.
USDA is developing this pilot program to catalyze private investment and bring broadband to unserved rural areas of the country. The new program provides a unique opportunity to develop modern methods to leverage federal funds to increase private investment in broadband services for as many rural American homes, businesses, farms, schools and health care facilities as possible.
“I have traveled extensively across the nation, and everywhere I go I have heard how important broadband is to rural Americans,” Secretary Perdue said. “Reliable and affordable internet e-Connectivity truly is the key to prosperity in the 21st Century, and I’m pleased Congress recognized this need and has provided this critical funding. Broadband e-Connectivity is the next interstate highway system of global commerce, and connecting rural areas to broadband will be a game-changer for our entire nation. It is not just a federal issue; our success will be forged through partnerships.”
According to a 2018 report by the Federal Communications Commission, 80 percent of the 24 million American households that do not have reliable, affordable, high-speed internet are in rural areas. Without e-Connectivity, rural Americans cannot reach their full productivity in the workplace, receive the best education in schools nor the finest health care in hospitals.
This rural broadband pilot program was proposed by President Trump and was made possible by a $600 million appropriation from Congress in the Consolidated Budget Act of 2018. As a result, USDA is excited to be able to create new funding and finance offerings through this pilot program to expand rural broadband in underserved rural and tribal areas.
The framework outlined by Congress allows these new federal funds to be deployed in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. A wide variety of entities is eligible for funding, including incumbent and competitive rural telephone and broadband service providers, rural electric cooperatives, private firms (but not sole proprietors or partnerships), nonprofits and governmental bodies. Rural areas with current internet service speeds of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload at the household will be eligible to apply for the pilot program funds. The requirements on build-out speeds are not specified by the law and are therefore under development. See page 52 of the legislation for the full text (PDF, 2 MB).
USDA is seeking input as we develop the rules and requirements of the e-Connectivity Pilot Program. All stakeholders with an interest in rural broadband deployment are welcome to contribute. Specifically, comments on the following issues are sought:
USDA’s goal is to make the most effective use of these new and innovative funds through utility partnerships, where possible. Public input on methods to evaluate the viability of applications that include local utility partnership arrangements is also being sought.
Comments are due on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018 and can be submitted by either of the following methods:
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. As proven by the report, e-Connectivity is more than just connecting rural America to rest of the world. It is a vital tool for productivity, education and health care. These investments will be key catalysts for facilitating rural prosperity through economic development, workforce readiness and improving quality of life.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
