Mike Maney

Tag: News

  • How One of My Photos Made It Into a Hollywood Icon’s Documentary

    How One of My Photos Made It Into a Hollywood Icon’s Documentary

    I’ve had some luck as a photographer. A portrait I shot once graced a big Times Square billboard. An image I captured at a student rally made its way into The New York Times. I’ve been in position to capture Tour de France winners, Broadway stars, and even a former President. But if you had told me one of my images would someday be used in the opening credits of a documentary series directed by bona fide Hollywood legends, I’d have laughed.

    Yet, here I am.

    About a month ago, my phone buzzed (I’m old, but I’m not ringer-on old). It was my friend Tom, asking if I could do a quick shoot for a project he’d been working on. For the past few years, Tom has been part of a talented team of filmmakers creating a multi-part documentary series based in our hometown of Doylestown and the surrounding area. The series, Bucks County, USA, dives deep into the divisions and tribalism plaguing the nation.

    Evi and Vanessa, two 14-year-olds living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are best friends despite their opposing political beliefs. As nationwide disputes over public education explode into vitriol and division in their hometown, the girls and others in the community fight to discover the humanity in “the other side.”

    It premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is co-directed by the legendary Barry Levinson—Academy Award winner for Rain Man—and Robert May, producer of The Station Agent and executive producer of the Oscar-winning documentary The Fog of War.

    One of the images I created serves as the backdrop for the opening title credits. Having a frame I created play a small role in a film premiering at Sundance is an honor beyond words. But what’s even more meaningful is playing a small part in amplifying this important, timely story.

    (Note: The header image for this post is from the Sundance program.)

  • Sir, your reputation precedes you

    Rafe NeedlemanImage by jdlasica via FlickrFirst, if you’re an up-and-coming communications pro (or even a weathered old geezer), you’d do well to subscribe to Rafe Needleman’s “Pro PR Tips.” The C|NET vet has posted more than 100 rules from inside the head of one of the tech industry’s most-read journalists.

    Take, for example, this one from the other day:

    Tip #103: Agency, Shmagency: “I don’t care that much what agency you work for. What I care about is the company you represent.”

    Now, you can argue that the calling cards of a small number of agencies will open otherwise hard-to-crack editorial doors (a reflection on consistently great hiring and training than on size and perceived power). However, even though the card might be able to open the door, it’s the story and personal relationship that gets your foot inside.

    I’ve heard a lot lately about the power of personal brands. It’s a discussion good PR pros should heed. It doesn’t matter whether you work for IBM or Joe’s PR Shop, it’s your personal brand that makes you stand out.

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  • Separated at Birth: US Airways and Dominican Republic Tourism

    Jenn and I left last Saturday for the Dominican Republic to celebrate her 40th birthday with close friends. Friday marked the end of our vacation and, unfortunately, the beginning of a 36-hour ordeal at the hands of two organizations which, despite their chosen industries, have yet to grasp even the most rudimentary aspects of customer relations.

    I was going to blog more on the incomprehensible public relations incompetence of both US Airways and those responsible for managing the Dominican Republic’s tourism image, but think the story (and comment thread) running on Consumerist and the accompanying video from CBS’s Philadelphia affiliate KYW-TV (which lead Friday’s 11 o’clock newscast and re-ran on Saturday) speak volumes:

    U.S. Airways Boots 274 Stranded Passengers From Caribbean Airport, Refuses To Pay For Hotels

    US Airways continues to set a shining example of why the airline industry is in complete shambles. Its quickening demise isn’t the result of economics, it’s the result of complete disregard for its customers. If US Airways was a yellow labrador retriever, Pa would’ve had us put it out of its misery behind the shed a long time ago.

    And despite the best efforts by travel agents, incidents like this — along with a very public and apparently very real theft problem — will make the Dominican Republic a less-than-desirable vacation destination for many travelers.

    Both US Airways and the Dominican Republic lost customers this weekend. Customers they will not get back.

  • Newsreaders vs Journalists

    The BBC gets it right when it describes its television anchors as newsreaders rather than journalists.

  • Cmdr Taco on Digg Revolt

    Interesting story by New York Times reporter Brad Stone (the reporter who broke the identity of Fake Steve Jobs) on the recent uprising at Digg.  Slashdot founder Rob “CmdrTaco” Malda does a standup job in the interview explaining why Digg ran into the troubles it did and why the two sites don’t necessarily compete for the same audience.

    Disclaimer: Slashdot is part of SourceForge, Inc., which is represented by my agency, Page One PR.

  • Must-See Photography: James Nachtwey

    I love photography. I’ve had a couple of images published (many, many years ago). I’ve had some that were good enough to frame and display on the walls of my home. And, despite being an eternal optimist, I know I will never be able to be the photographer James Nachtwey is. His images are haunting and powerful. So powerful is his work, that he was recently awarded a prestigious TED Prize. Well-deserved…and well worth taking time to soak in his photography.

  • The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming! (Let’s Hope!)

    Yesterday I posted about the decline of American broadcast journalism, singling out Katie Couric’s journalistic skill in reading words on a screen. Today, Jeff Jarvis over at BuzzMachine has an interesting post highlighting comments from the director general of the BBC on the death of the news presenter (i.e., celebrities like Couric).

    Over the past year or so, I’ve started to rely on the BBC — on the web and on XM Radio — as the reasoned journalistic voice on global and political topics. Now, I’m sure they aren’t perfect, but its reporting, its tone, its balance and its objectivity give it credibility that the once-watched network news shows no longer deliver (I chose “shows” because the 5, 10 and 11pm newscasts have long since crossed the line from journalism to entertainment and advertising vehicles).

  • America: Hooked on Newsphonics

    I am a news junkie. It’s a mandatory trait for anyone in my profession. That said, I have stopped watching the 5pm, 10pm and 11pm “news.” With all respects to Murrow and his generation, broadcast news should have its journalistic credentials yanked. It no longer meets the criteria of serious journalism (with few exceptions).

    Think I’m nuts? Take a look at this quote from a column Gail Shister just posted over at Philly.com:

    “On a 30-minute evening newscast, however, what’s required is the ability to read the TelePrompTer and not display too much emotion.”

    Want to know who she’s talking about? Katie Couric. Considered by too many people across America to be one of our top journalists. What’s the criteria for being a reporter with a $15 million salary? To ask tough, probing questions? Nope. The criteria America holds up for its top journalists is the simple ability to read and act. I know many people whose only concept of what’s happening in the world comes from 20-second segments of news read off a teleprompter.

    Despite the fact that most people think of what I do as spin and anti-media, I hold journalists as having one of the most critical roles in a free, working society. They are the first and last stop in the checks-and-balances needed to keep people honest. They — again, minus a few exceptions — operate with a level of integrity that most of us would be challenged to equal.

    Reading words from a screen while worrying about your Q score is not reporting, it’s acting.