rikki byrd portfolio

8/13/2019 Rikki Byrd Portfolio

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Duis Sed Sapien

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Nunc Et Orci

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Morbi Posuere

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Table of contentsRESUME

3Writing Samples

4 Cover Page

5-6a New LOVepublished in S C U L P T Magazine7Guest Commentary: We Need More Arvarh Stricklandspublished on ColumbiaMissourian.com

8Guest Commentary: Knowledge from newspapers can empower youthpublished on ColumbiaMissourian.com9-11 Douglass: Art teacher pushes students to discover themselvespublished in ColumbiaMissourian.com

12Celebrity Blogs: Beyonce & Solange Knowlespublished on CollegeGloss.com

13Honestly WTF: A DIY BLOGpublished on CollegeGloss.com

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Keeping the Tunes Alivepublished inInside ColumbiaMagazine

Projects

15 Cover Page

16JACK. Magazine17s c u l p t magazine

Marketing18 Cover page

19advertisements & flyers by rikki byrd

Event Planning

20 Cover page

21Model P!nk: fashion for fischel22 pastels & paparazzi: A spring fashion show

23 naacp, unit 6341 image awards


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JOURNALISM EXPERIENCE

Editor-in-Chief, s c u l p t Magazine, August 2010-Present Founded and launched s c u l p t magazine to promote young emerging artists

Designed, edited and photographed for stories

Recruited and managed staff

Fashion Assistant/Intern, ALIVE Magazine, St. Louis, Missouri; June 2013 Prepped wardrobe for photo shoot Recorded clothing credits for print

Processed returns for more than 30 items at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus

Direct Client Services Intern, MBS Textbooks, Columbia, Missouri; June 2012-June 2013 Assisted account managers, who provided textbooks to more than 900 schools, with day-to-day tasks

Communicated with major publishers such as, McGraw-Hill and Random House, to obtain updates on backorders

Worked with editor of office newsletter to brainstorm and write stories

Contributing Writer and Columnist, Collegegloss.com; June 2012-December 2012 Contacted creators and contributors of blogs for interviews

Wrote weekly blog reviews confirmed by editor

Researched and wrote articles on hair trends

Style Guru, Collegefashionista.com; May 2012-Present Took on-the-street photographs of mens fashion for online college site

Wrote articles on mens fashion trends for section titled, Lets Hear It For the Boys

Promoted website through social media networks

Intern, Inside Columbia Magazine, Columbia, Missouri; January 2012-May 2012 Researched and produced content on s/s 2012 golf and interior design trends

Interviewed local boutiques on 2012 prom dress trends

Worked closely with editorial assistant to brainstorm content and pitch story ideas

Student Reporter, Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri; August 2011-December 2011 Pitched and wrote stories about local neighborhood

Produced multimedia content for online publication

Worked bi-weekly shifts in the newsroom and wrote breaking news stories

Arts Marketing Intern, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis, Missouri; May 2011-August 2011 Designed flyers for events hosted and sponsored by the commission

Created advertising manual guide for prospective interns

Produced multimedia content for local artists associated with commission

EDUCATION

University of MissouriColumbia, MissouriBachelor of JournalismBlack Studies MinorGraduation Date: May 2013

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCES

Advisor, Pastels and Paparazzi Fashion Show; March 2013-May 2013 Counseled committee on how to run model calls and choose designers

Developed day-of-show details with committee

Producer, MODEL P!NK: Fashion for Fischel; August 2012-October 2012 Assisted on-campus mens organization with fashion show to raise funds for breast cancer research

Oversaw day-of-show activities, such as makeup and hair, backstage organization and technology

Press and Publicity Chair, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Unit 4361; August 201August 2012

Wrote and emailed press releases for associations events

Organized committee for associations week of events and annual awards ceremonySKILLS

Mac and PC | Nikon D40 |Microsoft Office | Adobe Photoshop CS, Illustrator and InDesign | Associated PresStylebook | Wordpress, Blogspot and TumblrTwitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram | Issuu


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Writinsamples


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Marttise Hill is the man in the chair. On a cloudy day in St. Louis, he yells quiet on set in thehallways of his alma mater, Clayton High School. The filmmaker is working with a dedicated cast andcrew on his newest film project, Prom Date Blues. Surrounded by family and friends, and a dedicatedcast and crew on the final day of filming, Hill knows that it wouldnt have been possible without themThis project means much more than what viewers will see on screen--its a representation of Hillsjourney in film. Especially since that journey started in the very school that he is standing in.

LOVING WHAT YOU DOEnding a relationship doesnt come easily, especially when youre in love. But when its to embark on agreater path and possibly a biggervision, its sometimes necessary. That is where this story begins.I was focused,Hill says when attempting to critique his growing body of work. When asked what

he meant by focused, Hill responded that he had just broken up with his girlfriend whenhe arrivedto Singapore, where hes been studying film since 2009 as a graduate student in New YorkUniversitys Tisch Asia program. Per his breakup, the filmmaker had fallen in love with somethingelse. Not with another woman, but a film that Hill says he ate, drank and slept. He titled it, Love,Guns and Amy, a black-and-white western centered on a woman who has two men in love with her.The film has become Hills favorite thus far. My girlfriend was my movie,Hill says. The time andcommitment that you put into a relationship was put into the movie.No cable. No video games. No

partying. Just Love, Guns and Amy. 24/7, 365, thats where I was at.His portfolio is a growing body of work ranging from short films, documentaries and music videos.In addition to Love, Guns and Amy, he has written and directed eight short films includingConnection, Four Bar Blues, New Billy, Boom and his upcoming project Prom Date Blues. In additionhe has worked on 36 other film, commercial and music video shoots. Collectively I look at them as alearning experience, he says.

The beginning of his experience with film did not begin in Singapore, however. It began at the ageof 10 when he would assist his uncle with filming family functions. The hobby later evolved into acareer for the aspiring director. In high school he participated in broadcast journalism courses andclubs where he says he shot on handycams. While attending Morehouse College from 2005 to 2009 helanded a position as the video production coordinator for the colleges football team. While at

Morehouse, Hill also met his best friend Julius Pryor. Since then, they have developed not only along-lasting friendship, but have also fused together their love for film to potentially become the nextgeneration of dynamic filmmaker duos since Spike Lee and Ernest Dickerson.

WHAT FRIENDS ARE FORPryor is present for Hills latest project in St. Louis. Hes the producer, and this is just as much hisproject as it is Hills. At the end of the day, nobody can do it by themselves, Pryor says, who attendsNew York Universitys Tisch Program in New York City. Its something thats genuine because itssomething thats not based around work; its based around true friendship. In their manycollaborations, the two filmmakers often switch roles: when Hill directs, Pryor produces and viceversa. Prior to shooting Prom Date Blues, Hill visited New York to produce Pryors latest filmLovesong, which they are now wrapping up the editing process and preparing to send to film festivals

When asked what the two have to offer the growing world of film, the duo says style andsubstance. This is something they have been developing since 2006, when they shot their first filmtitled Noir et Blanc (Black and White), a five minute black-and-white thriller about a schizophrenicman who believes he has to kill his therapist. Pryor developed the concept and the two entered it intoCampus MovieFest, a student film festival that gave Hill and Pryor the equipment needed to producethe film. Although Hill does not consider it in his growing portfolio, it is still a project that he says heis proud of. Not only did it give him a realistic glimpse inside his long-awaited career, but it alsosparked the withstanding friendship between him and Pryor. Beyond the obvious support the friendsgive each other, the two work hard to perfect their craft by investing what is needed to bring theirfilms to life.


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GUEST COMMENTARY: We need more Arvarh StricklandsFriday, May 3, 2013 | 6:00 a.m. CDTBY RIKKI BYRD

When I got rejected from a teaching organization in January, I cried for 15 minutes and then pulledmyself together. I had to figure out what I was feeling. Was I angry? Was I sad? Was I unworthy? Iconvinced myself that "yes" wasn't an answer to any of these questions, as far as I was concerned.Because when I applied, it was never about me, it was about the kids I wanted to teach.

Yes, I was angry that children in the ninth grade could hardly read. Yes, I was sad that brown-skinnedboys are walking the path to jail cells more often than they are walking to Harvard. Yes, I feared thatsociety had convinced itself that these children were unworthy of substantial education and thatmaybe theyre better off where they are.

In my mind, I went on a rant about how the organizations application and interview process wastotally irrelevant to the mission of their organization. I complained about their lack of diversity in thehiring process. I lashed out against the countless individuals who are accepted and go into schoolsbecause they're what the organization calls "qualified" but can't even begin to grasp the strife of theinner-city youth, whom they will stand in front of and will never be able to relate to.Then I stopped. Because realistically, I would apply all over again just to have the opportunity to work

with inner-city youth. Then, I would apply for the organizations diversity committee (if one exists) andstart working on establishing high school and college preparatory programs that prepares minoritiesinterested in teaching youth for the program. I would be like Arvarh Strickland.

When I heard of Arvarh Strickland's death, my heart jumped, not at his death, but at his mission. I'vesat in classrooms many days without considering the power that exists within the bricks of thebuilding. As the first black professor hired at MU, he had a building named after him. He fought toincrease representation of black faculty so that the few black students that sat in the chairs actuallyfelt like their existence was acknowledged and meant something. That those students would believe ifthey worked hard enough, maybe one day a building could be named after them.

But, hypothetically, what if the organization that I was rejected from had more interest in a candidatesexperience with inner-city youth, personal connections to the communities and advocacy for closingthe achievement gap as opposed to merely a GPA and unrelated leadership experiences? What ifbrown-skinned children in inner-city schools had the opportunity to sit before their brown-skinnedteachers everyday, who instilled in them pride and confidence in themselves and their academics toachieve beyond measure? More people looking like me, teaching people like me?

Of course, I understand that merit is gained through hard work. I'm not sitting here writing this articleadvocating for the university to hire every black person it interviews. I'm not even saying that everyblack person is qualified for the position. Then, there would be more Arvarh Stricklands, morebuildings named after blacks and more representation overall on campuses. The contributing factors

are far too outnumbered to provide an accurate correlation. Nonetheless, the mere imagination ofsuch a thing is quite fulfilling.


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GUEST COMMENTARY: Knowledge from newspapers can empower youthMonday, March 4, 2013 | 6:00 a.m. CSTBYRIKKI BYRD

In 2011, I wrote for the neighborhoods beat at the Columbia Missourian. Each journalist on my beatchose prominent neighborhoods, but I intentionally chose the least popular Douglass Park.

Most of the residents in the Douglass Park area are African Americans. In addition, the community is

often noted for its housing projects, poverty and crime stereotypes that often hover overcommunities of color.

Week after week someone in Douglass Park is shot, a fight breaks out in a nearby park and a childgrapples with the ugly hand of educational inequality. And week after week, the youth in thecommunity read about these stories in their local newspapers. During my four months on the beat, Imade it my goal to shift these stereotypes. I believed that I had a purpose as an African Americanfemale journalist, to give the little light that existed in the obscure corners of the Douglass Park areaenough courage to shine.

No, I havent lived in poverty. I havent experienced the detriments of crime or faced educational

inequality. Nonetheless, I am a first generation college student whose parents believe in merit. I amthe granddaughter of a woman from Little Rock who dropped out of high school during hersophomore year to work, and of a man who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. These are the factsof my life, but no one would know unless I told them. And when we dont have enough courage to tellour own stories, someone else will tell them for us.I found the light in Douglass Park by telling stories of barbershop owners and local politicians, of nonprofit youth initiatives and art teachers. I acknowledged their efforts because I value when newscelebrates the truth and those who shape it.

The Newspaper In Education program believes in the empowerment of communities and the youthwithin them. It puts local newspapers into classrooms and bridges the consumers of news and the

creators of it. The initiative supports and promotes the development of youth as informed and activeparticipants within their communities.

In providing news to young children such as those in Douglass Park, we give them an opportunity toknow, engage and advocate for a better future for themselves. Weve put leaders, computers andsmart boards in the classroom. Theyve learned about World War I, algebra and cursive writing. Now,its time to put in the things that matter those things that cant be found in the textbooks and arehappening outside of their classrooms. Its time to put in the truth.

In providing news to young children such as those in Douglass Park, we give them an opportunity toknow, engage and advocate for a better future for themselves. Weve put leaders, computers andsmart boards in the classroom. Theyve learned about World War I, algebra and cursive writing. Now,its time to put in the things that matter those things that cant be found in the textbooks and arehappening outside of their classrooms. Its time to put in the truth.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/accounts/profiles/rybmb3/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/accounts/profiles/rybmb3/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/accounts/profiles/rybmb3/


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DOUGLASS: Art teacher pushes students to discover themselvesFriday, October 14, 2011 | 6:24 p.m. CDT

BYRIKKI BYRD

COLUMBIA On a recent morning, second- and third-grade students at Ridgeway Elementary

School rehearsed for a classroom performance.

A week before they had cut out words from magazines and pasted them on small pieces of cardboard,

creating what they called "headline poetry." Now, it was time for them to share their work with their

classmates, as spoken word.

Students walked to the front of the class, their untied shoelaces dragging behind them. After a deep

breath, the first student began to recite her poem. When she finished, her classmates burst into a

round of applause.

"These kids are loving it, said Amber Ward, an art teacher at Ridgeway. "We can't get them to go

home at the end of the day."

Through critiques, songwriting and lessons about famous artists, Ward motivates her students to

make meaning out of their work and to develop a sense of identity.

While second and third graders found themselves through spoken word, fourth- and fifth-grade

students discovered themselves through images. They cut out images, words and phrases to create

archetype cards describing who they believed they were or who they aspired to be.

Anxious to get started on their projects, the young artists grabbed containers filled with magazines

and began ripping out pages.

"Can someone help me find dead animals?" one student asked his classmates. "I want to be a hunter."

Lesson plans are developed to help students learn without feeling like they're learning, Ward said.

Before moving to Columbia to pursue a doctorate in arts education at MU, Ward taught at a middle
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/accounts/profiles/rybmb3/http://www.columbiamissourian.com/accounts/profiles/rybmb3/


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school in Shawnee, Kan.

But teaching hasn't always been on her agenda. Ward, who comes from a matriarchal line of artists,

said her primary dream was to pursue a career in fiber art.

She had no backup plan, so her father encouraged her to pursue a teaching certificate.

Ward, who said she never had an art teacher to help her discover the value of art and didn't learn the

importance of meaning making in art until she was in college, now seeks to provide students with

opportunities she didn't have.

After completing her degree, she said she hopes to teach college students about the power and

importance of art. She's already began to spark an inspiration in a student not sitting at the small

tables in her classroom

Adair Stokan has been student-teaching in Ward's classroom for eight weeks. She's paid close

attention to Ward's teaching style and made mental notes on things she wants to use in the future.

"She knows exactly what she's trying to get them to understand," said Stokan, who graduated from

Columbia College in 2009. She is currently following in Ward's footsteps and pursuing a teaching

certificate in arts education.

During a recent planning period, Ward and Stokan practiced a song Ward created for her

kindergarten class.

"I'm a circle, I'm a circle," sang Ward, mimicking a circle with her arms. "I'm a square," Stokan sang.

Ward said her kindergarten artists are having a difficult time remembering the shapes they're

assigned. After several failed attempts while rehearsing the song, Ward and Stokan burst into

laughter, took a deep breath and began the song again.

"I did not do this in middle school," Ward said.


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Although she teaches the same skills in her elementary classes that she did in her middle school

classes, she said she's noticed that she's had to implement more patience and less sarcasm to help the

younger students learn.

"I really want them to become thinkers, to find the deeper meaning in what they do," she said.

"Because I think only through that meaning-making process that they learn."

By the end of class, students are remembering their shapes.

And Ward's learning too. She applies what she's teaching her students in her own practice of art.

In her recent sculptures, "Confessionals," Ward said she reveals the authentic version of herself she'sbeen hiding since childhood.According to her blog,each sculpture documents aspects of her identity

and the confession within.
http://amberray.edublogs.org/confessionals/http://amberray.edublogs.org/confessionals/


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CELEBRITY BLOGS: BEYONCE & SOLANGE KNOWLES

Celebrities often seem out of reach to most of their fans. Other than buying their albums, watching

their videos and attending their concerts, we rarely get a chance to see the human inside of them.

Fortunately, due to the advancement of the Internet and the popularity of blogs, celebrities such as

Beyonce and Solange Knowles have started to offer an inside glimpse into their behind-the-scenes

lifestyle.

For some time now, Solange Knowles has been attempting to slip away from her infamous title,

Beyonces younger sister. After chopping off her hair and opting to let her natural beauty shine,

Solange has evolved as fashions newest socialite. Her blog, My Damn Blog,is a glimpse into her

fashion evolution. From photos of her time overseas, her shopping trips and even her gorgeous, gray-

eyed son Julez, fans everywhere are finally seeing Solange as an independent diva and not

connected to her sisters hip/career.

Most recently, Beyonce launched her blog,I Am Beyonce.The blonde-haired songstress has not only

been dominating charts for years, but in several other facets as well. Her marriage to raps most -

domineering artist, Jay Z, her clothing line and newest addition, her daughter Blue Ivy, has made

Beyonce one of the most inspirational and desired public figures. While fans everywhere would faint if

they were in her presence, Beyonces blog takes us beyond the paparazzi shots and rump -shaking

moves and instead into what her real life looks like. Although there isnt much text available on the

site, her photos surely speak for themselves. From shots of her family on the 4th of July to shots of

her feeding baby Blue, were all getting to know Beyonce just a little bit more.

Aside from Beyonce and Solange Knowles, several other celebrities are launching blogs, all with a

different flavor but for the same purpose: showing their human side. Take time to Google some of

your favorite celebrities, and check to see if they have blogs. Youll be surprised to see what youll

find.

By: Rikki Byrd
http://mydamnblog.com/http://mydamnblog.com/http://mydamnblog.com/http://iam.beyonce.com/http://iam.beyonce.com/http://iam.beyonce.com/http://iam.beyonce.com/http://mydamnblog.com/


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projects


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JACK. MagazineFOOD.DRINK.ENTERTAINING. PIONEERING INFORMED TASTE

JACK. Magazine was created as a part of my Senior Capstone course inMagazine Publishing at the University of Missouri. Each year, seniors

in the course are commissioned by Meredith Publishing Company to

brainstorm and create potential publications. I worked with a team of

The Mission

Our team wanted to develop a mens publication dedicated solely to

food and entertaining. Our catch: We wanted to approach it in a snarky,Esquire-esque way that would attract recent male graduates movinginto a new space in their lives. Men with an acquired taste, who justneeded a few more ideas.

The How

Each team in our capstone was expected to select a design team from theMagazine Design course in the School of Journalism, who would designiPad and website editions, and a website. We were also expected to draftstory ideas, create editorial calendars and hire freelance writers toproduce the stories. We also created a 20+ page prospectus including ourmission, financial budget and advertising specs. At the completion of ourproject, we visited Meredith Publishing Company in Des Moines, where wepresented JACK. Magazine to editors.

The ResultOur team not only received countless accolades from editors atMeredith, but we were also awarded 1stPlace in the Association forEducation in Journalism and Mass Communication 2013 competition.

A

B

C


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s c u l p t magazineTHE EVOLUTION OF AN ARTISTS MASTERPIECE.

s c u l p t magazine was

created in 2010 by RikkiByrd to give a platform for

emerging artists of allgenres to freely and

creatively express theircrafts.

The Mission

When Rikki Byrd created

s c u l p t magazine, it becameher passion. After realizing how

much she wanted people toknow about what she loved, shewanted to give others anopportunity to show andpromote what they loved aswell.

The Result

Since its conception in 2010, s cu l p t has grown an estimated 19percent in viewership andreadership. The publication

recently launched a campaign onIndiegogo to raise funds for itsdesign programs, promotionalitems and more.

The How

s c u l p t is published two to threetimes a year and is hosted onwww.issuu.com.The publication is

produced by individuals studying inthe fields that they aspire to be in oneday. Internships are hosted threetimes a year for editorial, marketing,advertising, social media and webpositions. Contributing writers andphotographers volunteer theirservices on a rolling basis.

Each issue has a theme and isdesigned in InDesign.

A B

D C
http://www.issuu.com/http://www.issuu.com/http://www.issuu.com/


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marketing


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Regional Arts Commission For theLove of Cities AdAs an Arts Marketing Intern for theRegional Arts Commission, I was askedto create an advertisement for theCommissions event For the Love of

Cities. The advertisement was used for

email marketing and as the poster at the

ac

Regional Arts CommissionLuncheon

As an Arts Marketing Intern for theRegional Arts Commission, I wasasked to create a flyer for theCommissions Luncheon. The

advertisement was used for email

marketing.

Regional Arts CommissionArtszipper AdAs an Arts Marketing Intern at theRegional Arts Commission, I wasasked to create an advertisement forthe Commissions online arts

calendar that was used in handbills

at local events, newspapers and onthe Commissions website.

NAACP Graduate School Prep Flyer

As the Press & Publicity Chair of theNAACP, Unit 6341 chapter, I wasasked to create a flyer for an eventthe organization co-sponsored withanotherorganization.

A B C

D E F

Event Advertisements & Flyers designedby Rikki Byrd

s c u l p t magazine Model Call Flyer

As the Editor-in-Chief of s c u l p tmagazine, I created a flyer for a modelcall that the publication hosted for oneof its photo shoots. The flyer was usedon social media sites and posted aroundthe University of Missouris campus.


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Eventplanning


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MODEL P!NK:Fashion for Fischel

In 2012, I was commissioned byMizzou Black Mens Initiative toproduce a fashion show for the

Initiatives annual breast cancer

awareness fundraiser. I workedfor three months with theadvisor of the Initiative todevelop the shows several

details. I developed model calls,commissioned designers,

approved logos for flyers and T-shirts, approved fashion designs,developed day-of-show program

and acted as the person incharge on the day of the fashion

show.

The show resulted in a $900increase in funds from the

previous years fundraiser, all ofwhich were donated to the EllisFischel Cancer Research Center.


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Pastels & Paparazzi:A Spring Fashion Show

In 2013, I was commissioned bythe University of Missouris

Black Programming Committeeto advise the executive board indeveloping the shows details. I

worked closely with thepresident of the Committee torecruit designers and approve

designs, obtain qualified judgesfor the fashion design

competition, develop day-of-show programming and acted as

person in charge at the show.

The show resulted in sold-outseating and winning designers

walked away with cash prizesand photo shoots with nationalaward-winning photographers.


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NAACP 8thAnnual ImageAwards

As the Press & Publicity Chair forthe NAACP, Unit 6341, I was in

charge of producing theassociations annual image

awards. I developed a committeefor the ceremony through our

associations campus members

and delegated tasks to each. Ideveloped seating arrangements

for invited guests, wrote pressreleases, arranged

entertainment for the event anddeveloped decoration

arrangements for the day of theevent.

The ceremony resulted in a 50%increase in attendance, including

outstanding guests such as theuniversitys student government

president and the Chancellor ofDiversity.

rikki byrd portfolio

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