OUR STORY

COM/MEDIA IS…

COM/MEDIA is the media production sub-discipline within the Communication Studies curriculum. Students interested in media production begin the program taking a set of core courses including communication research methods, communication & rhetorical theory, before moving on to complete several specialized courses in the COM/MEDIA production sub-discipline.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

COM/MEDIA students gain extensive hands-on video production experience in all facets of studio and field production. Our department operates a fully digital 3-camera TV studio, and owns a substantial collection of state-of-the art field video cameras, sound, and lighting equipment.

WELL-ROUNDED SKILL SET

Our goal is to develop highly employable and well-rounded graduates who have both practical production experience and a strong understanding of communication concepts, theories, ethics, and practices. Our graduates are expected to have developed strong skills in critical thinking, writing and public speaking in addition to technical and aesthetic areas.

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

COM/MEDIA class sizes are small, enabling a strong working relationship between students and instructors. Professors guide students through the curriculum, providing advice for success in the classroom and their careers beyond university life.

CAREER-READY GRADUATES

Successful COM/MEDIA graduates will be ready to embark on careers in a variety of creative industries, from broadcast television news and entertainment to corporate, non-profit, promotional, sports, and documentary production. Successful COM/MEDIA graduates will exhibit strong production skills and will understand the need for independent lifelong learning to stay current in their field.

PROFESSORS

DR. WILLIAM (BILL) BOLDUC

Dr. Bolduc earned his Ph.D. in mass communication at Florida State University in 1993 and has been teaching at UNCW since 1994. He helped create the media production concentration in the Communication Studies department, and has seen the program grow from two SVHS camcorders to a robust cache of professional production gear and a digital 3-camera studio.

Bill teaches field video, audio production and media literacy courses and oversees the COM/media area. He takes great pride in helping so many COM graduates go on to successful careers in news, sports, entertainment, corporate and independent media production. Dr. Bolduc is always looking for unique instructional opportunities and regularly involves his students in applied learning projects through which his students create videos for local clients. He has also taken student production teams to Honduras, Belize, Wales and Ireland, and is always looking for the next exciting international adventure. Dr. Bolduc is a recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence and a UNCW Distinguished Teaching Professorship.

Stay in touch with Dr. Bolduc here: Email: bolducw@uncw.edu

PROFESSOR DAVID PERNELL

We are proud to say that Mr. Pernell is one of our own! He earned his BA in COM from UNCW in 1999 before beginning his career in television news production at WECT-TV 6, Wilmington's local NBC affiliate station. He later received his Masters of Science in mass communication from Middle Tennessee State University in 2005. From there he spent 7 years as News Production Supervisor at News 14 Carolina (now Time Warner Cable News) in Raleigh. Mr. Pernell returned to Wilmington and became a full-time lecturer at UNCW in the fall of 2014.

Mr. Pernell is proud to bring his 12 years of experience in news and television production to UNCW. He currently teaches studio television production, media law and ethics, and broadcast journalism. He is able to integrate his professional experience into his teaching and prepare students for the realities of professional production and the newsroom culture.

You can contact Mr. Pernell at: pernelld@uncw.edu