News

Archives: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998

2006

Developing Change Management Strategies
October 2006—Mind & Media is helping OSD's Property and Equipment (P&E) Policy Office inform procurement professionals about important new accounting procedures. By creating a multifaceted outreach campaign, Mind & Media empowers the P&E Policy Office to target business financial managers and gain their support. Additionally, we developed an engaging computer-based training program that enables the P&E Policy Office to effectively educate a large audience with diverse learning needs.

Mind & Media Client Profile: National Guard
October 2006—Since 2000, Mind & Media has worked with the National Guard on a mission to secure the soldier commitments needed to build and maintain a strong and ready force.

Together, we've created effective communication solutions that have empowered the Guard to improve enlistment, retention, and well-being. These powerful programs and tools have helped the Guard equip more than 3,600 leadership personnel with valuable training materials, improve the recruitment rate for officer candidates, and achieve a 300% increase in students' interest in the Guard. Additionally, many of the programs have earned prestigious industry excellence awards. This past June, The Way of the Warrior received top honors at the Department of Defense Visual Information Production Awards, winning Production of the Year and First Place in the Training category.

Mind & Media is currently working with the National Guard to define, create, measure, and refine critical initiatives that benefit soldiers, leaders, and Guard family members.

Increasing Health-Related Awareness
October 2006—In continuing our commitment to making a positive difference in health-related fields, Mind & Media is working with HUD to educate citizens about the risk of lead-based paint hazards in residential homes. Teaming with our longtime partner ICF International, Mind & Media will develop an electronic training tool and accompanying promotional pieces. Combined, these outreach materials will enable HUD to increase awareness about the dangers of lead-based paint, thereby reducing the incidence of childhood lead poisoning.

Educating Law Enforcement with Computer-Based Training
October 2006—Keeping current with the latest e-learning developments, Mind & Media is developing an interactive computer-based training program for a Department of Defense agency under the authority of the Director for Administration and Management. Designed to help educate front-line law enforcement personnel, the training incorporates substantial video footage, including interviews, documentary-style vignettes, and real-world scenarios. The program also features interactive games and self-assessment questions that reinforce the video instruction, helping users build essential skills and enabling the agency to meet key training objectives.

Welcome to New Team Members
September 2006—Mind & Media is pleased to welcome three new additions to our rapidly growing team!

With more than 14 years of experience, Steven Hamberg joins Mind & Media as a video producer. Steven has worked as a freelance producer on a wide range of broadcast and corporate projects. Some of the places you may have seen his work are Discovery, ESPN, HGTV, the History Channel, and the Food Network.

Jill Metzger and Lenika Shah both join our Client Services team as project managers. Lenika has managed projects in both large and small companies, and her experience ranges from information technology initiatives to merger finance integration. Jill joins Mind & Media from the Corporate Executive Board, the premier executive network for leaders of the world’s largest public and private organizations.

New Team Members
July 2006—Mind & Media welcomes Margaret Caro as our controller. With a wide-ranging background in accounting and finance, Margaret brings a wealth of experience derived from upper-level management positions in defense and commercial companies both large and small and as co-owner of her own business.

Recruit Retention Training Video
July 12, 2006—The Way of the Warrior: From RSP to BCT—a video that Mind & Media produced for the Army National Guard—received top honors at the Department of Defense Visual Information Production Awards ceremony. The film landed first place in the Training category and was also named Production of the Year.

"We're delighted to have produced this award-winning video," says Mind & Media CEO Aldo Bello. "It makes us very proud to help the Guard achieve a reduction in attrition, especially critical in this post-9/11 environment."

A reality TV-style documentary, the video educates National Guard recruits about the realities of basic combat training (BCT), ensuring that more recruits arrive at BCT prepared for the challenge and eager to complete the training successfully. The film immerses viewers in all of the rigors and glories of BCT, from obstacle courses to weapons training.

To date, more than 20,000 copies of The Way of the Warrior have been distributed to National Guard units throughout the country. In a recent study, 93% of viewers said that the film accomplished its mission: helping prepare recruits for the challenges of BCT.

Created to recognize effective, purposeful use of the production medium, the DoD Visual Information Production Awards Program is an initiative of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Submissions were evaluated not only on technical quality, but also on how well they met the needs of their intended end-users. The armed services submitted 58 productions for judging.

New Production Team Members
June 2006—Mind & Media welcomes two new additions, Melissa McMurray and Doug Canfield.

Melissa is the newest member of our Branding/Interactive Media team. One of Melissa's major accomplishments at Slippery Rock University was producing The Bands of Butler promotional DVD, a comprehensive project that involved onsite shoots, graphic design, and intense audio and video editing. She was also the host of a popular campus radio show for three years.

Doug is the newest member of our Video team. A skilled editor and producer, Doug brings more than 10 years' experience working with a variety of formats. His credits include National Geographic Explorer Wild, CBS Sunday Morning, ESPN Outdoors, and the Outdoor Channel.

Preparing Soldiers to Increase Retention
June 2006—Mind & Media is helping the Army National Guard motivate and educate recruits through a dynamic, engaging reality TV-style video. Designed to transform the way National Guard recruits think about basic combat training (BCT), The Way of the Warrior: From RSP to BCT depicts the reality of the demanding experience, as well as the personal honor and achievement associated with successfully completing it.

Initial feedback on the video has been overwhelmingly positive. More than 90% of the Guard leaders surveyed said they feel the video will prepare recruits for the challenges they encounter at BCT.

Helping Employers Connect with Veterans
June 2006—Mind & Media and TMP Worldwide are helping the U.S. Department of Labor manage, expand, and enhance their national HireVetsFirst campaign. This progressive program raises nationwide awareness about an important initiative: connecting employers with highly skilled veterans, including those who are disabled.

Results are exceeding expectations, with an increase of 50% in traffic to the website coinciding with the launch of the HireVets media campaign. Visit www.hirevetsfirst.gov to learn more.

Streamlining HR with Web-Based Training
June 2006—Keeping current with the latest e-learning developments, Mind & Media is providing a large contractor with an effective, engaging web-based orientation training program. They currently provide a stand-up orientation program for newly hired Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) personnel. Mind & Media's online orientation will replace the stand-up training, allowing them to maximize resources and enabling TSA to cost-effectively streamline HR operations.

Preserving Our Culture as We Grow
June 2006—During an aggressive hiring campaign that has resulted in the arrival of many talented new additions, Mind & Media continues to maintain our unique, inspiring culture. Built by plan rather than by chance, the Mind & Media culture respects and empowers our employees—recognizing, rewarding, and cultivating individual talents and potential.

Providing an open, relaxed environment that facilitates creativity also ensures that our employees continue to enjoy coming to work. In fact, in a recent anonymous employee satisfaction survey conducted by an outside agency, 100% of Mind & Media employees said that they see professional growth and career development opportunities for themselves at Mind & Media; 100% trust the senior leadership team to lead the company to future success; and 100% would like to be working at Mind & Media one year from today.

New Team Member
May 2006—Mind & Media welcomes Marie Robinson as the newest member of our Business Processes team. Before coming to Mind & Media, Marie worked extensively in the clerical field under a contract with the federal government. She also has extensive experience working for both corporations and nonprofit agencies.

Our Growing Team
April 2006—Mind & Media welcomes three talented new additions to our team: Liz Lovern, Sarah Becker, and Tammy Corbin. Liz joins our Alexandria office as a video producer. Liz is an experienced producer for numerous high-level streaming video programs, national cable network shows, HGTV series, documentaries, network commercials, and promotional videos.

In Winchester, Sarah and Tammy come onboard as copy editor and human resources administrator, respectively. Sarah has a background in English education and extensive editing experience, including five years in the publishing industry. Tammy brings more than eight years of human resources experience, including expertise in recruiting and staffing and deep-level knowledge of employee training and development.

Mind & Media Helping TSA Evaluate Employee Satisfaction
February 2006—Teaming with our longtime partner Caliber, an IFC Consulting Company, Mind & Media is helping the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) measure employee satisfaction using the Organizational Satisfaction Survey (OSS). Mind & Media will use the OSS—which will be mailed to more than 60,000 TSA employees—to help TSA spur organizational improvement.

TSA program analyst Jay Bapple explains that this important survey "will measure how far we as a new agency have come since 2004. We have enacted a great many positive initiatives, practices, and programs that addressed concerns identified in our first survey. The 2006 OSS will allow us to measure our progress and will give us a sense of direction of where we need to focus in the next 12 to 18 months."

Mind & Media Commemorating HUD Anniversary
January 2006—Collaborating with Aspen Systems, Mind & Media will help the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) commemorate ten successful years of Neighborhood Networks. This important initiative provides computer learning centers to children and families in lower-income areas across our nation. Mind & Media created an engaging video presentation recognizing the hard work and dedication of the Neighborhood Networks staff and volunteers. HUD will show the video to the public to increase awareness of this progressive program.

New Director of Client Services
January 2006—Mind & Media welcomes Alex Morrison as our new Director of Client Services. Alex has extensive experience directing and managing projects from launch to close in various businesses—from broadband and video delivery to candidate and issue campaigns.

Current News
Archives: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998