News
2011
Bello Receives Humanitarian Award
December, 2011—Americans for Immigrant Justice have selected Mind & Media Chief Creative Officer Aldo Bello for an AI Justice Humanitarian Award for his work supporting immigrant rights. In particular, Aldo's work on the documentary DREAM: An Immigration Story, was cited in their announcement. Aldo will be presented with the award at the organization's Annual Dinner on March 15th, 2012, in Miami.
More Awards
November, 2011—Mind & Media's creative team has recently been honored with a number of peer-judged awards for communication excellence. Aldo Bello's documentary DREAM: An Immigration Story, received a Platinum Pixie for motion graphics. Our in-house video on Understanding Change Management received a Gold Pixie. Meanwhile, from the MarCom Awards, our DVD Resiliency for Life for the Kansas National Guard's Resliency Center garnered a Platinum, while our Health Benefits video for Department of Labor earned Gold, and our web-based training Understanding PTSD for National Center for PTSD received an Honorable Mention.
Heroines in Technology Awards
October 2011—Mind & Media is working pro bono with the March of Dimes (MOD) to develop two videos: a 5-8 minute piece illustrating their mission, and a 15-minute film highlighting finalists in this year’s Heroines in Technology Awards. Both videos will be shown at the “Heroines in Technology” Awards Gala on October 21, of which Mind & Media is a sponsor. The Awards honor women and corporations in the technology field who exemplify volunteer service in the community.
Mind & Media CCO to Speak at Hispanic Heritage Month
October 2011—Mind & Media Chief Creative Officer and co-owner/founder Aldo Bello has been invited to speak to museum staff at the Holocaust Museum on October 11th in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. He will be presenting some segments of his documentary “DREAM: An Immigration Story” currently in production.
Training DVD on Psychological Resiliency Completed
September 2011—Mind & Media wrapped up post-production on our Resiliency training film for the Kansas National Guard’s Resiliency Center. This 53-minute film entwines a documentary narrative that teaches psychological resiliency concepts in a linear way, with a fictional storyline that illustrates the same concepts holistically. Interviews with subject matter experts, National Guard members, and family members are tied together with narration by an onscreen host, with the fictional vignettes interspersed. It’s a great example of how we use high-impact video to engage and educate end users. Watch the first ten minutes of the training DVD here: vimeo.com/24838120.
We’ve also completed two trailers for the film; one to market the DVD to Soldiers and Airmen, and the other targeted to leaders to urge them to encourage their subordinates to watch the film. Watch the trailer aimed at leadership here: vimeo.com/30454999.
Goodbye, Old Friend
September, 2011—Mind & Media said goodbye to Jack this month, our faithful friend and an office mascot for many years. The 12-year old Weimaraner died peacefully at home with Marilyn, Aldo, and Sammy the Dachshund around him. He’ll be missed!
New eLearning Developer at Mind & Media
September 2011—Mind & Media welcomes Thor Hoban to the team! Thor is a talented Flash animator/developer, graphic/motion graphics designer, and video editor with expertise in usability and interface design. He's a great addition to our multimedia team and is already teaching us ways to automate common tasks for efficiency.
Clear Communication in Engineering
August 2011—Over the next six months, Mind & Media will be teaming with Information International Associates (IIa) to help US Army Corps Engineer Research & Development Center implement the communication strategy we developed for them last year. We will provide ongoing, cutting-edge communication consulting and media tool development in areas such as:
- Crystallizing their brand
- Telling the central ERDC story
- Launching a new public website with excellent content
- Disseminating their central messages internally
- Training their staff in clear communication
- Developing clear, consistent communication tools and templates
White Papers on Maximizing Facebook and Twitter
July 2011—Our new media consultants have put together two brief white papers to help government organizations maximize their use of Facebook and Twitter. Filled with tips and examples, these papers discuss how to develop distinct "personalities" for each tool. Read them here (PDFs):
Mind & Media Is Now an 8E/EDWOSB Business
June 2011—Under a new program effective February 14, 2011, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) authorizes contracting officers to set aside certain Federal contracts for Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses (EDWOSBs). Mind & Media has recently filed with SBA as an EDWOSB, also known as an 8E business. As an EDWOSB, we are eligible to compete for both WOSB and EDWOSB set-asides. Government organizations seeking a qualified WOSB/EDWOSB for training and media development services may visit our Contracting page for more information on our business and GSA Schedule. Potential partners looking to add an EDWOSB to their team can find out more on our Partnering page.
Communicating with Distinction
May 2011—Mind & Media's work has been honored by the Communicator Awards with five Awards of Distinction:
- Social Media Category: DREAM: An Immigration Story
- Direct Marketing: CMS's Medicare Learning Network Interactive Guide
- Recruitment: USDA's ERS Recruitment Tool
- Environment: DOE EERE's Wind for Schools Video
- Corporate Image: DTRA Corporate Video
The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. Awards of Distinction are awarded to entries that meet or exceed industry standards of excellence. The awards are sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body of top-tier professionals.
More PTSD 101 Courses for Clinicians
April 2011—Working with our partner BNF, we are kicking off a new round of PTSD 101 Courses for the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD). These 508-compliant, online continuing education courses for clinicians include an interactive table of contents, images and photo animations, and interactive elements to engage the user. See a previous PTSD 101 course on NCPTSD’s website.
Using Social Media to Promote TBI Research & Awareness
March 2011—Mind & Media continues our work for Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM) this spring. Following on the recruiting strategy we provided last summer, we have been providing recommendations to enhance CNRM’s public-facing website and use social media tools (Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter) to engage audience members and drive traffic to the updated website.
Online PTSD Treatment Presentation for General Audiences
February 2011—Mind & Media is continuing our work with the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) to educate the public about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “Understanding PTSD Treatment” is a 508-compliant course that combines attractive design, video clips, and interactive elements for today’s techno-savvy individuals. The course, designed for Veterans and their caregivers, offers information on treatments that work, how to choose a therapist, and what questions to ask. See the course on NCPTSD’s website.
Exceeding Client Expectation/Client Praise
January 2011 – Mind & Media’s video production team was recognized for providing outstanding customer service by the Director of the Forum on Global Violence Prevention, Institute of Medicine. This event was held at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, DC on January 27-28th, one day after a massive snowstorm created a logistical nightmare for panelists, speakers and attendees. Mind & Media’s focus was our technical expertise but in response to the numerous weather related difficulties that arose, scheduling and event production assistance was rendered in order to maintain a level of flexibility and responsiveness, and to ensure the workshop’s success.