Charles Smith is the chief photographer for JSU. On June 25, Charles Smith presented at Photoshelter’s first-ever full day of professional development for creatives. His presentation topic,�Storytelling in 2020: Higher Education, provided tips on how to engage students, prospective students, parents and alumni with compelling visual content.”I was a little nervous, but I knew the work put in over the last five years was substantial,” says Smith. “We were charged with covering everything from who we are, what we do, and how we serve our students first�and foremost.
Working for years as a photojournalist, prepared me for this moment, and enabled me to continue talking about our experiences as an Historically Black College University.”He continued, “What made us different from all the rest, is our unique dynamics in the educational framework in the nation. We are an HBCU. There are 5,300 colleges in the United States and we are one of 107 HBCUs.
My colleagues around the country are fascinated by who we are and what we do. We have a tendency to look over that about ourselves.”PhotoShelter is a visual media technology company that helps photographers and creative teams unlock the power of a moment. Their leading digital asset management platform for creative teams helps 1,200 top consumer and retail brands, travel and hospitality icons, professional sports teams and world-class universities easily organize, collaborate on and share their creative assets.”I think we must revel in that fact, and move forward to remain relevant in our changing global economy.
I learned that we can hold our own against anyone. I am proud�of us. We are good, we are humans, and we make mistakes, but we are resilient, and we overcome whatever obstacles we face.”The summit welcomed 35 speakers and more than 1,000 other creatives to celebrate the power of a moment.
These creative leaders from noteworthy organizations included: The Washington Post, Major League Baseball, the National Football League (NFL), the Los Angeles Zoo and many more. To learn more about the event,�click here.
