Candidate Q&A - 2015 Director of Publicity (remainder of current term)

[kjayers]

This thread is for questions and answers for the candidates for the 2015 Director of Publicity to be elected at a Special Election on March 14, 2015, to complete the current term.


Please remember the following when participating in the Q&A threads. The normal forum code of conduct applies, except:


There is a partial exemption to the rule that forum discussion cannot be about a person. You may incorporate personal comments, including praise or criticism, into your election questions and answers, and ensuing discussion, but only regarding candidates who are running for a position, or about another person if it is directly entangled with an issue germane to the outcome of the election. In so doing, you must still exercise standard courtesy, and refrain from profanity, disruption of the discussion, excessive vitriol, and irrelevant comments. Please keep in mind that there will be an opportunity for spoken comments at the elections meeting.

[Chryssaia]

I have dropped from the running for this, and have removed the body of my post here.

[AllyKat]

While I think that this is pretty much a "no-brainer" to most people given the support from staff within the Directorate for the singular candidate. I do think it's important to give the greater staff a better understanding of what makes Sierra such a great option for Director of Publicity.


I don't hold it against Sierra at all if she doesn't see/respond to this as her current transition probably makes it difficult to pin down the time to write an answer to a question this broad, so I hope none of you will either. It's really just for the benefit of us as staff understanding that the community works best when every area is working and happy.


Long Version Question:
Publicity, like many other departments, has had serious growing pains in recent years, and staff at the lower echelons, having their own vision for what Publicity means and does, have felt disconnected from the vision of the board or their Director, and there has been backlash. Knowing that your vision will not always be what the board wants, or what your staff would like, and knowing that the best way to create a cohesive community is to build a brand that doesn't fight OR force change, how do you and the Publicity Staff intend to encourage a future for your department that is cohesive: delegation? democratic concepts of publications and media? unquestioning adherence to Director rule? Baked Good Bribery?


Short Version Question:
History tends to repeat itself, what are you going to do to encourage the Publicity Community doesn't fracture?

[NeverlandFayrie]

While I may have a short time with the department, I have to agree that there have been serious growing pains within Publicity. Without putting blame on anyone, there has been two serious issues that I hope to change in the near future.

The first problem being a lack of staff in the department. As most departments have low staff until right before convention dates, this is a serious issue for Publicity because most of our work needs to be done throughout the entire year. The past year and a half I have worked very hard to accumulate more staff for the various sub departments to help make sure things can work how they are supposed to. I will continue to work towards getting a fully staffed department no matter what so that future years run smoothly.


The second issue the department has had is a lack of communication. With a small staff, there has been little need to have communication between sub-departments, and I want to make sure that Publicity as a whole is a well-oiled machine. Each sub-department needs to work together to make sure Publicity maintains a good working face for the convention. I plan on having documents made for each sub-departments to keep track of tasks, make sure whomever has a staff position in the future knows what needs to happen and when, and to show future management staff how things were done so they can grow and improve. I also want to make sure that Publicity communicates with other departments, as there are several times during the year and at con that projects intermingle between departments.


I will always listen to other people's suggestions and ideas because I know that I am always learning in a changing world. I know that there will be times I will say no, and give my reasoning, and times where I will have an idea shot down and see why. I want Publicity to be a driving force to propel Kumoricon into a bigger and brighter future and that requires building a strong foundation.


Baked goods are always a plus.

[Washougal_Otaku]

Question One - Over the past 5 or so years, I've heard of people not being allowed back into the Publicity department because they "didn't fit the mold."  Would you stand by this idea, or would you seek to find ways to broaden the "mold" so that more people can contribute to this department?

Question Two - I know that there has been discussions of doing some form of outreaching to high schools, colleges, and universities, but (to my knowledge) nothing much has taken off with that.  Do you foresee changing this in the near future, and if so, what methods would you implement?

[NeverlandFayrie]

Question One - Over the past 5 or so years, I've heard of people not being allowed back into the Publicity department because they "didn't fit the mold."  Would you stand by this idea, or would you seek to find ways to broaden the "mold" so that more people can contribute to this department?

For selecting staff for positions, I would like to make sure that each person is qualified for the requirements of the job. To do that there needs to be detailed job descriptions, which are currently in the works, so that each person knows exactly what will be required of them during the year. There should also be an interview process to hire Coordinators and Manager which will assist in making sure that the individuals will understand what is expected of them.
To make sure a department runs smoothly, there needs to be harmony with all staff. Obviously everyone who applies for a staff position has the same interest in the convention, but other key elements need to be present in personalities to make sure that everyone can work well together.  If someone didn't work in the department in previous years there is no reason to not apply again, as people and departments can change and improve from the past. There shouldnt be a 'mould' for a department as life is constantly changing, but certain standards should be upheld to help the convention improve.

Question Two - I know that there has been discussions of doing some form of outreaching to high schools, colleges, and universities, but (to my knowledge) nothing much has taken off with that.  Do you foresee changing this in the near future, and if so, what methods would you implement?

I absolutely agree that school and local community events should be included in the outreach calendar. There were two school events within the past few weeks, and hopefully more this year. We have been gaining contacts within the past two years and plan to continue making a presence in the local community and schools.