Simpson Students Organize Redding Idol Competition

For Immediate Release
March 18, 2008

REDDING, Calif. - Communication students in Dr. Dan Berger's public relations class at Simpson University have launched Redding Idol 2008, a vocal competition allowing undiscovered talent the opportunity to perform in front of hundreds of people at MarketFest 2008.

Six students in the class, including Tristan Newsome, Jasmine Brenneman, Allison Hines, Latoya Scott, Tawny LaBarbera, and Julie Heath were the driving force behind the event. The group of students, who have since given their PR firm an official name, Creative i Productions, organized the contest to fulfill an intern requirement for their class.

Julie Heath, co-president of Creative i Productions, said, "My experience in Dr. Berger's public relations class has been amazing. The class formed groups, and our goal was to approach a local business or organization and offer them free public relations services for the spring semester. The purpose behind this intern-like experience is to allow each of us the opportunity to gain hands-on experience that is essential in the PR field."

Dr. Berger said he believes the hands-on experience is invaluable. This is the first time a project like this has been required in the public relations class at Simpson.

"I've done projects like this at other universities, and oftentimes a student will land a job with the company they worked with after graduation," Dr. Berger said.

At the beginning of the spring semester, Creative i Productions approached Viva Downtown, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance growth within downtown Redding, to pitch the Redding Idol concept. With John Truitt, the executive director of Viva Downtown, on their side, Redding Idol started to become more than just an idea.

Redding Idol, which is open to anyone age 14 to 24, held its first set of auditions on March 15 in the Downtown Mall. The top 15 vocalists will be selected for the final event at the Old City Hall Arts Center from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 4. The top three finalists will have an opportunity to perform at MarketFest in the summer.

For complete details on Redding Idol, visit www.myspace.com/reddingidol. For further information, contact Julie Heath at (209) 617-6518 or Allison Hines at (530) 510-3608.

The event was sponsored by Viva Downtown and Nathan's Anthems Custom Tattoos & Piercings.

Simpson University, located at 2211 College View Drive in Redding, is a Christian university of liberal arts and professional studies offering undergraduate, graduate and teaching credential programs. Simpson's academic programs also include ASPIRE, a degree-completion program geared toward working adults in the north state. For more information about the university, or to arrange a personalized visit, call 1-888-9-SIMPSON or visit http://www.simpsonuniversity.edu/.

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Contact: Wendy Matthews
wmatthews@simpsonuniversity.edu
(530) 226-4126