My Latest Film/ Education Project - Generation Change Screening at Rider University

Ciao Amici, as many of you know I heavily involved in the arts and especially media and film.   I've partnered with Seven13Films and Rider University to present a special screening of the documentary Generation Change.  Our event is coming up on April 19th at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.  Learn more below: 

Seven13 Films and Rider University Present Youth Symposium with Trenton Mayoral Candidates Thursday, April 19, 6:30 p.m.  

Alicia Nieves of CBS 3’s Eyewitness News to Moderate Youth Symposium at Rider University After Special Screening of Documentary ‘Generation Change’

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ, – April 2, 2018 – Seven13 Films and Rider University will present a youth symposium with Trenton Mayoral candidates and moderated by Alicia Nieves of CBS 3’s Eyewitness News. Mayoral candidates in attendance will be Darren Green, Reed Gusciora, Annette Horton-Lartigue, Paul Perez and Walker Worthy Jr. The public event will take place on Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at Rider University. Attendees must register in advance through Eventbrite.com.

The symposium will feature today’s youth, who will ask the panel of mayoral candidate’s question on how they would improve the social challenges of Trenton. The youths selected to ask the questions will be from local schools and youth organizations. Each candidate will have limited time to answer each question.

Prior to the youth symposium, seven13 Films will be screening an episode of their docuseries Generation Change and the Rider University students will be screening their featurette Generation Change: It Starts with Us.

“It is amazing to see the film we have created has brought together the world of politics and education all one in place. “says Lee Kolinsky, co-owner of seven13 Films. “With CBS-3 and Alicia Nieves participating in the event, it’s the right step for great things to come.”

Directed and produced by Joseph A. Halsey and written and produced by Kolinsky, the docuseries Generation Change was created with a mission to increase social awareness about issues affecting our local youth. The film features Good Morning America’s Adrienne Bankert and youths from the organization PEI Kids.

 “We created this episode of Generation Change to find out what Trenton youths would do in their community if they were mayor,” says Joseph A. Halsey, co-owner of seven13 Films. “Now, these kids will get a chance to ask the mayoral candidates what they would change if they were elected.” Halsey adds, “Our film was designed to inspire a conversation and promote positive change in the community.”

The event is being planned and produced by Rider University students in “COM341 Publicity Methods,” a course currently being taught by Adjunct Professor Kathy Magrino. Since January, Magrino’s class has been working closely with seven13 Films and media consultant Margaret Fontana of Margaret Fontana Media.

“Producing and promoting this event has provided a great ‘real-world’ learning experience for everyone involved,” Magrino says. “My students and I are very excited to be working with Joe and Margaret and the entire seven13 Films crew. We are so grateful to them for this opportunity and for all of their time and guidance!”

For more information about the event or to register to attend, go to the Eventbrite registration page online: http://bit.ly/RiderScreeningEvent. Or contact Kathy Magrino at kmagrino@rider.edu.

About Generation Change

Generation Change is a docuseries that interviews adjudicated and at-risk Trenton city youth focusing on how they would solve current problems in their community such as building positive relationships with law enforcement and local government. The film features Good Morning America’s Adrienne Bankert and the Official Anthem of Generation Change features singer/actor Badia Farha with recording artist Dominic Jones.  Generation Change anthem produced by Joseph A. Halsey and John Swanhart.

About seven13 Films

Seven13 films is dedicated to providing social messages that spark conversation through the art of filmmaking. With several years of experience in television and film, seven13 films offers comprehensive media strategies designed to drive education, awareness, community outreach and engagement on important public issues.

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Guest Speaking at Rider University on Digital Media and the Italian American Girl Site

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Italian American Girl Presentation at Rider University - Writing For the Media, Blogging

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Italian American Girl Goes To Rider University - All about Media & Writing

It's been almost 4 years since I launched the Italian American Girl site and since then amazing things have come from this labor of love.  I've been asked to participate in national commercials, been invited to celebrity events, asked to guest write for other amazing influential websites and most importantly guest speak at my Alma mater, Rider University.  Of all the events, this is one of my most favorite things to do.  To share what I know about something I love so much, which is producing, writing, social media and mainstream media.  Not to mention, I love my college and any opportunity to go back and actually teach, a serious dream come true.  I connected with Professor Kathy Magrino (a fellow Italian American Girl ) on social media one day when she posted an interactive question on Twitter for her class at Rider; it caught my attention and I wrote her back saying 'whatever I learned at Rider, has been applied to my real life career in so many ways..tell your students to pay attention..it will all matter once you get  a job in the work force...."  She immediately responded back and so we began an interactive engaged conversation on Twitter where then Kathy invited me to come speak about the Italian American Girl site and my experiences with my career.   The main focus of my talking points are to discuss the real elements that go into producing this site.  Writing is extremely important and you really have to be in the mood to write from experience and make it compelling enough so your readers don't get turned off.   What I think the students were most surprised about is that SPELLING AND GRAMMAR count.  When I went to college ( oh God I sound old) we were just getting savvy with Spell Check, now if you publish something with a mistake, it's really your own fault.. of which I have made plenty of those, but reading your work out loud will always help and re-reading is also important.

At Rider University

The biggest take away to writing is actually writing about what interests you, your passion.  My site, Italian American Girl is my passion, my goals are combined in the production of the entire site - video, writing, photos, social media these are the elements that help create the success of my site. 

Sometimes when you are caught up in your career, the daily grind, and deadlines you sometimes forget the joys of what make you tick and for me it's the success of this site- the media elements.  Being a guest speaker with such bright students who have such huge dreams recharges me and inspires me to want to do more with my own site and including my career. 


An amazing experience, and I always look forward to sharing my knowledge with such wonderful students and a great professor! Thank you Rider University! Tweet

Social Media & Being Italian American

I was invited to speak about social media and the Italian American Girl site at Rider University in New Jersey, which happens to be my alma mater. Being invited to speak at a university for a communications class about two of my favorite topics (social media & the Italian American Girl site) is a huge honor.

This all began on Twitter. I was on Twitter about a month ago and noticed a wonderful Tweet by a fellow Italian American @kathymagrino who was Tweeting about social media and interacting with her communications class through Twitter. This got my attention and I immediately sent Professor Magrino a Tweet back saying I was a Rider alumni and that her students should pay attention to everything she's teaching because everything I learned at Rider University paid off in every aspect during and presently in my career in communications. This began our online "conversation" and from here Professor Magrino discovered my site where I display my love for writing and communications.

Day of, I traveled back to Rider University here in New Jersey and met with Professor Magrino's communications class. Wow! What an experience.. first of all to be back on campus was sort of surreal and comforting at the same time. Everything looked smaller though.. lol --- It's funny when you're in college how everything seems magnified and larger.

I was so impressed with the technology and level of media knowledge the students had, to compare when I was in college where and when the Internet just came out.. ugh.. sign of my age. Before I went into the communications class I visited with one of my professors, who I have to say was totally surprised to see me. It was great catching up and this time I was sitting in his office telling him of all my career advancements and accomplishments and not begging him for an extension on a project. LOL...those were the days.

After my visit with my former professor; I went back to the class and began my presentation with the communications students. I started off with my introduction, but what I wanted the students to understand was that my connection to Rider and what I was about to present to them meant a lot to me. This is my real life. I went on to talk about the process of social media, communications, video production and content, where I could see many of the students were completely focused. At one point, I had one student take pictures and another do video using a FLIP video camera.

What became an important talking point was "passion." Without passion you're really never 100% into what you're doing, whether its career or in your personal life. Being back at Rider brought me back to why I chose the communications route and how much I really love my career.

I left the students with this element as my closing -- you have to be prepared, you have to love what you do and you have to have goals. Now, these might not work for everyone, but its proved to be top three elements, which I work on everyday and help me contribute to my success. This ties into my upbringing and how my Italian parents instilled many great values, which translate to my everyday life.

I can't thank Professor Magrino enough for her invitation to speak at Rider University and I was totally honored the students were so focused and engaged on this presentation about social media and the Italian American Girl site. I look forward to returning to Rider!

Grazie Kathy!

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