Natasha Long receiving the 2012 Distinguished Advising Award from Dean James Coleman.

Natasha Long, the School’s Coordinator of Advising, wasn’t satisfied with ushering 1,300 students through a complicated advising system.

So in 2010, with faculty support, Long challenged the system and took the lead on an organizational makeover, transforming the assorted components into a dynamic student-centric advising system.

This undertaking of a major advising system overhaul is a direct reflection of the high-end quality work Long applies to her job on a daily basis. So when it comes to the student experience at the School of Mass Communications, the sky’s the limit, making it no surprise to those who know Long that she was named the 2012 recipient of the College of Humanities and Sciences Distinguished Advising Award.

“Natasha’s embracing of diversity, technology and innovation, her student-centric two-way communication style, as well as her creative and strategic planning and implementation of advising techniques, have made tremendous contributions to the student experience and success with the School, the College and the University,” said Dr. Yan Jin, the School’s interim director.

Long was first nominated by the School for the College’s prestigious Distinguished Advising Award. The School nomination was then submitted to the College for review, along with nominations from other schools and departments.

“The School is very proud of Natasha’s excellent advising service and its impact on student engagement and success,” said Jin. “She has inspired many people and touched many hearts that are eager to learn and explore the path to success and fulfillment.”

For Long, winning the College’s Distinguished Advising Award was more than an honor, but also a sign that she is moving in the right direction.

“I felt so honored and humbled when I found out that the School nominated me,” said Long.

“It rejuvenates you. Advising can be very in the moment, and you don’t always see your results until after the students have left. It gave me that spark, that I’m on the right path, so I can continue to come up with new creative ideas to solve our students’ problems and have the best student services for them.”

Her caring personality has moved her role as advising coordinator beyond the traditional job duties of processing class overrides and graduation applications to also providing students with encouragement and a listening ear for all who need it.

“With Natasha, you’re able to build a relationship that’s really helpful,” said Allen White, senior creative advertising student. “A lot of what I got out of advising was encouragement from Natasha. If you’re having a hard time with class or even something personal, she’s willing to talk with you about it, which is something that you don’t always find in people.”

Although Long started working at the School in 2007, her career as a student adviser began in 2003 as VCU’s Student-Athlete Academic Adviser after earning her Master of Education in Counselor Education.

“Advising is so encompassing,” said Long. “It’s more than advising [about classes]. You give the students philosophical and life advice. I’m like their one-on-one life teacher, and that’s the fun part of my job.”

Chad Woods, creative advertising senior and former peer adviser for the School, couldn’t agree more that Long should be awarded the College’s Distinguished Advising Award.

“Natasha has a willingness to always go that extra mile for students,” said Woods. “Her vested interest, her caring personality and her knowledge of all the Mass Comm sequences all make her the best adviser.”

Accreditation is granted after an extensive internal and external review based on nine standards that include administration, diversity and student services. According to the ACEJMC website, “To accredit is to assure basic standards of excellence,” with only about one in four mass communications program earning accreditation.

In its report, the site-visit team praised the school’s faculty, staff and students, as well as the education provided at VCU.

“Students were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the faculty members and their professional experience that they bring into the classroom,” the report said.

Dr. Yan Jin, interim director of the School, said, “Reaccreditation confirms what our students, alumni and the media community have known for many years: That VCU has an excellent program in advertising, journalism and public relations education.”

The site team said the School’s faculty members keep “current in trends and issues in the media and professions that they bring into their classrooms.”  In terms of scholarship, the team described the faculty group as “productive, and in some cases truly exceptional, and make meaningful contributions to the study of mass communication.”

The School’s faculty and staff members were applauded by the site visit team as “dedicated and hard-working and committed to making students and the program ever better.” Faculty members in the School are “very visible in the academic and professional communities of their specialties.”

The accreditation process occurs every six years and involves four steps: 1) a self-study conducted by faculty, staff and students; 2) a site visit of educators and professors; 3) a recommendation by the national accrediting committee; and 4) a final vote by the national Accrediting Council. Faculty and staff members conducted the self-study during the 2010-2011 academic year. The AEJMC site visit occurred in October, 2011.

The team concluded that VCU Mass Comm “delivers a quality professional education — and a quality broad, general education — to its undergraduates,” and has “a forward-looking and hopeful attitude toward the future.”

Dr. Jin said earning reaccrediation gives the School’s faculty and staff confidence about their mission.

“It is our tradition and collective vision to provide a real-world education that prepares students to go to work on the first day after graduation and continue to excel,” Jin said.

Accreditation site teams include distinguished mass communication academics, administrators and professionals. ACEJMC currently accredits 109 journalism and mass communications programs in the U.S. and one in Chile.

Samra Khawaja

Samra Khawaja, a junior in the VCU School of Mass Communications, has been selected as one of 12 college students nationwide to help cover the presidential campaign for The Washington Post.

Her first contribution appeared May 4 on the newspaper’s online “Election 2012” political blog. In the story, which also includes video interviews, Khawaja asks students to compare the level of enthusiasm for the Obama 2012 campaign to his 2008 run for president.

“Samra Khawaja is an outstanding example of what our journalism students are capable of doing with the training they receive in the School of Mass Communications,” said Marcus Mesner, Ph.D., assistant professor. “Samra pitched her story to the editors of the Washington Post on Thursday afternoon and went right to work. Her story and video were published less than 24 hours later by one of the leading news organizations in the U.S.”

Khawaja, who is from Leesburg, was a student in Messner’s social media journalism class this semester. She said the experience sharpened her journalism skills and helped her to quickly complete her first story for the newspaper.

“I can certainly say through this class I have gained practical knowledge that I have been able to put to work. Just 12 hours after the end of my last class, I’m using what I learned in a practical way,” said Khawaja. “This class helps us to become top candidates when we are looking for internships and jobs.”

Khawaja, who is majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in political science and Spanish, ultimately hopes to become a reporter for CNN after she graduates next year. Messner said her VCU education and experience will boost her career prospects.

“She has mastered mobile reporting skills. She is now capable of doing on-the-spot, high quality reporting with mobile technology anytime and anywhere,” Messner said. “It’s those skills that are now in high demand and that make her an attractive student reporter for news organizations like the Washington Post.”

To see the entire story and video, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/ahead-of-campaign-kick-off-vcu-students-say-obama-needs-to-wake-up-virginians/2012/05/04/gIQA9ryW1T_blog.html.

The Ukrainian visitors toured Capitol Square in Richmond.

By Claire Porter
Capital News Service

It’s about 5,000 miles from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev to the Virginia capital of Richmond. But the distance between the two cultures was bridged recently when the School of Mass Communications helped host a delegation of emerging civic leaders from Ukraine.

The visit was part of the Open World Leadership Program, which is operated by the Library of Congress and is administered by a nonprofit organization called the FHI 360 Center for Global Connections. The VCU Global Education Office, the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, and the School of Mass Communications teamed up to host the visiting delegation.

During their week of activities, the five Ukrainian public officials learned about local and state government in Richmond – and about the history and culture of Virginia and the United States.

“The most important thing I learned in America is the way the democracy works in action. To quote Winston Churchill, ‘Democracy is not perfect, but no one has invented anything better yet,’ ” said Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Lukashov, a member of the City Council in Kharkiv, on the Russian border in far eastern Ukraine.

The delegation also met with Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones (center).

“We’re very happy that we have met so many very interesting people, and we are happy that we at least had a chance to open, a little bit, the door to the Ukraine. When I took off for this trip, I could have never imagined I’d meet such loving people. I feel lucky that I discovered my America the way I have.”

The Open World Program is the only citizen diplomacy program funded by the legislative branch of the U.S. government.

Every year, the program brings young leaders from Russia and other Eurasian countries, such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, to the United States to learn about U.S. values and democratic institutions.

The officials have a short orientation in Washington, D.C., and then head to other U.S. cities for a week of educational and cultural activities. During their visit, the delegates stay with host families.

In February 2011, VCU hosted a delegation from Russia. This year, the public officials were from across Ukraine. Besides Lukashov, they included:

• Vasyl Vasylovych Horon, a member of the City Council in Lviv, in western Ukraine.
• Ivan Yaroslavovych Hrynda, also a deputy on the Lviv City Council.
• Nataliya Serhiyivna Osikovska, a member of the City Council in Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine.
• Hanna Viktorivna Starostenko, a deputy on the City Council in Kiev, in central Ukraine.

The group was accompanied by Natalya Uchen, a Ukrainian who works with Open World Leadership Program as a facilitator and interpreter.

During their stay in Richmond, the Ukrainian leaders attended seminars led by VCU faculty members; met with officials at Richmond City Hall, in Henrico County government and at the Virginia Capitol; and toured Colonial Williamsburg, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and other sites.

The most interesting meeting was with Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, Starostenko said. She said she discovered a spirit of cooperation in Richmond between the City Council and mayor.

“In Kiev, we have some difficulties between the mayor and the majority in the City Council,” she said.

Starostenko also met Virgil Hazelett, who has been the Henrico County manager for the past 20 years. Hazelett imparted advice on managing during an economic crisis, saving jobs and keeping taxes low.

Starostenko said the most important thing she will bring back to Ukraine is the transparency of power that she witnessed on all levels in the United States. She found federal, state and local institutions to be open with people.

Starostenko was surprised at the role that non-governmental organizations, such as nonprofit groups, play in civic life in Virginia. They work in cooperation – and sometimes in “healthy competition” – with the state government, she said.

It’s different in Ukraine, Starostenko said. She said the Ukrainian government is paternalistic state and does not delegate responsibility to NGOs.

Lukashov, who advises the Kharkiv mayor on strategic development, said he enjoyed seeing how government works in Richmond.

“It’s allowed me to understand the mentality of the Americans,” Lukashov said.

“For the United States, democracy is not only an idea but a way of thinking and a way of managing the city. If you want an American to do something, you don’t push him to do it – you motivate him to do it.”

Lukashov said Richmond and Kharkiv share some similarities: Both contain a major university that is spread throughout the city and shapes local culture.

Ukraine is emerging as an independent country after decades as part of the Soviet Union. The Open World program gives Ukrainian officials ideas on how to build the future, Lukashov said.

“Ukraine is in the process of economic development, economic renaissance, and in the city we have now begun the process of creating all new infrastructure,” he said. “I have gained much new examples and experience from the U.S.”

Christina Dick, Community Manager at The Martin Agency and 2010 VCU Mass Communications alum (concentration in strategic advertising), does the social reporting for GEICO, taking trips with the gecko to gather content for the client’s Facebook page.

“A big part of my job is Facebook,” said Dick. “I love it. It’s a really exciting, new, fun job to do.”

Dick’s job is to take big TV, radio and print campaigns and supplement them through social media. Keeping the fans in mind first, she begins developing the social media campaigns by digging into Facebook and Twitter to see what the fans are talking about.

“I think about what the fans want to see,” said Dick. “I look to see what’s getting the most comments on Facebook and Twitter and measure what the buzz is all around.”

Serving as the community outreach chair for Richmond Ad Club and being an active member of both Helping Young Professionals Engage (HYPE) and Richmond Social Media Club, it’s no surprise that Dick’s story all began as a mass communications advertising student honing in on her networking opportunities.

Working as the director of advertising sales at The Commonwealth Times (CT), VCU’s student newspaper, Dick learned quickly this role was the perfect opportunity to meet people in the business community. With the help of a friend, who was studying communications design, Dick had her own business cards made and went around to local organizations introducing herself and began building relationships on behalf of the student paper.

“I tried to do as much outside of school as I could,” said Dick. “There are so many organizations to join. They’re professional connections, but they’re also a great way to meet new friends.”

Her involvement, however, surpasses simply joining these organizations. Her charismatic personality and enthusiasm for her work has led her to take on various roles outside her job, including serving on Bravo!, the junior board for Richmond Centerstage, where she is helping to plan a bachelor/bachelorette fundraising auction called “Single in the City,” as well as taking the lead role in launching the very first mentorship program at the Richmond Ad Club.

According to Allison Williams, Copywriting Chair at the Richmond Ad Club, the Mentorship Program is an initiative aimed to nurture the careers of advertising students and young professionals in the Richmond area.

“The Mentorship Program was really Christina’s idea,” said Williams. “She proposed the idea to the board and essentially built the program from scratch.”

Dick creating such a robust mentorship program from the ground up comes at no surprise to Williams.

“Christina has an energy that’s undeniable,” said Williams. “She’s spunky, excited and enthusiastic about all that she does. And she does a lot!”

When asked if Dick could offer any advice to current students in the VCU School of Mass Communications, her response was for students to simply get involved.

“Do as much outside of school as you can,” said Dick. “There is a ton of stuff out there and people get excited about students because they’re the most enthusiastic because they’re young and eager, and people respond well to that.”

Scan here to view the "Horrors Behind Horse Racing" commercial produced by Patrick Merritt and Kimberly Ronan

By the time final exams arrive most students are searching deep inside for that extra spark of energy to propel them forward to the end of the semester. However, for several students in Professor Bridget Camden’s advertising courses, they didn’t have to look any further than their inboxes to find that extra encouragement needed to push them through their final projects.

This year’s One Show Student Competition, the premiere international advertising award show in America, and one of the top three award shows globally, recently announced that VCU Mass Communications’ advertising students had won seven awards in a variety of categories, including print media, logo design, viral interactive media, non-traditional advertising and television.

“There’s an intensity to the student projects because of the competition,” said Camden. “It’s really exciting and a privilege to see what the students are able to create.”

All seven of the student awards (12 students in all) will appear in the December 2012 publication of the One Show Annual, a large book that lists each winner’s name along with their winning campaign, and is sold at major bookstores nationwide.

“The students will always be in this book,” said Camden. “No one can take that away from them. The One Show is a who’s who of the advertising world, and people’s careers have been made because of their work that was published in this book.”

The award-winning Mass Communications’ advertising students, all led under the creative direction of Professor Camden, were one of 41 undergraduate, graduate and portfolio schools to win, including one team who won the coveted One Show Pencil (one of the top three awards available). Out of 3,000 entries worldwide, the School’s seven finalists were among the top five percent awarded by the One Show.

“Bridget’s incredible,” said Patrick Merritt, winner of the Pencil and senior creative advertising student. “ I’ve had her for three semesters, and I knew from the first second that I had my class with the right teacher. She cares about the students and the major, and she drives us to make sure we’re putting in 100 percent.”

Merritt and his partner, senior creative advertising student Kimberly Ronan, earned their Pencil for a television commercial produced for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Their concept all began in January at the VCU library where Merritt and Ronan would meet to brainstorm names and images of horses that would illustrate the unethical treatment of racing horses.

“The commercial is called ‘The Horrors Behind Horse Racing’,” said Ronan. “After we thought of our ideas for the campaign, we made a script and just kept going. It took us forever to get the names and the script just right, but wining the Pencil makes all the re-editing and meetings worth it.”

The One Show is not only the most competitive of the advertising awards worldwide, but it is also peer reviewed by the leaders in the advertising industry.

“I saw the name of our print campaign for PETA listed under VCU School of Mass Communications on the One Club’s awards list, and I was ecstatic,” said Austin Campbell-Cohen, merit winner of the One Show Student Competition and senior creative advertising student.  I just stared at my computer for a minute in shock and then called my partner, Mike Kennedy, to give him the good news.”

Campbell-Cohen and Kennedy’s original idea for their print advertising campaign for PETA came to them when they least expected it.

“The initial thought came to me when I was either sleeping or half asleep because when you’re working that hard, ideas just start to invade you in your sleep,” said Campbell-Cohen. “My first thought was what do the Florida Marlins and Miami Dolphins have in common? My reaction was that by 2048, they’ll have to get new mascots, and what’s Miami without the Dolphins?”

Each year, the international competition has continued to grow, with this year’s winning work coming from ten different countries, including Sweden, Canada, Republic of Korea, Italy, United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France and the United States. However, competition continues to remain strong within the U.S. attracting entries from many of the top graduate schools in advertising and the top communications programs throughout the country.

“With 3,000 entries from around the world, it’s pretty amazing that we won one of only 23 Pencils awarded world wide,” said Merritt. “I’ve never won an award this prestigious before.”

The depth and breadth of the Mass Communications’ students’ awards from the One Show is a testament to the quality of the School’s advertising program and a direct reflection of the students’ abilities to adapt and keep up with the endless changing landscape of advertising communications.

“Advertising is a really difficult and competitive filed, and the School of Mass Communications did an incredible job this year,” said Merritt. “It’s a great class, program and teacher. I’m really proud of Kim and I for earning this achievement.”

Previously, Mass Communications’ advertising students’ work has appeared in the prestigious One Show Annual publication a total of seven times since 2006.

Nigel Brooks, Assistant Account Executive at BBDO and VCU Mass Communications advertising alum, referred to the organization’s theme of “The work, the work, the work,” noting that BBDO is more than a place of work, but also a place where he loves to be.

“I can honestly say some days I went in to work at 8 a.m. and left at 11 p.m., and it didn’t feel like it was a 15-hour work day, because I love what I do,” said Brooks.

Raised in Hampton Roads, Va., Brooks came to VCU and studied strategic advertising. It was during his academic career that he first discovered the “Most Awarded Agency Network in the World.”

“It is inevitable to take advertising courses and not hear of BBDO. You hear about companies such as BBDO and think about how you want to work there after graduation,” said Brooks. “It’s like a Pee Wee league football player saying he wants to go to the NFL, and then they actually make it to the NFL.”

With the encouragement of advertising Professor Scott Sherman, Brooks decided to apply for the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) prior to graduation in 2010. Brooks made a promise to himself that if he were selected for the prestigious program, he would pay it forward by giving back not only to his alma mater but also to organizations that support industry diversity and inclusion efforts.

In Fall 2010, Brooks came back to VCU to fulfill one of his promises by speaking to both Professor Will Sims’ and Professor Sherman’s MASC 201 Curiousness advertising class to share his experience with MAIP and encourage students to apply.

Ashlee Judon, a junior majoring in strategic advertising was one of the students who Brooks spoke with that day and encouraged to apply to MAIP.

“If it weren’t for Nigel, I honestly would have never applied to MAIP,” said Judon. “When I saw the resumes of the other candidates, I was slightly intimidated, yet I just remembered what he said to us that day in class, ‘You have to be hungry, and you must go hard.’ ‘Those words have been an immediate source of motivation for everything in my life since then, and I’m so grateful that we met and have had the opportunity to be friends, industry associates and fellow MAIPers.”

Even with 15-hour work days and the commitments of serving as a Co-Chair on the board for the Mosaic Alumni and Friends Association (MAFA), a network of advertising and communications professionals, Brooks also dedicates every Saturday to volunteer his time at the Blue Nile Passage, Inc., a non-profit character development and mentoring program for African-American youths.

“Since knowing Nigel, I have seen him conduct himself with the utmost amount of integrity,” said Ephraim Jackson, Assistant Program Director at the Blue Nile Passage, Inc., “He is an excellent mentor because he has a strong sense of professional direction that allows him to navigate through the corporate culture.”

Reminiscing on his days as a VCU student nearing graduation, Brooks was determined to make a name for himself in the advertising community, and he is now on his way to making his dream a reality.

VCU Mass Comm graduates Joey Anderson (l) and his brother Jeff started their business in 2010. They collect leftover cooking grease and transform it into biodiesel to operate their taxis. Picture courtesy of Jeff Anderson.

It’s a transportation service that’s taking a new approach in contributing to a green Richmond.

Founded by VCU alum Joey Anderson, and his brother Jeff Anderson, bioRide started out as a taxi service in 2010. By using leftover cooking grease from restaurants and processing it into biodiesel, the Anderson brothers envisioned revamping customer service in transportation.

“bioRide is a blend between a taxi as well as a higher service, like an on-demand limo,” said co-founder and VCU advertising alum Joey Anderson. “We like to see ourselves in the middle.”

bioRide has eight cars that are part of their fleet, but these eight cars are not the ordinary cab rides. bioRide includes three different Mercedes Benz models and their newest addition, a 2012 Volkswagen Passat.

“There are few diesel cars in America that we could pick from,” Anderson said. “We use biodiesel, so we have to have that diesel engine.”

Coinciding with the company’s style of traveling luxuriously, bioRide offers amenities similar to concierge services. Among these are free Wi-Fi, complimentary beverages, SiriusXM Radio and access to Apple products.

“We want to be the go-to transportation,” Anderson said.

Even after Joey graduated from VCU, the Anderson brothers continue to stay involved with the School of Mass Communications. This semester, they are serving as a client group for MASC 481 Completeness, an advertising capstone class.

According to Anderson, the class is not only helping bioRide by producing actual ad campaigns, but it’s also helpful to see what type of creative ideas the students can come up with in supporting the brand and spreading awareness.

“Our problem is no one knows about us,” Anderson said.

Erica Andersen, a senior creative advertising major, not only had class with Anderson before he graduated, but also is now in the advertising campaign class that is pitching ideas to bioRide.

“It’s also neat that he can come back to VCU, and we’re a resource for him,” Andersen said.

Within their groups, students are given a $10,000 proposed budget to develop a campaign for the brand. The groups serve as mini ad agencies, with each group member playing a role in presenting the final idea to the client.

“This is the first time we really get to work with a client this closely,” Andersen said.

Not only is bioRide helping current students at VCU, but they are also employing VCU alumni. Currently they have 23 employees, with six being VCU alumni. An additional five employees will graduate this year.

“Just knowing we’re giving jobs with an awesome purpose is a ‘wow’ moment I wake up to,” Anderson said.

Ian Newell graduated from VCU in 2009 and has been working with bioRide for about five months. Although he studied philosophy and religious studies, Newell began his career by owning a food cart that runs on a diesel generator. Since both Newell and the Anderson brothers were working with diesel, they partnered up to work together.

“I love waking up and making biodiesel because it’s so neat to take a waste product and make something that can run in cars,” Newell said.

Since bioRide’s establishment, the service has given back to the Richmond community by supporting non-profit organizations. For the Anderson brothers, the next step in bioRide is making the business grow and expand.

“When you think transportation, we want you to think bioRide,” Anderson said.

Photo by Robin Ashworth

The School of Mass Communications has inducted 14 outstanding communicators into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. More than 200 guests celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame on April 12 at the John Marshall Hotel in Richmond.

Please read a story on the ceremony and view a slideshow as well as video interviews with the inductees on the website of CBS 6. The multimedia package was produced by students of the School of Mass Communications.

By Samra Khawaja and Manhatten Royal

The founder and CEO of the rapidly growing microblogging platform was full of praise for Richmond’s tech community and the employees he has hired from VCU and the School of Mass Communications.

“We’ve had so much luck finding those talented people to kind of match all those criteria across the board here,” Karp said. “We’re so grateful to set up a hub here.” Located close to the VCU campus, many students who have graduated from here now work for the company.

“I feel very honored to have been a VCU alumna and now to be working for Tumblr. It’s great to show up to this event to see so many people support what we’re doing,” said Tumblr employee Kristin Vamenta. Other former VCU students working for Tumblr also include Renee Perron, Catherine Leth and Tess Shebaylo

“We are trying to hire a real diversity of people,” said Karp. The diverse talent Richmond offers helps Tumblr to manage the community support for its international expansion and to serve international users who speak different languages.

While Tumblr’s headquarters are located in New York, the community support service is located in the Old Manchester District, just south of downtown Richmond. Currently, the Richmond office has 30 employees, many of which came to the event at VCU on Tuesday to hear their 25-year-old boss lay out the vision for the company.

“Today we have about a dozen languages we offer native language support for. Right now all of that served from Richmond,” Karp said. “You e-mail Tumblr in Japanese asking for help with a bookmarklet, you get a response usually within minutes in Japanese from a native Japanese in Richmond, Virginia.”

Karp’s Tumblr team was also initially mainly comprised of young employees, but Karp said that as the company got bigger, it balanced its staff out in order to create a more diverse team.

“We wanted to round out the background experience of people on our team, so that we get more people who’ve seen more things to help us through all the stuff I haven’t seen yet or the other Tumblr’s haven’t seen yet,” Karp said.

Chris Mohney, editor-in- chief at Tumblr, said events like the Turpin Lecture give Karp a chance to interact with Tumblr enthusiasts. Since many of the Tumblr users are young people, this type of interaction is most valuable to Karp.  The Turpin Lecture is held to honor former VCU professor Bill Turpin. This year, VCU Professor Marcus Messner and Marc LaFountain, who heads Tumblr’s Richmond office, invited Karp to fly down from New York. 200 students, faculty and media professionals came to listen to Karp.

“Most people anticipate his Q&A and I think he does too, because there’s certainly value in giving this long perspective on the company,” Mohney said. Karp’s personable attitude got the crowd’s attention throughout the event and as he wrapped up the evening, he said his favorite feature on Tumblr was having the ability to look at things from another person’s eyes.

For Karp, the creative end of Tumblr feeds him energy and excitement to build his “technology hub,” but when the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills threatened the expressive website earlier this year, Karp saw the website getting a lot of attention.

“A lot of people were making great awareness of SOPA and PIPA,” said Karp. “We did the best we could and I think our efforts were novel and inspired some other people to take more novel approaches.”

It was Karp’s novel idea to build Tumblr that led him to become a nominee for TIME magazine’s Most Influential People. Yet Karp doesn’t believe he deserves to be on that list.

“There are a lot of stupid lucky things that got me from one step to another,” Karp said. At the same time, Karp admits that he has had great mentors to guide him through his success and is privileged to be doing what he is doing.

“Getting to build things that hundreds of millions of people are using is incredible and is something that we do not take for granted,” Karp said.

Please also read the following stories on the event with Tumblr Founder David Karp:

“Tumblr founder builds expansion on Richmond’s diverse tech talents” (CBS 6, with photo slideshow and video interviews)

“Tumblr founder is committed to Richmond office” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

“From High School Dropout to Entrepreneur” (VCU News)

“Tumblr founder visits VCU for Mass Comm. month” (Commonwealth Times)

An earlier version of this story was published by the authors on WTVR.com. Samra Khawaja and Manhatten Royal are journalism students at the School of Mass Communications.

Please also view the following Storify, produced by Adjunct Professor Robert Holland:

[View the story "Tumblr Founder David Karp Speaks to VCU Students" on Storify]