Rich Christiano to speak in R-TV series Oct. 13-14
Rich Christiano, one-half of the Christiano Film Group, is the second speaker in the Arkansas State University Radio-Television Professional-in-Residence series, Wednesday and Thursday, October 13-14. Rich, who with his twin brother Dave launched a successful theatrical Christian film career in the 1980s, will be on campus to speak with students and faculty in the Radio-Television Department. Their movie production career began in 1977, when the brothers left their hometown of Waterloo, N.Y., and drove to Hollywood, Calif., with hopes of seeing Rich’s high school script, “The Valedictorian,” produced into a film. Dave and Rich then moved to Jonesboro in the fall of 1981 and enrolled in the Mass Communications Masters program at Arkansas State University. Their plan was to study for a teaching job and pursue filmmaking on the side. In the summer of 1985, Dave wrote, produced and directed his first film called “The Daylight Zone,” a Christian version of the old television series, “The Twilight Zone.”  Rich co-financed the project. Filmed in south Texas, the movie was shot on 16mm film and released by Christiano Brothers Films in the spring of 1986. In 1998, Rich again teamed with David White for a 54-minute end-times drama called “End of the Harvest.” He wrote, produced and directed the film which premiered in early December in Jonesboro. In October 2001, Rich wrote and directed “Time Changer,” his first feature length movie. Rich's latest film, “The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry,” with Gavin MacLeod in the lead role, was released in theaters on September 18, 2009. It has played in over 250 theaters nationwide and is currently still in release. Dave co-wrote the screenplay with Rich on this project. For details, contact Dr. Mary Jackson Pitts, chair, Radio-Television, at ext. 3070, or see the NewsPage release.

Regional conference to be held Oct. 14-15
ASU’s Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services and United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development are jointly supporting a two-day regional conference, Thursday and Friday, October 14-15 at Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville. The conference is designed to support and grow small businesses in the northeast and north-central regions of the state. The conference, "2010 Northeast Arkansas Business, Education and Creative Economy Conference: Sharpening Your Competitive Edge," will bring together more than 20 private sector, state, federal and nonprofit organizations with the singular mission of equipping small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and resources needed to start or expand their businesses. Topics will include but not be limited to building effective partnerships, understanding the keys to marketing and sales, understanding Arkansas's business climate, unlocking the purchasing process and exploring the creative economy. Day one will begin at 3:30 p.m. and is comprised of a half-day of presentations focusing on the creative economy. Day one will be centered on the presentation of key findings from a series of studies supported by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Day two will focus on the nuts and bolts of the small business development process and will formally begin at 8 a.m. with a breakfast roundtable featuring bankers and small business lenders. All aspects of the conference are free, but registration is encouraged. Register online (http://asbtdc.ualr.edu/rural/) or call ext. 3517. E-mail ASU's Small Business and Technology Development Center.

Department of Political Science hosts model UN Oct. 15-16
ASU will host the Fall 2010 High School Conference for the Model United Nations Friday-Saturday, Oct. 15-16, in the Delta Center for Economic Education. Registration takes place at 1-1:45 p.m. Friday, and the closing ceremony takes place at 3-4 p.m. on Saturday. For details, call Dr. Charles Hartwig, Political Science, at ext. 3690.

Blue Monday-Paragould presents William Lee Ellis Oct. 18
KASU presents William Lee Ellis at the next Blue Monday-Paragould on October 18th from 7-9 p.m. at the Red Goose Deli, 117 N. Pruett Street, downtown Paragould. The concert is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Acclaimed Americana/blues guitarist William Lee Ellis was raised in the deep roots of American music. Named after his godfather, legendary bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, Ellis grew up in a musical family – his father, respected banjo composer Tony Ellis, was one of Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Growing up in the Kingsport-Bristol-Johnson City cradle of country music, Tennessee native William Lee was immersed in roots music heaven at an early age – some of his earliest memories include trips with his father to visit old-time music master Tommy Jarrell, and being bounced on his godfather’s knee. In college, Ellis took his musical studies in a new direction, spending the better part of a decade playing classical guitar and earning a master’s degree in classical performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. While there, Ellis chanced upon a musician who would change his life: Piedmont blues giant Reverend Gary Davis. Ellis’ recordings have been hailed by the international press from Billboard to the London Times: his five albums include 2000’s The Full Catastrophe; and 2003’s Conqueroo, picked as one of the year’s best records by Acoustic Guitar magazine.  Most recently, he recorded God’s Tattoos with acclaimed producer Jim Dickinson. Ellis resides these days in Memphis, and recently ended a nine-year stint as the pop music critic for the city’s daily, The Commercial Appeal, in order to focus on his music career while working towards a PhD in ethnomusicology at the University of Memphis. Listen to William Lee Ellis's "Northern Lights" and other performances on YouTube. For details, contact KASU’s development director Todd Rutledge, ext. 2807, or see the NewsPage release.

ASU Opera Theatre offers solo singers for sale Oct. 21-22
The Department of Music will present the ASU Opera Theatre in a production, “Singers in Solo for Sale!” There will be two performances, which will take place on Thursday-Friday, Oct. 21^-Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Riceland Hall, Fowler Center. The ASU Opera Theatre is under the direction of Dr. Marika Kyriakos. As the title suggests, all singers will be featured in solos, performing operatic arias of various sorts. Immediately following each number, auctioneer Paul Teague will “sell” the singers to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go toward the spring production, “The Sorcerer,” by Gilbert and Sullivan. Tickets for the event will be $8 for adults if purchased in advance, $10 at the door, and $5 for students and children. The ASU Opera Theatre will also perform a free preview for the Treble Clef Music Club on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.^, in the Round Room of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library. The public is welcome. For details, contact the music office at ext. 2094, or see the NewsPage release.   

Center for Regional Programs changes name
ASU’s Center for Regional Programs has changed its name to Continuing Education and Community Outreach (CECO) to better reflect the department’s mission. The program works closely with ASU’s colleges and Arkansas communities to respond to the needs of the region and state. The Continuing Education and Community Outreach program provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue or enhance their education through professional development training, a wide array of community education classes, and high school concurrent enrollment courses which provide an opportunity for eligible high school students to earn college credit. For details, contact Dr. Michael Bowman, interim dean, Continuing Education and Community Outreach, at ext. 2532, or see the NewsPage release.

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