News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jennifer L. Kramer, APR
Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications
College of Communication and Information
Kent State University
131 Moulton Hall
P.O. Box 5190
Kent, OH 44242
P 330-672-1960
C 330-714-8302
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Kent State to host Wild Cherry rocker as keynote speaker at annual Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop
Kent, OH – Sept. 6, 2013 – The School of Journalism and Mass Communication will host entertainment lawyer, professor and former performer and songwriter of the funk-rock band Wild Cherry, Mark Avsec, as the keynote speaker at this year’s Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop, “That’s Entertainment?,” on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Avsec is an entertainment lawyer with the Benesch firm in Cleveland. He focuses his practice on consumer products, entertainment and e-business matters, including the provision of strategic counseling, contract preparation and other legal support for various consumer products, music and entertainment, Internet, media, marketing and technology companies.
Avsec has considerable expertise in negotiating agreements that involve music-related intellectual property.A significant portion of his practice is also devoted to non-musical matters, including trademark, trade dress and copyright prosecution and litigation and all types of intellectual property licensing and agreements. He has particular expertise in combating international piracy for consumer products companies and regularly counsels media clients on the doctrine of fair use.
Since 2003, Avsec has served as an adjunct law professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, teaching “Law of the Music Industry.” He has also served as a member of the Federal Judicial Conference faculty teaching copyright law basics and litigation to U.S. federal judges at the University of California at Berkeley.
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Before becoming a lawyer, Avsec earned a living as a studio musician, producer and songwriter, writing more than 500 songs and producing or playing on sound recordings for, among other artists, Bon Jovi, “She Don’t Know Me;” Carlos Santana, “Angel Love (Come For Me);” Donnie Iris, “Ah! Leah!” and “Love Is Like A Rock;” Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music, White Boy;” and Mason Ruffner, “Gypsy Blood.”Avsec has toured extensively with world-class artists and served as a session musician for multiple record companies in the United States and for CBS United Kingdom.He is the recipient of an American Music Award and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Each September, the Poynter Institute and the Media Law Center for Ethics and Access at Kent State University host an annual ethics workshop. Topics and discussions are relevant to current trends in the media and journalism education. Presenters and panelists from varying backgrounds provide information and opinions based on personal industry experience.
Registration is open online for the daylong workshop. Industry professionals can participate for $25, faculty members for $20, and students can attend for free. Materials and meals are included. Those with questions can contact Jan Leach, JMC associate professor and conference organizer, at .
The Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop is sponsored by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Akron Beacon Journal, the Akron Area Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, Kent State University, the College of Communication and Information, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and TeleProductions.
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In its 76th year, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University is a leading accredited journalism school with cutting-edge curriculum and facilities. The school’s mission is focused on understanding the media marketplace and media -related careers while providing professional undergraduate and master’s programs within the liberal arts tradition. JMC teaches its students to gather information, to present it clearly and to think critically within a legal and ethical framework. It serves as a resource for professional practitioners, for media consumers and for Kent State University. For more information, visitkent.edu/jmc.