"We are deeply saddened and distressed by the violence at the U.S. Capitol. Our thoughts are with the reporters
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Upcoming EventsView and share our calendar of events here.Coming this spring, we will be having a Zoom program with keynote speaker, Major Garrett, Chief Washington Correspondent for CBS News, who will also be receiving the St. Louis Press Club’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement award.
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A panel of news journalists and a media attorney explore if local media are facing more friction and barriers to doing their jobs than in the past? Journalists and their work to report honestly and fairly may be needed more than ever. Political divides and protests call out for coverage, but in volatile environments reporters also need to be safe. |
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Kevin Smith, an events and creative professional, and current Managing Partner of Big Blue Spark, produces experiences for corporate, non-profit, and private clients. He helps his clients create engaging stories and strategizes impactful ways to deliver their messages through events, design, videos, and virtual experiences. Over the course of his career, he has worked with a wide range of clients, media professionals, and entertainers. Additionally, he sits on the board of directors of Kids in the Middle, where he co-chairs the fund development committee, and serves on KITM event committees. Since life can’t be all about work, Kevin likes to spend time practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, hunting down the best pizza in St. Louis, and teaching his two-year-old daughter about Formula One racing — she doesn’t understand it, but sure does like watching the colorful cars go fast. |
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Miran Halen spearheads fundraising activities by providing innovative and collaborative volunteer leadership for a diverse and vibrant range of non-profit organizations that promote performing arts throughout the St. Louis region. Proven success in creating, directing, managing, and executing media relations plans, to include photography and videography production. Versatile soprano of opera, symphony, chamber, and recital music. |
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Joan Lee Berkman, a marketing, public relations and special events management professional, is the new president of the St. Louis Press Club. A longtime Press Club board member and officer, she is a past recipient of Press Club’s highest honor – The Catfish Award -- for her exceptional contributions to the field of communications and to the Press Club. In 2004, she founded Face Watchers, a firm which provides customized, strategic Previously, Berkman was the Executive Director of External Affairs for Southwestern Bell Telephone (now AT&T), where she managed government and community relations for Eastern Missouri and represented the company as a lobbyist in St. Louis County, Jefferson City and Washington D.C. During her 30-year telecommunications career, she held numerous positions in the company’s public relations department including media relations, advertising, strategic planning, employee information, community relations, charitable-giving and video production. |
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Berkman also co-authored a book with her mother, Eleanor, a well-known St. Louis drama coach, on dealing with destructive personalities at work, socially and at home. Their book launch was followed by a national book tour.
She has received a number of community and civic awards including the Missouri Professional Communicator’s “Quest Award” for journalistic ethics and excellence, “Women of Achievement” for Innovative Communications, University of Missouri’s Hellenic Award for Business Leadership & Philanthropy, and has served on a number of local boards over the years some of which include the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on its Legislative Committee, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Missouri Baptist Health Foundation, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Women of Achievement.
Berkman earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia.
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Jessica Z. Brown Billhymer received St. Louis Press Club's highest honor: The Catfish Award, which is awarded to a member who has made exceptional contributions to the field of communications and to the Press Club. Brown is a longtime media communications professional and community volunteer. Her numerous achievements include: President and founder of Gateway Media Literacy Partners, Inc.; Officer, Digital International Media Literacy Education, Inc.; full adjunct professor in the School of Communications at Webster University, and; an active supporter of the Gateway Journalism Review. She is an active and staunch promoter of sustained media literacy education for greater participatory civic education and agency among primary and secondary education students. |
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![]() Photo by Craig Currie |
Jasmine Huda received the Press Club's "President's Above-and-Beyond" award, which is given to an individual or organization that has gone above-and-beyond to provide a service or support for the St. Louis Press Club. Huda has served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the Club's annual Beauty Buzz scholarship fundraising event at Neiman Marcus for the last four years -- an event that draws more than 150 guests each year. She is a popular St. Louis television news anchor and reporter at KTVI, Channel 2, and a former member of the St. Louis Press Club's Board of Directors. |
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Sarah Thompson is a PR, marketing and media specialist, working actively and extensively in the St. Louis market for more than 16 years. She started Sarah Thompson LLC in 2009 after branching off on her own from a former St. Louis-based PR & brand reputation management agency. Sarah Thompson LLC’s client portfolio focuses on nonprofit organizations and small businesses in the areas of arts, culture and lifestyle. Sarah splits her time between her clients and media work. She is a three-time, Emmy Award-winning producer—and five-time nominee—receiving two Emmy Awards for arts & entertainment stories and one for a commercial campaign. Sarah is the host and producer of STL TV’s 30-minute program “City Corner,” which also airs on ABC30. For the past 12 years, she has served as the weekly on-air events contributor on KMOV’s “News 4 Great Day" and weekly host of STL TV’s “STL Live.” |
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Peggy Barnhart, a strategic communications professional, and a current commissioner on St. Louis County Board of Election, she is responsible for election oversight, including County ballot issues, voter registration and education, and election reporting, budget and efficiency. Previously, Barnhart was director of communications and government relations for the American Red Cross. She also served in communications and community relations for two U.S. Senators: Christopher S. Bond and James M. Talent, and in the office of County Council Representative Edith Cunnane. Other career highlights include working for Peabody Energy as community relations manager. She also has worked as the public relations consultant for the City of Olivette, and as a freelance writer for Sverdrup Corporation and the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Prior to returning to St. Louis, she was a news reporter for the Grand Rapids Press and the Kalamazoo Gazette. Barnhart is a graduate of Northwestern University, one of the nation’s top-ranked journalism schools, with a Master of Science in Journalism. |
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Joseph E. Martineau focuses his practice on media and communications law as well as intellectual property law, health law litigation, and complex commercial litigation. His clients include local and national major media representatives. Joe has tried cases in both the state and federal courts in Missouri and Illinois, and he has argued cases in the appellate and Supreme Courts in each state. Joe writes articles and publications in the fields of defamation and invasion of privacy law, the First Amendment, and media law in general. An adjunct professor at Washington University for 20 years, he teaches a course on communications law. Furthermore, Joe frequently appears on panels and conferences dealing with media law issues, and he authored the Missouri Bar CLE Tort Law chapters on Defamation, Invasion of Privacy, and Reputational Damages. Joe was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2005-2021. Additionally, he was named by Best Lawyers "St. Louis Litigation - First Amendment Lawyer of the Year" for 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2021 and "St. Louis Media Lawyer of the Year" for 2017. He was selected for inclusion in Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® 2009-2019, and he is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Joe is the head of the Firm's Media Practice Committee. |
View Your Beauty Buzz Photos Here
Miran Halen Co-Chair Beauty Buzz Film Producer/Director/Editor Photographer/Videographer
Craig Currie STL Editor/Videographer/Photographer
Special thanks to our In-Kind donors, Miran Halen and CraigCurrieSTL
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When Getting the Story Isn't the Whole Story – Reporting on TraumaSaturday, February 22 A free workshop for members of the media, journalism students and others on the impact of violence and trauma, exploring how they report stories and the way they cope with its effects on their own lives. Speaker: University of Missouri – Columbia Prof. Katherine Reed, who often teaches about journalism and trauma. Among the topics she'll explore * How do members of the media stay safe when covering conflict? RSVPs appreciated at info@stlpressclub.org, so we have an estimate on how many will attend. |