This is an E-mail I wrote today to my boss at University of Miami Television, Natalia Crujieras, Dean Sam Grogg, and the station manager Justin Leiser. It is an depth exploration of my opinions regarding University education and my drive to create as they try to suppress me and take my resources away.
The two resounding reasons cited for my dismissal as Executive Producer of UTunes were a lack of respect and leadership potential, so I will voice my opinion on them in relation to myself, UTunes, UMTV, and the Com School in general. Respect the fact that I'm a student who has been behind a camera for under a year just trying to make an entertaining show and get the most out of my tuition. Respect the fact that I'm not getting paid. Respect the fact that I'm actually a customer in this situation. Realize that the university payroll in charge of UMTV and the Com School in general are, unfortunately for the student body, former industry employees with business and production backgrounds. They really are not educators with an understanding of students' needs. Mine in particular is independence and experience. I feel all the staff involved in the UTunes broadcast have a love affair with the dollar bill, something I will never respect the value of (perhaps because it has none compared to what every human being has inside their self). In my dismissal it is also apparent that they don't respect my right to create what I want to, or have any tolerance of my freedom to make mistakes, the only real way I learn. I am proud of what I've made so thank you for the opportunity but please respect how ignorant this student feels you'd like him to be.
Craig Weierman is not a teacher, and since I've been involved in his productions I've often felt he has no interest in the quality of the broadcast, his apathy is reflected in how he treats my crew and myself. My understanding of his interests are to keep the equipment and students safe and to get home as fast as possible, admirable enough for a paycheck, but does he have to be exercise his power whenever possible? He admits he doesn't watch the shows he helps us make and gets paid no matter how they turn out, the nature of creating student broadcasts I suppose. In the Com School I feel there are many people I call my superiors lacking in aspiration and inspiration. If they weren't they'd be out working on things they actually enjoy. A smile is something consistently absent from many staff and faculty faces. I do respect the fact that they are here instead, teaching a new generation, but their dismay shows.
Serona Elton was invaluable in connecting us with the music school, I'm unsure of her exact involvement, since I perceived Joe Abbati and the Dean as the more critical characters. But she was my lady on the ground, she was very responsive and responsible making reservations and connecting me with people I couldn't touch over there. But as the season wore on, her interest in promoting the things she's involved in, no matter how irrelevant they were to UTunes, got incredibly irritating to me as director and producer. I should have had more dialogue with her because I felt used. I'm really not here to prove her worth to the University and the people she got to sign on as judges. Did the Miami Music Festival even give us anything we didn't already have?
I'm the only one looking out for the bands, the essence of the show, and my crew, as well as the final product. I may be quiet but I steer this ship with my actions. My crew does respect me, and they respect and trust in everything I do and understand where my interests lie as an artist and a peer. It is one thing to make people do things for you, say by dangling a wad of cash in their face, and another entirely to go out and do them with people you love. I am free to say what I want, and sure, maybe you don't agree, maybe I'm as ignorant as you want me to be, maybe I don't care what anyone's opinions about my show end up being because I'm being true to myself and I am happy. Respect the fact that I built this with my heart, my hands, my time, and my friends.
Thank you for supporting me, but you gave up, dropped my baby UTunes on its head. Lessons are to be learned in experience, you can't teach production, creativity, or the value of hard work in a book. Some things aren't meant to be monetized. When you allow what people do, what they produce, to be what defines them, to be the truest form of speech. You will see with the clarity of a school boy. If UTunes has been a disappointment to you and the school, I'm sorry, it was ambitious, I never asked for this. I simply wasn't afraid to try.
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