Lauren Hertel

Lauren Hertel is a lecturer in the Department of Telecommunications at the University of Florida. She teaches students how to effectively converge the media with computer science. She is currently working on a report for the Knight New Media Center on success factors in newsroom convergence. She is one main speakers and promoters for Web 2.0.

Born and raised in Louisiana, Hertel was interested in the media from a very early age. Her curiosity helped her become one of the major lecturers and supporters of Web 2.0 of her time.

Biography

Hertel was first a photo editor with the Columbia Daily Spectator in New York City in 1989. During her time at the Spectator Hertel was promoted from photo technician to photo editor after two semesters at New York City’s seventh largest English-language daily.

In 1990, up until 1992, Hertel started and successfully ran a freelance campus photography service, called Student Photography Service, while still a full-time undergraduate student at Columbia University.

After receiving her B.A. in History from Columbia University, Hertel developed an interest in German culture. She traveled to Berlin, Germany, where she prepared presentations and speeches in English on political and technical topics for the German Privatization. She did this up until 1995.

In 1996, Hertel went back to New York to work for Staten Island Public Access Television as a Media Trainee.

Soon after, Hertel became an intern at KQED-FM, in San Francisco, California. She assisted with production of weekly state news magazine, “The California Report”, at nation’s largest NPR member station. Hertel produced a feature story on a local synagogue’s discovery of a time capsule, which aired December 2002.

Not satisfied, Hertel researched and traveled across the U.S. looking for new trends in planning for a national real estate development news syndication service, for Inman News, located in Emeryville, California.

It was during this time that the War against Iraq had begun. Hertel signed on to be an intern for the U.S. Army in Fort Irwin, California. During this two-month stint, Hertel trained U.S. Army soldiers who were being deployed to Iraq on media relations by creating live-action scenarios. Throughout her internship, Hertel produced a dozen television short features and blogged about her experience.

After her short-lived experience Hertel began working for The Record in California as an online editor. Here she found her niche. While working for the mid-sized newspaper (65-75K circulation). Hertel developed and conducted multimedia training for reporters, editors, photographers and newsroom assistants. She participated in new high-level think tank group for future projects and served as a member of the technology subcommittee, chair of the research subcommittee. Hertel also coordinated all online enhancement opportunities of daily stories with editors, reporters and photographers. She directed the work of web designers and night web editors and developed proposals and budgets for all New Media projects and corporate multimedia training. It was here that she began to openly discuss and support Web 2.0 and the outcome it would have on future generations.

In August 2006, Hertel was offered a position at the University of Florida. She was asked to be part of the faculty staff to teach beginning and advanced online media skills and theory courses to television and radio broadcast students.

Looking for an outlet, she traveled to Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russian Federation, to lecture on recent developments in global online media and to conduct new media skills training for the Washington D.C. State Department.

Inspired by other cultures and the desire to teach Hertel, in 2007, journeyed to Sarajevo, Tuzla and Banja Luka to lecture on citizen journalism, Web 2.0 and portable devices, and new media law and ethics.

Hertel is currently developing a college track at the University of Florida called online media, which encourages and promotes Web 2.0 thinking.

Lauren Hertel wrote, narrated and published set of audio cassette walking tours of New York City, called AudioGuide NYC. The cassettes reached the #4 spot category on Amazon.com in less than four weeks. She called the production Lone Daughter Productions.

Academic Awards

Terner Prize for Excellence in Reporting on Urban Development, May 2004 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, UC Berkeley, May 2004 Switzer Fellowship for Environmental Leadership, 2003–04 DAAD Annual Stipend, Free University Berlin, 1992–93

External links

• A summary of Hertel's work from the American Press Institute
• Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation
• University of Florida Facualty page
• Hertel's blog while in Russia
• Rob Harris and Lauren Hertel report