28 Oct Public Relations Students Promote Virtual Viewing of Documentary
Otterbein University students will use techniques learned in a public relations class to promote “My Beautiful Stutter,” an award-winning documentary that combats the stigma of stuttering. The public is invited to the free virtual screening of the documentary from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, followed by a Q&A with speech professionals. For viewing information, visit the events page.
The documentary has won awards at film festivals from Boston to Napa Valley. The executive producers of the film are actor Paul Rudd and major league baseball player George Springer.
Otterbein junior public relations and journalism major Jacob Russell stutters and wants attention on campus brought to the film’s message of compassion, tolerance, patience and kindness.
“Watching My Beautiful Stutter will be emotional for me because I expect to see parallels to my childhood in the lives of the children who stutter in the film,” Russell said. “I am excited for people to see what I have gone through beyond my disfluent speech, but I also want them to know that those with other conditions have the same struggles.”
Students in the class know they are learning and practicing real promotional techniques and have reached out to hundreds of students on campus and to the community using internal and external media. Students have used traditional public relations tactics to gain awareness, including using social media and pitching story ideas to the media, as well as producing a video to promote the film.
“We hope that two months of promotion will entice people to watch the film,” said Julia Grimm, a junior public relations and journalism major. “I’d say the practical, hands-on activities we’ve used in publicizing the film’s viewing will make us stand out when we go to apply for future jobs and internships.”
Many celebrities have overcome the stigma of stuttering, including former Vice President Joe Biden, and actors James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson.