Long-term residents of the South Bend area might recognize the new director of IU South Bend’s Office of Communications and Marketing. For many years, Jim Pinkerton was the television news anchor and managing editor at WSBT-TV. Even in his pursuits off-camera, he played roles in local organizations that have had a meaningful impact on our community.
His prior experiences have instilled in him the value of clear communication, transparency, and storytelling.
“I think that the key to helping people understand an institution or an issue – anything we’re trying to share in a broader context – is being able to find the characters who will tell the story,” Pinkerton says. “If you tell good stories, driven by those characters and the people they impact, there’s a lot of potential for engagement. This applies to newspapers, radio, television, and it certainly applies in the world of marketing, because we want to reach people in the most interesting ways we can. Today, with everyone having constant access to screens, attention spans have gotten shorter. It’s become critical for us to be focused, targeted, and compelling.”
Chancellor Susan Elrod is confident that Pinkerton has the savvy and wisdom to keep a lot of information flowing coherently.
“Every day on our campus, there are many exciting developments,” Elrod says. “In the television newsroom, Jim learned how to triage a deluge of information, deciding what stories to prioritize, which ones to save for later, and how to delegate his staff for the ideal coverage. At IU South Bend, he will assist us in spreading the news about our major campus initiatives, but he will also be in charge of sharing stories about individuals and small groups. He will marshal his team’s various strengths in writing, photography, videography, and graphic design, bringing the vibrant Titan life into focus for all to see.”
Pinkerton is aware of how full his schedule will be, and he is eager to begin. He started his new position on September 26.
