COMM faculty member voted chair of Film Florida’s education council

Posted by Amy Farnum Patronis on
Lucia Fishburne
Lucia Fishburne

Florida State University School of Communication research associate and adjunct faculty member Lucia Fishburne was elected chair of Film Florida’s Education Council at the 2014 Annual Meeting in Coral Gables, Fla., on June 3.

Prior to her appointment at Florida State in 2012, she served in the Executive Office of the Governor as Florida’s State Film Commissioner where she was responsible for leading the state’s efforts to build, expand and retain the film, TV and digital media entertainment industry sector.

Film Florida is a not-for-profit corporation that provides a leadership role in Florida’s film and entertainment industries by representing a coalition of interests, including private industry, local film commissions, industry associations and labor organizations.  Film Florida added an Education Council in recent years, making way for schools, colleges, educational programs and universities to become part of the organization.

“I’m honored and excited to continue to participate in growing Florida’s film and entertainment production industry as Chair of the Film Florida Education Council,” said Fishburne.  “My fellow council members and I are focused on increasing internship and job opportunities for the many talented students and graduates of our outstanding public and private entertainment production industry educational programs.

“We will work together to increase opportunities for students and faculty to showcase their work, network with industry professionals, be noticed, and, hopefully, stay in Florida to be part of our expanding indigenous talent base.”

In addition to teaching a Careers in Communication course at Florida State, Fishburne is the Executive Director of the Florida Book Awards. Previously, Fishburne served eight years on the  Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council (2000-08).

Fishburne earned a M.S. in Marketing Communication at Florida State, where she also completed Ph.D. course work in Communication Research and Theory. She also achieved an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).