The Gravesite

Media and Academics                                Academic Career

"After over forty-three years of evaluating other people's writing, I'm now doing my own. I recently taught a correspondence course in Creative Writing for Radio, Television, and Film. I still enjoy occasionally playing at clubs and private parties for people who love the music of the great show tunes era. But most of all, I look forward to those calls from ex-students sharing their excitement about new jobs and personal achievements. Recently, two of them won Emmys and one was co-producer of Spiderman! (But I'm still waiting for that Oscar acceptance speech wherein the winner thanks her old professor back in Missouri for his invaluable guidance and inspiration).  Before becoming an Associate Professor of Mass Communication, I had toiled thirty five years in the penultimate center of glitz: Los Angeles. I spent ten gratifying years as an associate professor in the Communication Department at Central Missouri State University."

MINI REVIEWS OF JOHN"S NEWEST BOOK.....

What Kendall R. Phillips, Ph. D., says about "Just Say Yes: Memoirs of a Geezer

"Insightful and delightful! John Graves offers invaluable lessons to
anyone who wants to get the most out of life. This book should be
mandatory reading for anyone who is interested in the world of
television, film and entertainment. The well written anecdotes from
John's fascinating life feature a supporting cast that includes such
legendary figures as Carol Channing and Lord Bertrand Russell!"

Kendall R. Phillips, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Speech and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University , and author of “Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture.”

What Ralph Guild says about "Just Say Yes"

"John Graves memoires are a warm and often humorous chronology of the TV and movie business during the second half of the 20th century from someone who was active in many parts of both businesses on three continents. His anectdotes leave the reader with a feeling of having met and known the active participants personally."

Ralph Guild, CEO of Interep Radio Store, the pre-eminent National Sales Representative organization in the U.S. and scholar of the radio industry (with a room named after him in the Museum of Broadcasting in New York).

 

Media Stories - Titles from "Just Say Yes"

In the Name of Glitz - The Creative Complex in Film and Television
The Triangle and the Tiger Lady - getting a good job
Luck and Risk - my experience in the job market
Getting Started - gimme a break! Break into show business?
Why Listen To Me? - here are some of the things I've done
Attitude/Schmattitude - "Dear Professor Graves:  Could you please lighten up?"

read excerpts from the book

Academic Experience and Projects

Professional Teaching

1986 - 96 Central Missouri State University. (Now the University of Central Missouri)

1993 University of Glamorgan, Wales. (Exchange professor)

1988 Baker University Graduate in the Liberal Arts Program, Overland Park Campus, KS.

1985 - 86 Rio Hondo Community College, Whittier, CA.

1983 - 84 One day seminars on Careers in Film and Television, presented at the University of Houston; University of California at San Diego; University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of California at Davis, CA.

1969 -70 University of California at Los Angeles
Extension, West Los Angeles, CA.
Courses taught

Media Economics and Sales
Broadcast Copywriting
Media Management
Comparative Media Systems
Introduction to Mass Communication
Media Economics and Sales
Television Production
Broadcast Journalism
Camera and Microphone Performance
Graduate Seminar in the Mass Media

Exchange Professorship at University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Wales.

Team taught a comprehensive course in writing, presented a seminar in career building for communication students, was guest lecturer in American Studies and American Playwrights, and seminar leader in conjunction with three basic Introduction to Communication courses. )

Contributions to Course and Curriculum Development at Central Missouri State Univ.

Was successful in placing a course which I created entitled Camera/Microphone Performance on the Spring '94 schedule as a Special Topics offering in the Theatre Department--which was team taught with Dr. Deborah Palmes. This course filled a deficiency in both programs.

Worked with student Moss Cremer (recently winner of an Emmy for a documentary he wrote, produced and directed) on the conceptualization and implementation of the Issues series, which resulted in the production of 115 televised panel discussions on subjects of international, national, regional, and academic interest in a class structure. Served as faculty supervisor and executive producer of the series.

Combined skills and efforts of Broadcast Journalism and Television Production classes to produce a news/magazine show entitled This Is Warrensburg.

Had students in Television Production produce a video documentary with John Houseman during his visit to campus.
.
Conducted a seminar on Careers in Broadcasting and Film, sponsored by the CMSU Chapter of AERho, the National Broadcasting Society.

Recorded a series of interviews on parental responsibility and TV viewing for KCMW's Today's Ideas series

Consultation.

Freelance script consultant.

Member of the Media Panel of the Missouri Council for the Arts, meeting in St. Louis, MO.

Participated in a three day seminar/workshop on screenwriting entitled From Script to Screen with Michael Sevareid (writer/former Vice President of MGM/professor), Lew Hunter (writer/producer/professor), and agent Christine Foster at Johnson County Community College, KS.

International Participation .

Member of the International Committe of the Broadcast Educators Association, a division of the National Association of Broadcasters.

Membership in Academic, Professional and Scholarly Societies.

Kappa Tau Alpha
Broadcast Education Association.
Producers Guild of America (Current)
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Life member of the American Federation of Musicians.

 

Publications.

Articles.

Professional Advisory Councils for Communication Programs, in the Association for Communication Administration Bulletin, October, 1991 (with Curtis, Winsor, and Heck).

My article, Achievement Motivation of Television and Film Executives , shared a second place award in the Broadcast Education Association Management and Sales Committee's annual paper competition, and was published in the Broadcast Financial Journal of the Broadcast Financial Management Association issue of September/October, 1990.

Books.

A reprint of the article I wrote for TV Guide on television censorship in Europe was included in a special hard-cover edition reprinting collected essays and articles dealing with aspects of international television. It was entitled Next Week, Live From The Moon.

Other Publications.

TV Guide, When the White Dot Comes on. . Wowee! , Feb. 16-22, 1963.

TV Guide, Is There a Future in Television for You? , Feb. 5-11, 1966.

 

Papers.

Developing a Communication Ethic , for the Speech Communication Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

Applying the Team Learning Process to Large Classes for the annual Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri conference at Lake of the Ozarks.

Grants and Awards.

Received a grant of $10,000 seed money from the L. J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation for the International University Television Program Exchange project. This program creates the framework for university students all over the world to produce and share original video programming. CMSU would serve as the central agency for the administration and distribution of this landmark project. Another $10,000 was contributed as underwriting by Interep, Inc. of New York.

Received a grant of $8,000 from the Julius J. Oppenheimer Endowment for Something In the Wind, an interdisciplinary symposium series focusing on the environmental/ecological crisis, which included presentations on campus by:

Barry Commoner, Director of the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems;

Werner Fornos, President of the Population Institute; and

Sidney Stebel, environmental novelist and screenwriter from Los Angeles.

Presentation of 11-part BBC TV series Only One Earth on the Student Cable Network;

A presentation by George Baggett, publisher of The Toxin News, and student Deann Spillman on Ramifications of the Toxin Crisis;

A Celebration of the Earth --a photo contest and exhibition;

The Environmental/Ecological Crisis --an essay writing contest;

Come Hear the Whales Sing"--a lunch time program in the University Union featuring the recorded "songs"of whales;

And God Created Great Whales--a performance by the CMSU Symphony Orchestra of the 12
minute tone-poem by Alan Hovhaness;

Streams in the Desert--a performance by the CMSU Choir of the commissioned work by Howard Hansen, first performed for a Congressional meeting regarding water conservation;

 

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