Journalism Students, Faculty Collaborate With Experience Fayetteville for Restaurant Week

Ginger Blackstone

Journalism professor Rowena Pedrena and student Bret McCargo set up a shot at the Catfish Hole to promote Fayetteville Restaurant Week.

Students and faculty in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media have collaborated with Experience Fayetteville to promote Fayetteville Restaurant Week. The team created videos to highlight restaurants participating in the week-long celebration of Fayetteville's food culture running Feb. 25 to March 2.

The idea for the partnership came from Rowena Pedrena, assistant professor of documentary, long-form film, video and broadcast, who served as director and cinematographer. From Hollywood to Fayetteville, Pedrena was a reality show producer before joining the faculty last fall. Ginger Blackstone, associate professor in broadcast and multimedia news, storytelling and promotion, produced the videos, set up the shoots and conducted the interviews. Blackstone is a former CNN supervising executive producer who also joined the journalism faculty in fall 2023.

"As a newcomer to the area, I enjoyed meeting and talking with local business owners who have a passion for food and a desire to share that with the Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas community," Blackstone said. "These were fun to produce."

Graduate students Ronald Hetzler and Patrick Kelly and undergraduate students Brianna Ifland, Bret McCargo and Natalie Maris worked with Pedrena and Blacksone to create short spots featuring five locally owned restaurants: Khana Indian Grill, Catfish Hole, Tula, Meiji Japanese Cuisine and Rymolene's Pies.

"This partnership with Experience Fayetteville was a great opportunity to get students on-set working experience in the areas of camera, audio and producing techniques," Pedrena said. "Being able to give students professional level practical experience prior to graduating is a cornerstone to my teaching philosophy, and I'm truly grateful that Experience Fayetteville trusted our students to produce these mini documentaries. My hope is that SJSM can continue to build relationships with other local organizations to give our students more opportunities to film, create and tell untold stories that deserve to be heard."

"Restaurant week is about supporting our restaurant industry by boosting traffic during a traditionally slower time," said Molly Rawn, Experience Fayetteville CEO. "Involving the journalism students allows us to better highlight the diversity of Fayetteville restaurants. University students are a major driver of the tourism and hospitality economy, so we get really energized when we can collaborate with students on a project."

Fayetteville has a diverse culinary scene with everything from upscale dining to food truck courts. A mix of local, international and fusion flavors create a food culture that reflects Fayetteville's personality. Nearly 100 restaurants will participate in this year's Restaurant Week, including options for quick service, fine dining, patio seating, vegan-friendly, casual atmosphere and more.

The videos may be seen on Experience Fayetteville's Instagram page @fayettevillear and Facebook page.