Fast Forward Video Series Concept Debuted
The Mississippi Brain Drain Commission (MSBD), an initiative founded by Maris, West & Baker Advertising (MWB), announced a partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) to jointly develop a new interactive television series. The series, titled Fast Forward, is designed to help stem the loss of intellectual capital in Mississippi. This announcement is made as part of Mississippi Innovation Month.
“It is an aberration that Mississippi is a net exporter of college graduates who have a bachelors-or-better degree,” said Tim Mask, Vice President with Maris, West & Baker and founder of the Brain Drain Initiative. “It is our goal to help young Mississippians realize they can have creative jobs within leading-edge innovative fields and in fact rise farther, faster by staying in our state.”
Fast Forward will highlight the career paths of young professionals in Mississippi and detail how Mississippi provides an ideal environment for going farther, faster, in innovative and creative fields. The series will balance features of leading-edge occupations with profiles of Mississippi’s creative places, lifestyle/cultural vignettes, and entertainment venues. Media personality Marshall Ramsey is slotted to host Fast Forward once production begins.
In a cutting-edge aspect to Fast Forward, MSBD, MPB, and MWB have secured a promotional relationship with Mississippi-based social media innovation company Leadify. Via analytics and “conversation mapping,” Mississippians – particularly young Mississippians – will be directly engaged and brought into the multi-logue concerning the state’s brain drain issue.
“The Fast Forward series offers great potential from an economic development and entrepreneurial standpoint,” said Ronnie Agnew, Executive Director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting. “It will inform Mississippians about the innovative career opportunities in our state. It will also be a tangible tool in marketing our human capital resources to companies looking to expand and move to Mississippi.”
In addition to MPB and MSBD, young professional (YP) organizations across Mississippi will collaborate on content for the series. While not exclusively featuring the young professional aspect, Fast Forward will focus a great deal on YP, entrepreneurial, creative, and social aspects of the Mississippi economy.
“I want my kids to live here,” said Fast Forward partner Marshall Ramsey. “We have so much to offer and we’re such an innovative people. We just have to let people, particularly our young people, know that Mississippi is the state in which you won’t be held back and will achieve your career goals faster,” Ramsey added.
The Brain Drain Commission and MPB are currently soliciting underwriters for Fast Forward.
