Two SoC alumni – both successful journalists in the creative world of newspaper layout and page design – will speak Wednesday, Sept. 4 to students enrolled in the editing and layout course, CNJ 381.
Since graduating from the School of Communication at the University of Miami, Nathan Estep (MA, journalism, 1999) and April Robinson (BS, journalism and creative writing, 2000) have held impressive editing and layout positions at major newspapers in the United States and abroad.
They both moved separately to the Middle East and joined The National, a newly formed English-language newspaper In Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. During his time there, Estep was the deputy art director, a position that Robinson now holds.
Robinson, on vacation from the United Arab Emirates, will speak directly to the “Newspaper Editing and Layout” class, while Estep will join the discussion via Skype from his offices in Asbury Park, N.J. Course instructors, professor Randy Stano and Tsitsi D. Wakhisi, both taught Estep and Robinson when they studied at UM.
During their presentation, the two alumni will discuss their careers and the changing landscape of editing and newspaper design. They also will provide samples of effective newspaper page layouts.
Estep is now the team leader for features at Gannett’s Asbury Park (N.J.) Design Studio. He and his staff of 10 designers produce at least 76 features sections per week for 15 newspapers, in addition to a few dozen special sections and magazines per year.
Estep is a former adjunct professor of news design at UM and a former professor of news design at the University of Missouri; he also has worked in various positions at Newsday (Melville, N.Y.) and The Miami Herald.
After graduation from UM, Robinson completed a six-week visual journalism fellowship at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and a year-long internship in the Rotating Internship Program with Knight Ridder.
In 2001, she joined the Sarasota Herald-Tribune as a page designer. In 2004, she returned to her native home of Miami to become a page designer at The Miami Herald. In the summer of 2008, Robinson moved to the Middle East and joined The National as news designer. She was promoted in February to deputy art director.
Estep and Robinson have been the recipients of several awards from the Society for News Design. They also have worked with the Peace Sullivan/James Ansin High School Summer Journalism/New Media Workshop, an SoC campus project that encourages and prepares promising youth for media careers.
