Arkansas Atoll Podcast

Hailing from Marietta, Georgia, Neba Evans is an ambitious multimedia professional striving to produce and create films. As a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a small Historically Black University, she is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree for documentary filmmaking at the University of Arkansas. For the past couple of years, Neba has worked as a producer, instructor, and social media specialist within her specific department, the School of Journalism and Strategic Media. 

Working in this ever-changing digital landscape, Neba believes that stories have the power to help shape the culture of a nation, and as an African American woman, she feels that different perspectives are essential in telling a complete narrative. 

Obed Lamy is a Fulbright Scholar and a graduate student at the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas. With nearly five years of experience, he has worked in different news outlets in his country, Haiti, and international media in Canada and the U.S. He co-founded a multimedia platform named Enfo Sitwayen, funded by French and Swiss embassies, dedicated to civic education that has reached more than 10,000 citizens. After his first semester at the U of A, storytelling quickly became his passion. A stimulating career in documentary filmmaking is now what he dreams about. His first short, A Promising Voice – that tells the story of a Black and first-generation student from Memphis and how he navigated a predominantly white University of Arkansas – is set for release in 2020.

Shane White is a graduate student at the University of Arkansas pursuing his masters degree in journalism with a concentration in documentary filmmaking. An award winning director and cinematographer, Shane recently won a College Student Emmy Award for his 2019 documentary Homeless in Boomtown. Shane is the Video Production Graduate Assistant for UA Productions at the University of Arkansas and also serves as Director of Photography for the University’s School of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Experimental Learning Lab. Shane is currently in production on his thesis documentary film, which deals with changing concepts of body image within the fashion industry.

Octavia Rolle is an incoming senior at the University of Arkansas, studying to receive her BA in Advertisement and Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. During her time at the University of Arkansas, she has been involved with the Chi Omega Psi Fraternity on campus and had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain for a semester. Octavia is a creative thinker and motivated to take on new challenges. She loves meeting new people and immersing herself in different cultures. Octavia developed an interest in editing in her videography and editing course which led her to the Pryor Center. Here, Octavia Rolle was able to explore her interest in editing while also being able to learn from the Marshallese community and expand her knowledge in order to connect with many more people. Octavia is an ambitious student who hopes to understand cultures outside of her own in order to be able to effectively interact with all people. 

Sam Whitesell is a native Arkansan and soon-to-be graduate of the University of Arkansas’s School of Journalism. As an emerging filmmaker, Sam especially enjoys working collaboratively in production and watching the story come together through the edit. Sam has been recognized for several random accomplishments, and is a man of many talents, but he’s not going to tell you about them.

Sarah K. Moore – Video producer, The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History

Colleen Thurston – Assistant Professor of Journalism and Strategic Media, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences

William Schwab – Executive director, The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History