As most of you know, President and Sister Leavitt
have been called to replace Sister Dunn and myself as Mission President and
Companion when our assignment ends in July. However, a few weeks ago we were
invited to a video conference call with Elder Oaks and Elder Holland. On that
call Elder Holland asked me if I would take a new assignment as the Managing
Director of BYU Broadcasting, which produces and distributes the church’s
world-wide television content. When asked when this assignment would begin,
Elder Oaks smiled and said, “…let’s just say your services are critically
needed much more right now in Provo than they are in Johannesburg.” The bottom
line is that our release date has been moved to, the end of the next transfer,
21 March 2017, where we will turn over the reigns to the Leavitts. More details
will follow, but just know our hearts are heavy at the prospects of leaving you
sooner than expected. But we also know that… “the work will go forth boldly,
nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited very
clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God
shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” We
love you! President and Sister Dunn
The link to the Variety story is:
BYU Names Michael Dunn as
Managing Director of BYU Broadcasting
Brigham Young University has named Michael A. Dunn as the new
managing director of BYU Broadcasting. In this position, Dunn will
oversee BYU’s radio, television and digital channels, including BYUtv. Dunn is
the former general manager of KUED Channel 7, a PBS affiliate in Salt Lake
City, and has worked in broadcasting and media production for more than 30
years.
Dunn replaces Derek A. Marquis, who retired from BYU Broadcasting at
the conclusion of 2016 after 25 years with the university.
“Derek’s tenure marked a formative chapter in BYU Broadcasting’s
history,” said Advancement Vice President Matt Richardson. “Under Derek’s
decade of leadership, BYU Broadcasting has experienced unprecedented growth,
the establishment of new radio, television and digital channels that now reach
throughout the world and the creation of new and original content.”
“Dunn is a respected leader in the communications arena,” said
Richardson. “He is uniquely qualified for this position. His unique
and diverse career on both the production and management side of the house,
provides a full-spectrum understanding of the industry. His leadership style is
open and collaborative, and he is firmly aligned with the mission of BYU and
BYU Broadcasting. We have tremendous confidence that Michael’s skills and
leadership will build upon the momentum and success of BYU Broadcasting—and
especially as we ratchet up our efforts to enlarge our broadcast footprint
around the world”
“This is a dream opportunity with a world-class broadcast organization,”
said Dunn. “What my colleague Derek and his team have done to build BYU
Broadcasting into a major player in the broadcast and digital arena is just
remarkable. And between the state-of-the-art facility, the immensely talented
staff and, most of all, a mission and purpose to produce content that helps
people ‘see the good in the world,’ you can’t help but feel honored and blessed
to be asked to be a part of something this noble.”
Dunn is currently serving as the president of the South Africa Johannesburg
Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will step into
his new role at BYU at the beginning of April.
In his previous capacity as general manager of KUED, Dunn
oversaw the operations of not only the television station, but also KUER Radio,
an NPR affiliate. During his tenure at KUED, Dunn put together a collaboration
with BYUtv to produce“The Piano Guys Live at Red Butte Garden,” which
aired on both stations and later nationally on PBS. Prior to his public
television experience he founded and operated Dunn Communications, Inc., a Salt
Lake City advertising agency and film production company for 16 years.
Among his peer distinctions are a gold and silver medal from
the New York Film Festival and four CLIOs—an award considered
the “Oscar” of the advertising industry. He also garnered two Emmy
nominations–one of which earned the Emmy Award for public service in 1992 from
the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In the spring of 2000 he
was honored by the American Advertising Federation, Utah Chapter, as the
inaugural recipient of the Advertising Professional of the Year Award.
Dunn spent eight years as a senior writer and producer for Bonneville
Communications where he worked on the acclaimed Homefront campaign
for the LDS Church, along with national image campaigns for Major League
Baseball and the Salvation Army. He also spent eight years with Fotheringham
& Associates (now Richter 7).
He began his career as a freelance print journalist and later moved
to the broadcast side working in radio and television as a reporter and
producer. He graduated from the University of Utah where he received both his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mass communication with a
journalism/advertising emphasis.
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