The Interviews
Casinos in Mississippi: Worth the Gamble?
Director: Dr. Brad Schultz
Executive Producer: Ji Hoon Heo
Producers: Camille Mullins, Charlotte Roi
Reporters: Tyler Carter, Margaret Collins, Jess Hotakainen, D.J. Jones, Chi Kalu, Giana Leone, Guojuan Li, Ashley Norwood, Marlen Polito, LaReeca Rucker, Ryan Schmelz
"Casinos in Mississippi: Worth the Gamble" explores the impact of casinos in the state since they were legalized in the 1990s. Through a series of interviews with state leaders and key players in the casino industry, the documentary investigates how casinos have changed the state for better or worse, and asks if they were worth the gamble. The documentary was produced by reporters, videographers and instructors at The University of Mississippi's Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Those interested in screening the film may contact Dr. Brad Shultz, director, at bshultz@olemiss.edu. those
Dr. Deanne Nuwer
Who: Dr. Deanne Nuwer
Title: Associate professor at the University of Southern Mississippi
Topic: Nuwer has written about Mississippi casinos
Dr. Deanne Nuwer has forthcoming essays in three books: "Resorting to Casinos: How the Mississippi Casino/Resort Industry Was Made," "The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States," and "Race and Ethnicity in Maritime America, Biloxi: The Third Coast."
The specialist in pedagogical methods trains history majors seeking state licensure to teach social studies. She has presented papers at a variety of conferences and had articles published in the Gulf Coast Historical Review and in Southeastern Political Review, according to the USM website. She is also working on a monograph about Mississippi’s yellow fever epidemic of 1878.
James A. Young
Who: James A. Young
Title: Mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi
Topic: How the Choctaw casinos have impacted the town
Mayor James A. Young was elected as the first African American mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi, in 2009. The town may be most well known for the film "Mississippi Burning," where three civil rights workers were lynched by members of the Ku Klux Klan in 1964.
Young, a Pentecostal preacher and former county supervisor, has lived in Philadelphia all of his life and was there when the casinos were built in the 1990s.
Webster Franklin
Who: Webster Franklin
Title: Director of the Tunica Convention & Visitor's Bureau
Topic: Franklin is president and CEO of TunicaTravel.com​
Webster Franklin, who directs the Tunica Convention & Visitor's Bureau, is also president and CEO of TunicaTravel.com. Webster spends most of his time promoting Tunica as the go-to destination for gaming, dining and entertainment. He also manages operations for Tunica RiverPark.
Webster left a career in politics and returned the Mississippi Delta to work to economically improve it. In an interview with The Clarion Ledger in July of 2014, Webster said Tunica County saw receipts for June fall to $53.6 million from $62.3 million a year earlier. Some of the figures, he said, indicated an overall decline in the casino industry.
Bryan Fischer
Who: Bryan Fischer
Title: Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association in Tupelo
Topic: Religion and casinos
Bryan Fischer is the director of issues analysis for the American Family Association, a conservative Christian organization based in Tupelo. He hosts the talk radio program Focal Point on American Family Radio and posts on the AFA-run blog Instant Analysis.
Fischer has an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Stanford University, and holds a graduate degree in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, according to his bio. He helped lead a church in Idaho for 13 years and founded the Cole Center for Biblical Studies. He later founded Community Church of the Valley and was senior pastor for 12 years before moving to Tupelo to become part of the AFA.f Idaho Values Alliance...
Other Interviews
The documentary contains other interviews with Keith Crosby, general manager of the Biloxi Palace Casino; Senator Sollie B. Norwood, D-Jackson; Dr. Royal Walker Jr., first executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission; Charlie Mitchell, former managing editor of the Vicksburg Post; Butch Brown, mayor of Natchez; Brooks Taylor, a Tunica alderwoman and publisher of the Tunica Times; John Landrum, casino chaplain; Stuart Milan, of the COPAC Addiction Treatment Center; Betty Greer, executive director of the Mississippi Council for Problem and Compulsive Gambling; Dwayne Scoggins, former gambler; George Flaggs Jr., mayor of Vicksburg; and Jay McDaniel, of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
