What do you get when you combine real-world marketing trends and printing equipment innovation with a forward-thinking school of journalism? The latest event, of course.

In an exclusive presentation at the University of Mississippi’s Magazine Innovation Center titled Between the Pages, Domtar, Canon Solutions America and Print Media Centr spoke to over 200 students in the School of Journalism and New Media. The focus of the presentation was the role of print and paper in today’s marketing landscape and how recent innovations have made them more powerful than ever.

My role in the presentation, as the Brand Manager at Domtar Paper, was to speak about the top four storytelling trends in print. From encouraging lengthy interaction to building loyalty, to adding tangibility to digital, to enhancing the intent of the story, students learned how smart marketers are utilizing the benefits of print in their omnichannel campaigns to better connect with their audience. And, perhaps more importantly, they discovered how the journalism skills they’re learning today are becoming increasingly more valuable as storytelling becomes a must-have in today’s marketplace.

It’s always a pleasure to connect with the future leaders of tomorrow, but this event was a unique experience for me due to the presence of Samir “Mr. Magazine^TM” Husni, Ph. D.

Dr. Husni’s accolades and accomplishments in the world of publishing are too vast to recount in this post, but he’s the founder of the Magazine Innovation Center at University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism, owner of over 30,000 first editions and regularly engages in media consulting and research of the magazine and publishing industry.

To say his opinion is valued in the publishing world is an understatement; he’s “the country’s leading magazine expert,” according to Forbes magazine, “the nation’s leading authority on new magazines,” according to min:media industry newsletter; “a world-renowned expert on print journalism” according to CBS News Sunday Morning and The Chicago Tribune dubbed him “the planet’s leading expert on new magazines.”

The European Union’s Magazine Power magazine said, “Dr. Samir Husni is one of the world’s most influential voices in global publishing, advising major publishing houses across the globe on their editorial and advertising strategies. When he talks, the magazine industry listens…”

The students at the University of Mississippi School of Journalism are incredibly fortunate to learn from a Professor and Hederman Lecturer with such strong ties to the world of publishing.

Here’s what Dr. Husni had to say about the Project Peacock Between the Pages presentation:

“It’s always a breath of fresh air to see and hear all of the innovations taking place with the oldest technology ever invented for communication: ink on paper. Project Peacock, together with the folks from Canon Solutions and Domtar Paper, captivated the students’ attention through show and tell presentations that amplified and echoed the mission of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi, which is to amplify the future of print in a digital age.”

To see photos of the Project Peacock Between the Pages presentation, look up the #projectpeacock hashtag on twitter.

Also, I highly recommend you listen to Dr. Husni’s podcast with Print Media Centr on Podcasts from the Printerverse. It will undoubtedly be the most inspirational thing you’ve listened to today.