Felony Franks owner employs ex-cons because they “work harder”

By Ashley Kohler and Charlotte Eriksen

The stench of Marlboro Red cigarettes waves through the air, plastic bottles and paper food cartons scatter the grassy floor beneath the picnic tables. The hot sun beams over the oddly quaint hot dog business.

Felony Franks, located at 229 S. Western Avenue, serves their trademarked “misdemeanor wiener” and other jail-themed menu items through a bulletproof revolving glass window. The jail food gimmick is catchy, but the hot dog hut story is real. Felony Franks owner, Jim Andrews, 64, strictly employs his hot dog joint with ex-cons.

Felony Franks has outdoor seating that is closely monitored by Manager Jerry Tassos to avoid littering. Photo by Charlotte Eriksen

Andrews has received negative criticism from neighbors since his opening in July 2009, including Alderman Bob Fioretti, who publicly denounced the business and would not approve a curb cut for a drive-thru or sign permit. Nevertheless, Andrews hopes to further develop and expand his business, promoting the Felony Franks’ motto that felon work harder and everyone deserves a second chance in life.

“I had my setbacks with the city,” Andrews said. “Alderman [Bob] Fioretti does not like the name. [He] came right out on the radio and said he’s not going to give me a sign permit…[he] said he would not give me a curb cut [for a drive-thru]…and then he said he was going to make it as difficult as he can for me to open.

“Well you know what? I’m here. I’m open. We’re doing business,” he said.

Andrews said he needs to raise more money to open another Felony Franks location in Chicago, and has received more than 1,600 resumes and 100 requests for franchise information.

“We have sent out 11 packages to different parts of the country,” he said. “We’ve sent out contracts to Baltimore, Maryland, Rhode Island, three in California, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi and two in Florida.”

Darnell Mardis, 44, is a father and ex-felon who looked for jobs three years after he got out of prison in 2006 due to drug charges. Mardis couldn’t find anything because of his criminal background until Andrews opened Felony Franks.

Employee Darnell Mardis has worked at Felony Franks since July 2009. Photo by Charlotte Eriksen

“No money for three years,” Mardis said, wearing his red Felony Franks T-shirt.

Mardis, who was referred to Andrews through the Community Assistance Program (CAPS), said he called Andrews every week for three years to check in and try to secure a job at Felony Franks. Mardis said that a lot of former prisoners give up hope when they can’t find a job.

“I did find one job at a nursing home,” he said. “I worked for one week, [and] they fired me because of my background. At that point, I was just borrowing money for a bus pass to try and find a job.”

Though Jim Andrews is legally blind, he had a clear vision when opening Felony Franks, his intention–creating jobs for ex-offenders.

“They deserve a second chance, if society beats them down and don’t give them a second chance, they’re going back to jail,” Andrews said. “They’re going to do what they know how to do…sell drugs, steal your purse.”

Andrews said that workers like Darnell Mardis have encouraged him. “He’s very focused on the mission [here]…he’s here for the same reason I am: to help others,” Andrews said. The oversized man sits outside his hot dog joint smoking a cigarette while squinting through his small-rimmed glasses.

Andrews started with the idea of “how can we help” ex-offenders? “How much money could we raise? How many hot dog stands could we open with them and how many people could we employ? How many people can we create jobs for?”

Right now, it’s only five. Felony Franks is open seven days a week and averages 100-200 customers daily. Mardis is the team leader of four other employees and works up to 55 hours a week for $8 per hour, according to manager Jerry Tassos, 50.

“I need to raise more money to create more jobs,” Andrews said.

Andrews, owner of Andrews Paper Company, said that about ten years ago, he had some problems with his paper business. “I’d send guys out on deliveries…they’d collect cash—wouldn’t come back…All kinds of things—guys smoking marijuana and crack in the warehouse…”

A year later, Jim hired an ex-con who worked for Andrews Paper Company for three months, relapsed, and went back to jail for 61 days. The felon then got out of prison and returned to work for Andrews. He has now been with the paper company for over nine years, owns a condo, and has custody over his daughter.

Obama’s campaign said, “we need to get creative…we need to create jobs,” Andrews said. “We took it a step beyond that and at felony franks, all we hire is ex-offenders.

The concentration of felons in the 2^nd Ward is one of the highest in Chicago. City housing projects surround Felony Franks and the West Town neighborhood. Jim says it is not out of sympathy that he hires cons. “I don’t have sympathy for them. I treat them like non-offenders. We talk about life is on the inside and how much better it is on the outside.”

Felony Franks still doesn’t have their sign, but through the City of Chicago Amnesty Program, Andrews has elected to put a sign, 8 feet by 11 feet, on the corner of his property. This way, there is no need for the Alderman’s signature.

Andrews said that before he installs the sign for Felony Franks he has to remove the existing blank sign from the roof to conform with city ordinances. Photo by Charlotte Eriksen

Though Felony Franks is known for its jail images of cement bars, black and white striped jumpsuits and bulletproof glass, the business gives new opportunities for cons to have a real life on the outside. For Darnell Mardis, it is a chance to make a living and support his 3 year-old son, so he didn’t mind when customers would knock on the ordering window and ask, “what were you locked up for?”

“When we first opened, people would come and say ‘what were you locked up for?’,” Mardis said. He laughed and mimicked his response, “nothing.

“It is what it is…no more selling drugs,” he said. “I do my work right. I know what needs to be done.”

The Future of Convergent Journalism

Principles of Convergent Journalism

Wilkinson, Grant, and Fisher (Ch 12)

In converged media markets today, people want employees to know the basics:

• report the facts
• tell a clear story
• repurpose a story for the Web
• effectively work across different media formats

Global Perspective

In 2007 federal regulations prohibited cross-ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same market. As “grandfather clauses” cease and global opportunities start to expand, there will be an increase of jobs available for convergent journalists.

Though jobs overseas may seem like a chance of a lifetime for some people, there may be dangers that come with new job opportunities. Journalists should research the region thoroughly before traveling and writing in a different country. Many countries like China and Tibet lack basic freedoms and censors all material that is produced for the public. In history, journalists have been held captive and even killed for reporting material abroad that may be disruptive to a country’s government.

Watch the 1984 trailer of The Killing Fields, a real-life example of how an international reporter was put into life threatening danger on a job.

Got the Skills…How Do You Land a Job?

Begin planning right away. Write out your short and long-term goals. Start simple and build your portfolio. The best platform to display your work is by creating your own website. The goal of the content is to market yourself and show potential employers that you are credible. A website is a catalyst to show off your convergent skills and stay on top of new and upcoming technologies.

REMINDER: Being credible means taking any inappropriate videos and photos off of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Growth Never Stops

Once you have landed a job as a journalists, your growth and learning process with never come to an end. Journalism is a business that is in constant change. Writers, bloggers, photographers, camera men …(etc.) have to stay on top of the latest trends, techniques, and technologies to serve the best information and give audiences what they ask for.

Converging with Other Emerging Media

Principles of Convergent Journalism

Wilkinson, Grant, and Fisher (Ch 11)

News organizations can tell deliver stories through other mediums than print, broadcast and online formats. Effective delivery agents are  also RSS (really simple syndication), email, text messaging, billboards, and radio broadcasts.

RSS- “really simple syndication”

RSS is an internet tool to feed content to users who have selected to receive specific content.  RSS delivers news t fast, without having people search through numerous web pages. Since people subscribe to certain RSS feeds, they have control to decide whether or not the content will be read. Some people may not take the time to even subscribe to a RSS feed.

Set up your own RSS simple syndication feed.

EMAIL

Emails are a quick way to deliver news. Text, video, photos, graphics, etc. can all be attached or uploaded to an email document. Readers still have the option whether or not to read the email content. News organizations must be cautious not send numerous emails to audience members. If readers are bombarded with messages, the emails may be turned into spam or trash.

Emails can be effectively used for news if kept short and concise. News organizations should create catchy headlines that grab readers and then give links to websites to provide more information on the story.

Most email services like Yahoo! provide news directly on their mail site and send updates throughout the day to users.

TEXT MESSAGES

Text messaging or also called (SMS- short message system) is also a quick and easy way to deliver news. Text messages are short, usually  ranging 150 characters and are popular among younger generations. Text messages can be great to update news readers on weather warnings, traffic news, stock prices, and sport scores. News organizations, like MSNBC must be careful not to overuse the medium and know the the texts may be distracting to the average user.

BILLBOARDS

Billboards are normally placed at busy intersections and traffic flow locations where readers can catch a glimpse while going to and from work. Billboards can display catchy news headlines, videos, graphics, etc. One danger is that billboards can also be distracting to drivers and content usually must be squeezed to around 10 words total.

Read more about the pros and cons of electronic billboards.

RBDS- RADIO BROADCAST DATA SERVICE

Radio delivers short bursts of news, music, and advertisements all day long. Radio messages are short with no images and no graphics. Audience members usually listen while they are traveling to and from work or at home. Radio messages can be distracting. News organizations should be careful not to relay tragic news over the airwaves. Some people believe radio will soon be gone as technologies progress in the future.

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Broadcast to Internet: Repurposing Content

Principles of Convergent Journalism

Wilkinson, Grant, and Fisher (PG 75-90)

What is Repurposing a Story?

Repurposing: taking a news story and tailoring it to a different medium. Click here for the dictionary definition.

News organizations repurpose stories created on air for the web. News operations must have a prominent web presence to stay above the competition. People want news on demand, anytime throughout the day. News organizations must be organized and deliver news content in every medium.

Web Stories

Combines print and electronic media. Stories on the web can be short or long. Posting stories on the internet is inexpensive. Unlike television, footage on the web can be shown all day and all night.

Many TV stations contract web organizations to build out their websites.  News sites are designed to constantly replenish postings on the web. Now web outlets are used for the main source of news, not just to promote a news organization brand.

User Friendly Websites

Users want clutter free and easy to read sites. Websites enable viewers to be interactive. People can voice their own opinions through chat rooms, blog comments, polls, etc. For news organization to effectively brand their identity, web material must match the content to stories produced on-air. Check out CNN’s user-friendly website.

Web Shells and Presentation

Web shells are space on the web dedicated to report on a specific topic. Presentation of stories on the web must include interactivity, short/ tight sentences, photos, polls, comment boxes etc.

Using Video

Digitizing online content for the web is common when using interviews, podcasts, and video. Technology has allowed video to be portable. Reporters can film their own audio and video and upload it to the web in seconds. Final Cut Pro, Premiere, and Avid are all editing programs that news organization utilize to snip and edit footage quickly and efficiently for web usage.

24/7 News

With news happening every second of the day, audiences want access immediately. The web is a great tool to have instant information and breaking news. Web content is so common that many reporters now give their web versions of their stories to news directors when turning in their broadcast version.

Basics In Broadcasting

Principles of Convergent Journalism

Wilkinson, Grant, and Fisher

Back to the Basics

Essential qualities all journalists must possess whether they are working for a newspaper, radio, television or an online news site: accuracy, attention to detail, compelling information, solid attribution, proper grammar, word usage, spelling and punctuation.

How TV is Different

Television stresses the visual. Images on-screen dominate over reporters and voiceovers. TV is often “live” in the moment, covering the latest breaking news. TV is simple storytelling. Presentation cannot confuse the viewer.

TV Staff

Television staffs are large and task-specific, unlike radio staffs. Broadcast news relies on a team of people to support each other. Positions include: News Director, Producer, Assignment Editor, Anchor, Reporter, Photographer, Video Editor, Graphic Artist, Studio Production Staff, Librarian/Archivist, and Field Producer.

TV Relies on Visuals

Print allows readers to scan and pause whereas TV is quick, engaging, and can be dramatic. TV depends on graphical elements to bring a story together. Maps, charts, animations, music, ect. all bring a story together. To create a visual story package a team must have: topic, interviews (close-ups & B-Roll), solid script with sound bites, voice tracks, and effectively export the footage either to the web or DVD.

Time

TV stories are normally short and basic. Stories that do not show any visuals usually range about 20 seconds on tape. Voice-Over (VO) and Sound on Tape (SOT) are staples to TV news. This is the voice of the reporter or anchor on the tape while visual pictures are appearing on-screen. TV packages are the actual recorded story. Reporters normally appear once or twice during the story, introducing the topic and closing at the end. Video essays and montages are also common in TV. A reporter may choose to tell a story through photos with voice-over commentary.

Reporter/Talent/Personality/Celebrity

TV is far different from print where the reader does not see the writer of the story. An anchor or reporter on TV is seen by mass audiences and populations. Persons who work in the TV industry and are on film must go through voice training, show an appealing/clean appearance, and be likable to large audiences. An anchor may have to go through voice training to sound authoritative, friendly and sincere. A strong speaker should be able to use inflection and pause in certain areas when presenting on camera. Viewers demand specific qualities like wardrobe, facial hair, jewelry, etc.

Final Note

TV packages must be easy to understand visually and audibly no jargon, slang, or choppy visuals.