About and Contact
Timeshift America LLC is a collaborative effort between Michigan educators and broadcasters. The company was formed in 2020 to address the many challenges faced by students, parents and educators during the coronavirus pandemic. With the ever changing educational landscape, TimeShift America LLC and our collaborators are producing video lesson plans that are specific to Michigan and aligned with educational standards. They are well suited for any learning environment – remote, blended, or in person. Many thanks to the team below that is helping to get this project off the ground and in turn Bringing History to Life™.
TIM PAMPLIN
Tim is an award winning television journalist and documentary filmmaker. He has spent the last 30 years in the Detroit region at NBC station WDIV. You may recognize his voice as that of the Nightcam.
He has travelled the world during his television news career. Experiencing international collaboration at its finest, Tim has covered the Olympic Games in Brazil, Canada, China, Greece, Russia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Notably, Tim won two Edward R. Murrow Awards for his work on “Where Did All The Jobs Go?”, a documentary film about manufacturing job losses in Michigan, with filming taking place in China and Hong Kong.
Pamplin’s most poignant assignment was his three weeks in New York City that began the evening of September 11th, 2001.
He is a self-proclaimed “news junkie” and seeks to provide powerful and professional images of the world to his viewers. His narration is equally as engaging and eloquent.
And, yes, his accent is real. Tim was born and raised near Cambridge, England, prior to emigrating to Chicago in the early 1990s. He has made Michigan his home and intends to share its rich history through the lens of TimeShift America.
Email: Tim@timeshiftamerica.com
STEVEN MORTON, M. Ed.
Steve has been a certified Social Studies educator since 1991. He taught for over 23 years at Hazel Park Schools, including Advanced Placement courses, and also coached Academic All-State Wrestling teams. Additionally, Steve has coached Varsity Baseball at Frankel Jewish Academy.
In this changing educational landscape, Steve founded Cultural Educational Consultants of Michigan, LLC and looks forward to bringing culturally rich and authentic Michigan history to life in association with TimeShift America, LLC.
As a writer and developer of curriculum, he has also created online learning courses for Discovery Streaming Online and EduPaths.
In the community, Steve has served on the Board of Hazel Park Youth Assistance since 2015. He also coordinated a multi-year grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to get Teens Actively Serving Communities (TASC), in partnerships with B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, JARC, Ronald McDonald House in Ann Arbor, and the Pontiac Rescue Mission.
He holds a Secondary Education teaching certificate, along with a Masters in Educational Leadership & Administration from Wayne State University. He studied at Eastern Michigan University, earning a Bachelor of Sciences with degrees in Social Sciences and History.
Email: Steve@culturaled.org
MATT FRIEDMAN
Matt Friedman is co-founder of Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications in Michigan. He works directly with clients to develop and implement traditional and emerging communications strategies that support business objectives.
His clients have included an international airline, multiple global pharmaceutical companies, research universities, print and broadcast media companies; top nonprofit organizations, innovative entrepreneurial companies, and leading professional service firms. Friedman is a trusted and recognized crisis communications strategist, helping to guide organizations of all sizes through periods of “bad news” and times of change.
He began his PR career at a large Metro Detroit firm in the 1990s, after a track record of success in broadcast journalism. Most recently, he was the lead news producer for Detroit station WDIV-TV (NBC)’s 6 p.m. news broadcast, at the time Michigan’s most watched evening news program. He also served as a news producer at WKMG-TV (CBS) in Orlando, Florida and WSB-TV (ABC) in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the top news writer on the nation’s highest-rated 11 p.m. newscast. Friedman began his professional broadcasting career covering news and sports at WWJ-AM radio (CBS) in Detroit.
Friedman is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York.
Email: Mfriedman@tannerfriedman.com
JEAN ERICSON, M. Ed.
Jean has taught for over twenty years in a variety of classroom settings, ranging from 6th grade Language Arts to High School Advanced Placement courses. She is a certified educator, majoring in Communication and English, with a minor concentration in Sociology.
In addition to teaching, Jean has been a tutor in Process Writing for Oakland University, and has been self-employed as an independent tutor. She has co-written curriculum in multiple schools at multiple levels.
Jean has a Secondary Education Teaching Certificate in the state of Michigan, a Masters Degree in Education from Marygrove College, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Western Michigan University. After receiving her Masters Degree, Jean completed an additional concentration in Classroom Management from Marygrove College. She has the Advanced Placement Institute training endorsement from Oakland University, and has the College Board endorsement for teaching the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition course.
Passionate about education, Jean is very excited about being a part of the Time Shift America project and her role in the editing process.
Email: Grammarwoman57@Gmail.com
RYAN WATSON B.A.
Ryan is a recent graduate of Wayne State University, majoring in Social Studies education. He currently teaches World History and African American History at West Bloomfield High School. African American History is a new class piloted by Ryan. He created the course curriculum to give students a unique culturally responsive learning opportunity. Additionally, he coaches football, basketball, and track within the West Bloomfield School district.
At West Bloomfield High School Ryan also serves as the co-sponsor of the African American Awareness club and the African American Male Mentorship group.
Email: watson.ryanpatrick@gmail.com
Grace Jolliffe
Grace is a student at Kenyon College studying English and Drama. She has acted professionally in the Ferndale/Hazel Park area since she was 15 years old, and won two regional theatre awards for her performances with Slipstream Theatre Initiative. She is an alumna of West Bloomfield High School, where she went through the advanced placement history track for three of her four years there. She hopes TimeShift America engages young learners with its articulate and dynamic approach to teaching Michigan history!
Email: Gracejolliffe1214@gmail.com