My Creative Mentor

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2010-05-19T13:51:00.001-04:00

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2010-05-15T15:22:00.014-04:00

Design Authority, David Barringer speaks at LAC

David Barringer's presentation on “APPRECIATING DESIGN FROM START TO FINISH” was a great event for all students and visitors of the College. Mr. Barringer has worked within and around the mainstream book & magazine publishing world for nearly two decades.

Mr. Barringer has amassed a great deal of experience, industry contacts and know-how about book design, printing, publishing, sales, and marketing by following his career in this manner. He has full control over his final product, the book, and its dissemination. He does it all, the writing, the editing, the cover design, the typesetting, and everything else involved in publishing a book.

"David was very interesting," reported Lena Corter, Interactive Media Arts Instructor, "his insight was helpful for students looking for a unique perspective on design and creative careers."

Students got a special treat when David decided to visit many of the classrooms for intense one-on-one art directing sessions with the students on their current projects.

"So many new ideas I have now...about where I can take my project and new directions I'd like to try" - Nathan Wellman, Interactive Media Arts Student.

Along with a series of studio visits, famed author and design expert David Barringer spoke to students the evening of May 4, 2010 and May 5, 2010 in the Stars Theatre at Living Arts College. David Barringer's visit was one of many this quarter at Living Arts College - stay tuned for more!

2010-04-27T19:23:00.005-04:00

NAB SHOW 2010 CONFERENCE

3D movie making is here!

If there is one thing to say about NAB 2010 it is, “The guerilla filmmaker can make 3D movies just like the pros.” That’s right, NAB this year was a winner if you are the budget minded Broadcaster, Filmmaker, Content Creator or are just getting started in the business of media content development.

The Stand-Out Companies were Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Arri, Autodesk and Adobe.

In an exhibit space of 1.9 million square feet, the NAB show kicked off with an exciting keynote address by SONY’s CEO, Hiroshi Yoshicka. The word…3D is here and here to stay. Receiving an award was none other than BACK TO THE FUTURE star Michael J. Fox. Michael has inspired many with his fight as he lives with Parkinson’s disease.

Walking the convention floor, the leaders of technology began to stand out quickly.

The cameras of choice were the CANON 7D and 5D, the ARRI ALEXA and the PANASONIC AG-3DA1 3D.

Each has a specific market in mind.
1.Guerrilla Filmmaking
2.Feature Filmmaking
3.3D Content Creation

The CANON 7D and 5D was the talk of the show and was at almost every booth you walked up to. Unsurpassed HD quality and a very simple workflow made this camera the choice for guerilla filmmakers.

For the feature filmmaker, the ARRI ALEXA may be the camera that kills film. Aimed at the RED ONE, this camera has depth of field and requires no extra processing of content.

3D movie making is ready for the world and the PANASOINIC AG-3DA1 is the one camera that will be the major force in that happening. This camera can shoot ‘ready to edit’ 3D footage straight from the camera.

SONY, AUTODESK, and Adobe just released the latest versions of their award winning production suites. SONY VEGAS PRO 9 new version includes some new advance features, in particular a new plug-in called MAYHEM and real import of CANON HD files.

ADOBE just released the new CS5 suite at the show. CS5 After effects was the rave. It has a powerful list of new features, two of which are MOCHA for AE and DIGIEFFECTS free form.

Mac users have been added to the list of high-end finishing platforms. AUTODESK is laying down the red carpet for them. The New release of Smoke for the Mac OS X is a 64 bit power house with a seamless workflow for various grades of content.

All suites include the effortless import of 3D content and converting 2D to 3D.

NAB was winner hands down, just two words left to say…

STAY TUNED!

2010-04-26T15:47:00.001-04:00

Living Arts Institute Participates in Health and Wellness Fair

The Living Arts Institute was one of 90 exhibitors at the Natural Triad Health and Wellness Show on April 10 at the Greensboro Coliseum. Students performed free chair massages and blood pressure checks, and faculty and staff networked for admissions, externship opportunities, and job placement.

The event was sponsored by Natural Triad magazine, a monthly publication that focuses on “natural health, complementary and alternative medicine, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, and the products and services that support good health.” Publisher and event organizer Matt Mulinic said that in its second year, this year’s fair “blew the doors off last year’s attendance.” Mulinic estimated that well over 12,600 residents from throughout the Triad had entered the exhibit hall by mid-afternoon, up more than 1,500 from the year before.

“We’ve done at least 200 blood pressure checks,” said Patricia Carter, R.N., who supervised Medical Assistant students Barry Atkins, Molly Hampton, Debra King, Debra Petree and Georgia Temple. LAI was the only exhibitor providing blood pressure screenings, though the school was one of many providing chair massages.

“But ours are the best,” said Assistant Campus Director Lauren Whitaker, who staffed the event along with Professional Services Co-Directors Ben Hatch and Heather Schicker. “I just had a 70-year-old woman tell me that the chair massage performed by Sam Crowell was the best she had ever had.” In addition to Crowell, massage therapy students Danita Bohannon, Tracy Dixon, Sandra Gallimore, Mary Gore, Endia Lewis, Sheri Myers, Gene Perry, Shelly Rignola and Bethany Voyles participated in the fair.

Along with the services provided, LAI offered coupons for free massages. “Students are required to perform clinical practice as part of their curriculum,” Hatch explained. “Members of the public can come into our facility and get a one-hour, full-body table massage.” Though the school will begin charging $20 for the practicum massages, those who bring a coupon from the health fair will not be charged.

Schicker said the health fair offered valuable networking for both students and staff. “I’ve met representatives from chiropractor’s offices, spas, and clinics that are going to be hiring, or could use an extern. We will definitely be following up on a lot of contacts that we’ve made here.”

LAI also offered two spa baskets as door prizes. Participants who completed a school interest card will be contacted by an Admissions Representative. The first two who complete a guided interview at the School will receive a basket, which contains massage oil, a spa towel, spa sound machine, stress relief wrap, back massager, aluminum water bottle, and LAI logo coffee mug.

Living Arts Institute, located at 1100 South Stratford Road in Winston-Salem, opened its doors in January 2009, offering day and evening diploma programs in Medical Assistant, Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Administrative Specialist, and Massage Therapy. It is a branch campus of Living Arts College in Raleigh, which confers baccalaureate degrees in photography, filmmaking, animation, audio production and interior design.

2010-04-18T16:32:00.008-04:00

Jazz Guitarist Inspires Student Audio Engineers

Jazz guitarist Scott Sawyer brought his musical knowledge and expertise to the Living Arts College (LAC) recording studio this March for Jason Richmond’s project studio class. Accompanying Scott were bassist Matt Brandau and drummer Dan Hall, of the Chapel Hill rock group, Old Ceremony. Scott Sawyer is an internationally recognized guitarist with a host of recording and performing credits. He has shared the stage and recorded with many notable artists, including Nneena Freelon, Charlie Byrd, Oteil Burbridge, Jon Metzger, David Murray, Scott Ainslee, Ghezzi, Bob Cranshaw, Gongzilla, Willie Pickens, Ed Thigpen, Bill Anshell, and Lois Deloatch. His latest album “Go There,” featured bassist Oteil Burbridge (The Allman Brothers), Charlotte bassist Ron Brendle, Kofi Burbridge (Derek Trucks Band), and Kenny Soule (DAG).

LAC Students’ Trey Thomas, Terrence Long, Kevin Spence, and David Pruitt were amongst those that participated with the set up and tracking of the trio. The trio was set up in a circle in the B2R studios just using baffles to separate them. Tracking utilized the Toft console in the B control room, as well as the newly added API and Great River preamps. The group began the recording by playing several free improvisations then moved on to re-workings of several pop tunes, including John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” and Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.” Scott and LAC students experimented with a song by Matt Brandau and a groove based on Tom Waits’ “Sins of My Father.” The day ended with a jazz standard by the great jazz bassist Charles Mingus, titled “Nostalgia in Times Square.”

Students were both honored and inspired by Scott’s visit as it was not just a recording lesson, but a music one too. He spoke of his experience in the music industry and recording processes between breaks. The session gave students the opportunity to work hands-on with notable and highly talented musicians. The ability to learn the art of recording while working with the “best of the best” provides students with the experience they need to be successful in the recording business.

2010-04-14T18:45:00.004-04:00

Scott Myers speaks to LAC students

Students at Living Arts College were treated to an evening with Hollywood screenwriter Scott Myers. Mr. Myers is credited with having three of his scripts produced into major motion pictures. These include K-9 starring Jim Belushi, Alaska starring Thora Birch, and Trojan Wars starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Mr. Myers has written over twenty other screenplays for major Hollywood studios and has developed numerous network television shows in his twenty-five year career in the industry.

Mr. Myers spoke with LAC digital filmmaking students about the purpose of every character in a script and how important this was to the overall process of writing. He used the film The Wizard of Oz to analyze each character’s role in the overall structure of the story. After his two-hour presentation, Mr. Myers fielded questions from students on a wide range of topics, from writing to selling scripts. All the students were extremely delighted with the experience and thanked David Acuff for organizing the event.

Mr. Myers currently resides in Chapel Hill where he is Executive Producer with Distillery Pictures. In his spare time, he teaches a scriptwriting course at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as a UCLA Extension course where he received the Writer’s Program’s Outstanding Instructor of the Year award in 2005. David Acuff, Digital Filmmaking Instructor at Living Arts College met Scott Myers while working with him on a project at Trail Blazer Studios in Raleigh, NC.

2010-04-14T18:41:00.003-04:00

No Drawing Required

No longer will Digital Filmmaking students who think that they “can’t draw”, need to worry when it comes time to produce storyboards for their film projects. Digital Filmmaking students at Living Arts College now have the same previsualization capabilities as any Hollywood production studio, thanks to FrameForge Previz Studio 3 software recently installed in the department’s computer lab. Students are very excited to find that FrameForge Previz Studio 3 enables them to create a virtual set in the computer with the freedom to place any number of virtual camera positions, angle or height desired. Each camera features full Pan/Tilt, Dolly, Zoom, Roll, and Crane control.

FrameForge Previz Studio comes with well over one thousand World-Ready™ objects from a simple drag'n'drop library including everything you need to build exteriors, homes, offices, whatever. Students can explore each shot before they start shooting. Previsualize your project with FrameForge Previz Studio 3 and your printed or exported storyboards will not only be optically-accurate, but they'll give your cast and crew a true representation of your directoral intentions, including the technical information required to create that shot on location.

Students can quickly and easily create sets that give real world information with stretchable snap-together walls. Add movable, hinged single and double doors that open to any angle, and movable, completely sizable windows.

The Shot Manager allows students to view, rearrange, delete and edit any of your stored shots. Decide you want to tighten up a close-up, or give someone more headroom? Just double-click that shot and you'll be taken back to that set, exactly as it was when you first snapped it-including all actors, props and camera positioning. Make any changes you want and snap it again to replace the old version. Students can add movement arrows and camera framing boxes-which designate zoom or pans within a shot-to your shot, then stretch, scale, flip, and tilt these arrows/boxes to create just the look you want.

The digital film students at Living Arts College jumped right into working with the new FrameForge Previz 3 software this week. They all agree that this software will be a tremendous asset to their future productions.

2010-04-14T18:32:00.007-04:00

James Perry Fundraiser at Riverwood

The James Perry Fundraiser Golf Tournament was held on Friday, April 9th at the Riverwood Golf Club in Clayton, NC. Living Arts College (LAC) was represented by a contingency of three golfers: Gordon Russell, Director of Education, Craig Brandwynne, Audio Co-Program Coordinator, and Cole Russing, Digital Filmmaking Instructor.

James Perry

The event was organized by Tommy Ballard of Rex Hospital to help with the expense of James Perry’s upcoming kidney transplant. James could not be present, however, his son and daughter read a statement on his behalf expressing his tremendous appreciation to all who participated. The tournament was a great success. Living Arts College’s team finished with a four over par in the face of cold, windy, and wet weather conditions on the front nine. By the end of the 18 holes the skies had cleared and everyone sat down for a BBQ lunch.

(from right) Gordon Russell, Cole Russing, Craig Brandwynne, and Tim Blake

2010-04-07T12:53:00.017-04:00

2010 AIGA Raleigh: Student Portfolio Review

Saturday, March 27, students from regional schools all over North Carolina converged at Durham ad agency, McKinney to meet local design leaders and endure the equivalent of four 30 minute mock interviews.

"This is where the local interactive media arts and design industry is at.” reported Vincent Gardner, Living Arts College (LAC) Senior Instructor and AIGA Raleigh Education Director.

"The event was a great success.” stated LAC AIGA Raleigh Student Group representative Chelae Cummings. Chelae volunteered along with over 15 students from local student groups to help coordinate the event. Chelae has been a force of creative excellence at the College and influential in keeping the LAC AIGA Raleigh Student Group active and involved.

Seating was limited as over 10 local schools participated with 39 total desks being available. Living Arts College had four student desks: Nathan Wellman, Kirstin Wiltjer, Maria Hartman and Gerri Fernandez all seemed energized by the end of the afternoon and could not stop talking about what their reviewers told them.

Tiffany Johnson and Shako Oteko, additional LAC students, participated as volunteers.

“It was great!” reported student Shako Oteko.

College staff and creative professionals from across the country work together to help students develop their portfolios and to prepare them for job interviews. Overall, LAC students were more than prepared for this event.

The event helps students not only develop their body of work, but also (and perhaps just as importantly) in developing their network of contacts.

“When students go to events like this they see what can make them stand apart from the crowd.” stated Chelae Cummings.

At LAC, students are exposed to an intense curriculum of professional development, including creative, professional, business and technical know-how.

"This special focus makes the difference for students when interviewing!" reported Review Panelist and LAC Assistant Campus Director, Matthew Kelly.

2010-03-24T18:33:00.021-04:00

15,000+ Attendees and Growing at the WPPI Convention in Las Vegas

The Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) held its 30th anniversary this year reaching record high attendance. Photographers from Japan, Russia, Australia and several other countries joined 15,000+ photographers to share and learn the tricks of the trade.

Living Arts College photography students experienced four nights in Las Vegas, at one of the largest photography conventions in the world. They mingled, socialized and learned from the world’s most talented photographers.

For the city that never sleeps, the photography students attended classes by day and toured the city by night. They learned marketing strategies, photography techniques, and the must know basics of photography. They captured photos of the city lights and architecture.

The Canon Keynote Speaker Gregory Heisler, world renowned photographer presented an exciting overview of his portrait work for magazines, advertisements and private commissions. His photography has been featured in more than 70 issues of TIME magazine as well as LIFE, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times Magazine.

The photography student attendees had an overwhelming experience and had this to say:

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the photographs don’t.” – Jill Brunkhorst

“I learned new things and loved meeting people from all over the world.” – Shaquanna Kelly

“WPPI was an awesome experience. I got to meet and learn from professional photographers and experience what the work force could be like.” – Renate Stokke

2010-03-17T17:13:00.015-04:00

Alumni News

Barry Safley is a veteran of twelve years with Industrial Light and Magic. Barry worked most recently on the movies Star Wars and AVATAR. Barry is a compositor and loves NUKE for compositing.

Carl Schmidt was just promoted to Assistant Art Director at Electronic Arts. Carl has been working at EA for over six years on the SIMS project and is now busy on SIMS 3 AMBITIONS. Carl is also planning a spring wedding to his fiancé, Kristen.

Craig Slagle is coming up on his one year anniversary with Rhythm and Hues. Prior to Rhythm and Hues, Craig worked at EA for seven years. Craig is also a former Living Arts College @ the School of Communication Arts professor and is an avid runner.

Pierre Chastain is busy working on Zoo Keeper at Sony. Pierre recently worked on the just released movie, Alice in Wonderland.

Dean Sauls is now at AFK Interactive working on mobile apps. Dean was the owner of PRAXIS Studio before selling to a larger company. Dean and his wife, Tricia, just had their third baby.

2010-03-17T16:13:00.012-04:00

“3 THE HARD WAY”
Documentary Screening - Three Unique Artists Collaborate

Living Arts College @ School of Communications Arts is proud to host “3 The Hard Way”, a film documentary by Octave Blue Entertainment Production an entrepreneur venture of LAC alumnus Robert King presented by “THE LoDi PROJECT.”

What happens when you bring together a graffiti artist from the streets of Philly, a cartoonist born and bred in the South, and a French Puerto Rican, mixed media/collage painter to collaborate on an artistic project?

Over the last ten months Sean Kernick and Paul Friedrick collaborated with Georges Le Chevallier, professor at Living Arts College, to create 14 canvasses and 15 drawings. Three artists from completely different backgrounds will present their work in a unique film documentary. Living Arts College is pleased to welcome alumnus Robert King who worked in conjunction with his wife Lisa King of Octave Blue Entertainment to film the year-long process.

“It will be interesting to see how three artists, with completely different backgrounds, processes and styles come together to create a finished painting. “
--Georges LeChevallier

“THE LoDi PROJECT” exists as a curatorial organization that strives to bring attention to current issues and ideas by creating an atmosphere of open dialogue through site- specific and traveling exhibitions, performances and productions.

2010-03-17T16:10:00.004-04:00

Campus Director Enjoys a Fun Day at “The Walt Disney Family Museum”

The Walt Disney Family Museum is brand new. It just recently opened its doors in October and is located in the Presidio of South Florida. How convenient—just down the street from ILM!

The museum is arranged in chronological order of Walt Disney’s life, recounting the history of his life and career. The galleries are:

ADULT BEGINNINGS: Includes scenes from childhood, youth, and early adulthood.

HOLLYWOOD: Walt arriving in the movie capital. Includes original artwork that documents the silent-film series success of Mickey Mouse.

NEW HORIZONS IN THE 30’S: Success of Walt’s cartoons led to a revolution in the art and technology of animation.

THE MOVE TO FEATURES: Walt dares to produce a feature length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

WE WERE IN A NEW BUSINESS: A new studio was built in Burbank. Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi were produced here. This exhibit shows off rare production pieces along with multiple camera cranes used during production.

THE TOUGHEST PERIOD IN MY WHOLE LIFE: 1941. Disney experienced an animators strike. Training films for World War II also took place during this time.

POST WAR PRODUCTION: Walt ventures into live-action production. An under water camera used for filming 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea can be seen.

WALT & THE NATURAL WORLD: Walt’s documentary film production is illustrated with his specialized equipment used to produce wildlife films.

THE 1950’S & 1960’S—THE BIG SCREEN AND BEYOND: Walt branches out from motion pictures to television and creates an innovative theme park called Disney Land. These attractions were introduced at the 1964 World’s Fair.

DECEMBER 15, 1966: Walt’s death shocks and saddens the world, but his legacy will continue to inspire future generations.

2010-03-17T16:01:00.018-04:00

“ARTISTS UNITE FOR HAITI”

Professors, alumni and students joined together at Living Arts College (LAC) to support their friend and colleague Georges LeChevallier in his efforts to bring relief to Haiti after the earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010.

Georges LeChevallier, LAC Professor and Activist

Georges & Carrie LeChevallier, directors of the curatorial organization “THE LoDi PROJECT”, collaborated with LAC’s professor of photography, Peter Eversoll, to put out an international call for artists to create art to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti. Georges LeChevallier’s cousin, Gerard LeChevallier, who worked for the United Nations in Haiti was never found after the earthquake. THE LoDi Project strives to bring attention to current issues and ideas by creating an atmosphere of open dialogue through site- specific and traveling exhibitions, performances and productions.

“Humbling to see how the human spirit works.” -- Georges LeChevallier

The “Artists Unite for Haiti” artwork sold for twenty five dollars each and the artists’ names remained anonymous until each piece was sold. The exhibit raised over 12,000 dollars. Many local artists donated pieces to the auction including LAC’s students, alumni and professors. Proceeds were donated to Mercy Corps and designated to the immediate relief of the Haitian people.

Over 300 artists from fourteen countries reached out to “THE LoDi PROJECT”, donating over 1,000 pieces of artwork which included paintings, sketches, poems, collages and a unique dissertation. The unification of such efforts was humbling to all those who participated in the exhibition.

Living Arts College is proud of the support that photography professor, Peter Eversoll, gave to the “Artists Unite for Haiti” effort. In 2009, he spent time in Haiti photographing its people and culture as part of a greater project that aims to portray a face of humanity within a context of underdevelopment.

2010-03-17T15:50:00.006-04:00

Living Arts College Students Wowed at Game Developer’s Conference

Motion control and social gaming were the hot topics at GDC, the annual convention for game designers, programmers and creatives.

The Game Developer’s Conference is the place to be and Living Arts College students and faculty were there to “rub elbows” with the industry leaders.

Sony shook up the conference with a splashy introduction of the PlayStation Move. Watch out Nintendo… this will rival the Wii.

The biggest buzz was reserved for social gaming, a form of easy-to-play online multiplayer games. The success of “Farmville” and “Mafia Wars” is amazing. LAC students Holly Rowland, Michael Grant, Alexa Riley and Alex Loeffler checked out “Power Gig.” The upcoming guitar game was introduced in a mocked-up living room populated with hipsters rocking out to “Power Gig.”

“Civilization” and “Railroad Tycoon” designer Sid Meier delivered a keynote speech to hundreds of onlookers on the psychology of game design. Meier is the Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games.

The students who attended had these things to say:

“GDC was a terrific experience and it was very exciting to meet so many industry professionals.” Holly Rowland

“It was big, it was long, very educational……definitely a learning experience.” Alexa Riley

“It was a great opportunity to get a ton of insight in the industry.” Michael Grant

“GDC was a very good opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals.” Patrick VanNortwick

“It was a great networking opportunity.” Alex Loeffler

2010-03-17T15:36:00.013-04:00

College Director Networking for Success in Placement at GDC

Learning Arts College @ School of Communication Arts has a long association with industry leaders in animation, game design, film and audio. Assisting graduates to move into top positions in these industries is accomplished by the graduate using their unique skill sets gained at the College.

The College’s “secret weapon” is the Campus Director’s networking with colleagues that she has known for over 25 years. “Networking is my sole reason for attending Game Developer’s Conference” states College Director Debra Ann Hooper. I can shake hands with leaders from Blizzard, Lucas Arts, Epic, Ubisoft, Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, Disney Interactive Media Group and Crytek Gmbh, all under the same roof. “My goal is to be able to text, email, or phone an industry contact when I have a talented graduate that I know has the skill set needed for their company,” reports Ms. Hooper.

2010-03-17T15:08:00.008-04:00

LAC Students Take Home Four ADDY Awards

“It’s all about the art of the message", reports College Director Debra Hooper. “We won in this tough advertising competition because the goal at the College is to develop great content skills. We are moving students beyond learning Photoshop techniques to exciting audiences with stories and images that count.”

Living Arts College @ School of Communication Arts (LAC) students took home four awards at the 2010 Triangle ADDY Awards. The awards were announced and hosted by legendary Advertising Executive, Charlotte Beers. It was a fun-filled Gala evening at the ADDYs honoring LAC students Nicole Litts, Geoff Helderman and Austin Burley in student categories.

Nicole Litts received a gold ADDY and was “Best in Show” for her TV spot for the Truth.com campaign on anti-smoking and “Mothers with Birth Defects.” Two Silver ADDY awards were presented to Geoff Helderman, “Drunk Driving Prevention Ad” and Austin Burley for the typographic illustration of “Christopher Walken”. LAC is thrilled to honor the students and the recognition they will receive in pursuing careers in the interactive media industry.

“Support from Instructors was tremendous and helped me shape my creative concepts into digital media.” – Nicole Litts

"Winning this award is a true benchmark in my life. Not only can I look at it proudly, I can also smile knowing this is only the beginning." – Austin Burley

“It was a true honor to win an award for a project I put so much time and effort into. Working on the MADD campaign was a great experience.” – Geoff Helderman

College staff includes professionals who are representative of the talent and strength of the local Raleigh ADDY Award group--American Advertising Federation. Michael Winslow, Creative Director at LAC is the recipient of the 2009 AAF Silver Medal Award, recognizing men and women who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s creative standards. Winslow participates in developing the College’s special focus on design content. “Our programs incorporate the talents of staff members like Michael Winslow, who transfer years of practical content know-how to critiquing portfolios. This is why we have developed a Greenlight process for mentoring student development,” reports College Director Debra Hooper.

Thinking “Out of the Box” - Suzanne Meiler

2010-02-18T13:55:00.016-05:00

January 28, 2010 – Raleigh – Suzanne Meiler, guest speaker and former Alumni of Living Arts College, presented an “Out of Box” discussion on how to make it as a professional in the game industry. Meiler comes from an extensive background in environmental modeling having over 10 years experience in the game industry working for conglomerates such as Random Games, Red Storm Entertainment, Destineer/Atomic Games and most recently with Vaco as a Director of Design and Gaming recruiting top industry professionals. She has focused on managing a large team, hiring, scheduling, performing art critiques, and producing documentation.

“Don’t be a Jack of all trades and master of none.” – Suzanne Meiler

Working in either motion pictures or the game industry requires practice by exploring your art skills, whether it is traditional painting, life or architectural drawing. Whatever it takes to improve your skill set to be prepared in your field, just do it! Focus on one specific genre and explore texture, lighting and prop layouts. What is most important is that you stand out and have the work to prove it! Think out of the box by making your own iPhone application or work with other students to design a game.

“Don’t burn bridges.” – Suzanne Meiler

Wherever you work, keep good ties with former supervisors and colleagues. Forming working relationships can help build your experience in the workplace and open up other opportunities down the road.

When developing your portfolio what message are you sending to potential employers?

Below is Suzanne’s Checklist on Portfolio Basics

1) If you are an environment artist, have examples on your website. A CD/DVD is nice, but having a website is more important.
2) Make sure when building your website you have a clean header, it is easy on the eye and your work speaks for itself.
3) Attach your demo reel on your website link, NOT your blog.
4) Create a menu that is easy to navigate.
5) Present a variety of skills with a focus.
6) Design your website using media other than Flash. Industry professionals can view websites on their iPhone and it will not upload if the website is designed in Flash.
7) Separate your personal blog from your professional website.

Networking can increase your chances of finding a job by joining organizations such as IFFA, Game Initiative, GDC and E3. Facebook, LinkedIn and other industry related social media websites have also had a great impact in the digital media world.

“Preparing a resume, building a portfolio and networking are top priorities to land a job in the industry.” says Meiler. Writing a resume is not always easy, so take a step back and think about what you want, do research on potential employers and write a resume that sells.
When applying for jobs, send an email or apply online, create a cover letter which is brief and to the point, research information about the company and read the job postings carefully. Write a list of questions an employer would ask and be prepared to ask questions regarding the position. And last but not least, follow up with the employer with a thank you letter.

“Suzanne was spot on. She cares about this industry and she cares about our students. Suzanne said exactly what the students needed to hear. It showed through her presentation. She illustrated her points accurately and eloquently using her experience in the industry and her position now as a recruiter. “ – Kwame Hawkins

Meiler provided students a glimpse of what to expect in the world of animation in the game industry and ended the discussion with questions from the students. She is most notable for the environment designs on AAA titles such as the Ghost Recon series, Rainbow Six, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. At Atomic she worked on the highly anticipated and controversial game Six Days in Fallujah.

--------------------------
Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Terrance Mann at Living Arts College

2010-02-11T11:04:00.010-05:00

Friday, January 1st we hosted a workshop for the theater students from Wakefield high school. Due to the snow, Wake County closed all after school activities. Professor Craig Brandwynne, with Paul Orsett, Wakefield’s theater director, had arranged for the students to use our facility for the workshop and we were more than happy to do so.

The workshop was directed by Broadway actor, singer and dancer Terrance Mann.Terrance Mann has originated roles in major Broadway productions such as Rum Tum Tugger in Cats and Javert in Les Mis, among others. Craig Brandwynne took Mr. Mann on a tour of the school. Terrance was very impressed and was amazed that a college like this can not only offer the programs and the technology for students, but the students can also earn a Bachelors degree, said Craig. Terrance is on Broadway now in the new musical “The Adams Family” with Nathan Lane. When he is back in North Carolina, we will invite him to speak at one of our functions.

Opportunities like this happen very often here at Living Arts College. Our professors are very well connected with their respective industries. Not only do they teach at the college, they also work in the industry

We would like to thank Mr. Brandwynne and Mr. Orsett for arranging this amazing event. Roughly 25 students were glued to Mr. Mann as he listened to each one sing, offering suggestions and constructive criticism. He is a remarkable mentor and we loved hosting this event.

--------------------------
Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

LAC Students attend the AAF RDU Leadership Summit – Advertising Tunes up in Rough Times

2009-12-09T11:53:00.015-05:00

Without question, the economy and current global events have caused us to re-examine the world we live in from several different aspects. Industry professionals from Ogilvy, Howard Merrell & Partners, McKinney, Capstrat and Craig Jackson & Partners bring to us the inside story on advertising discussing traditional media, recession, strategy, branding and understanding cultural trends held at the AAF RDU Leadership Summit on Wednesday, November 18. Living Arts College – School of Communication Arts joins in with 18 students to hear from top advertising executives in the triangle. The main presentation was filled with lively, relevant discussion on advertising. LAC Instructor, Vince Gardner and School Director, Debra Hooper asked very poignant questions about how these companies are differentiating and parsing the new social media landscape.

“Newspapers are not dead, they are more customized.” - Kathy Pepper, Ogilvy
Is traditional media important given the major web trends in marketing and advertising? Kathy Pepper from Ogilvy discusses newspapers and their place in modern and digital media. Though newspapers appear to be a more primitive outlet for the news her opinion is it will remain, yet will be more customized.
Managing a recession in advertising requires strategy. Some key points the panel discussion board provided include: Investigate how you are investing; Acquire new accounts and tap into new industries; Build your business and reinvent your brand; Ensure clear communication and team morale. As for instance, are you sticking with the trends going “Green”? How does your target market consume media?
“Clients all want more for less.” - Donna Mercer, Howard Merrell & Partners
Clients will always want more for less in a struggling economy. Donna Mercer from Howard Merrell & Partners suggests diversifying a department to accommodate a Clients’ need and, in turn, business grows. You have a unique opportunity to get them to give you a try. Know your Client, and design your advertising to appeal to them.

Simplifying complexity, a good reputation, innovations, strategy, marketing, teamwork and execution are all important aspects to consider when choosing an agency which is why branding is important as well as a diverse portfolio. Focus on all aspects of your business not just cash flow.
“The concept of “flat” organizational business structures and professionals being agile, flexible and versatile were other key points of discussion. The upcoming BA program in Interactive Media Arts is designed to meet the challenge of training students to be “business creative social marketers” in today’s ever-changing digital landscape! ” - Matthew Kelly – Assistant Director of Education
Now let’s talk about creative and media strategy for the recession! Mobile social marketing is not only a current and “big idea” trend it has had a great impact with corporations. Students entering into advertising should have working knowledge in digital media, good work ethics, and real world experience, write well and integrate this into every day life to stand out in the crowd.
“I thought the Summit was very interesting and informative. It was a great networking opportunity and a great chance for anyone looking to break into the industry.” - Holly Rowland, Current LAC Student
All presenters could not stress enough the importance of new professionals being digitally savvy and having a passion for their trade. Virtually most businesses can make it in a thriving economy, but only the best businesses make it during the tough ones. Success happens when we focus on managing our assets, ourselves, employees, clients as well as keeping up with the trends.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

LAC Graduates and Students Join Forces with Local Studio and Magazine

2009-12-09T11:52:00.009-05:00

Living Arts College (LAC) is proud to announce that five graduates and students joined Creative Force Studios as they produce a brand new television show designed to spotlight local area nightlife.
Creative Force Studios in collaboration with Social the Magazine will premiere a new television program “Social in the City.” The first episode is set to air December 5 at 7:30 p.m. on CW22. The show highlights the trendiest “hot spots” offered in the Raleigh-Durham area. Interviews will be conducted with local and national celebrities, fine dining restaurants, upscale clubs and bars, along with the local “fashionistas” to demonstrate Raleigh-Durham’s marketability among the nations’ “hottest cities.”
The graduates and students of LAC, Eric Njoroge, Jessica Barfield, Billy Orlando, Blake Godfrey and Josh Baker joined the production crew as camera operators, production assistants, lighters, gaffers, etc. They will embark on a journey with the show’s host Donna Maria as they travel from one location to another aboard the “Social in the City” tour bus.
The graduates and students were on location with Creative Force Studios to start the production November 20.
For more information regarding future productions of “Social in the City” visit www.creativeforcestudios.com or contact media partner, Social the Magazine at www.socialthemagazine.com.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Distinguished Advertising Creative to Deliver Graduation Address at Living Arts College

2009-12-09T11:51:00.008-05:00

Michael Winslow, Creative Director/Brand Visualizer will deliver the graduation address at Living Arts College’s fall commencement Thursday, December 17.
The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the College’s Stars Theatre. Following the ceremony will be the viewing of graduate work and demo reels.
Mr. Winslow has been a Creative Director and Art Director for 30 years. He has won numerous national and international awards, including Gold and Silver Pencils from the One Show, Art Directors Club of New York Gold Medals, New York Film Festival Awards and the Steven E. Kelly Award for the best magazine campaign in an international competition. His work has been recognized by the One Show, CA Annuals, Clios, Graphis Magazine, ADWEEK, AD AGE and PRINT.
Mr. Winslow began his career at McKinney & Silver in Raleigh, NC as the agency emerged to become one of the early national and international powerhouses of creativity outside of New York. While at the agency, he helped build strong branding campaigns for North Carolina Travel and Tourism, Piedmont Airlines, Benihana, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Fannie Mae and GoodMark Foods.
Mr. Winslow was a partner and Creative Director for Rockett Burkhead & Winslow (RBW) where he developed differentiating and successful brand stories for Duke, GSK, Volvo Trucks and CORT. During this time, RBW became the largest independent agency in the Southeast.
As an Art Director, Mr. Winslow was named one of the top 100 young people in advertising by AD AGE MAGAZINE, twice named to the ADWEEK All Creative Team and recognized for outstanding creative by the London International Awards.
Mr. Winslow is a graduate of East Carolina University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.
Admission to this special session is by invitation to anyone interested in working in the design arena that might benefit from high level input. Families of the graduates of the School have an automatic invitation. Others may simply phone the School at 919.488.8504 to reserve an invitation.
Red Carpet Seminars feature some of the world’s leading professionals in filmmaking, digital imaging, audio production, game development and interior design. Seminars announced as schedules permit.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

When Your Networking Gets Rusty

2009-12-09T11:47:00.009-05:00

“If I didn’t go to LAC, I would have never had the opportunity to work on this project”, says Ryan Harmon. The pilot premier of The Rusty Bucket Kids Club: Adventure of the Magic Glasses Movie was held at Living Arts College (LAC.). Friends and family of the cast and crew, un-deterred by the rainy night, filled the Gallery to see the first post production viewing of John Demers’ TV pilot. Local actor and producer, John Demers, graciously addressed an audience of cast and crew for the experience of working on this project with them. “It takes a great amount of talent, time and dedication to bring such a vision to the big screen and I couldn’t help but be prideful as the credits rolled of how many LAC students are credited for their contributions to the film,” said Karen Hemphill, staff member at LAC.

As mentors, we always encourage students to participate in events related to their industry. The Peak City Film Festival, located in Apex, is just such an event. Tickets for film were sold out for days and according to the website, a limited amount tickets were re-released for Friday night’s Feature Film “The Rusty Bucket Kids Club: Adventure of the Magic Glasses Movie”. Available tickets went for $50, twice the original price. “Sold Out” may have disappointed some, but our students can associate the press coverage project within their demo reel and resume.
The power of the network that extends from LAC once again can be exemplified by this event. Talking with student, Ryan Harmon, we revisit his path to opening night. Audio Instructor, Craig Brandwynne, understands the integral value of his network as a creative professional and demonstrates this understanding and its value to his students every day.
“JD, producer John Demers, asked Craig if we would do the audio on his film. Craig extended the invitation to us (his students.) I am a musician and songwriter scheduled to graduate next month with my degree in Audio. In August, I wrote The Last Ride, the ending song that plays while the credits roll. I played both banjo and guitar while G.W. Pierce sings. The Album debuted at the Peak City Film Festival and I will earn royalties too!” Ryan adds excitedly there at the end.
Ryan’s involvement didn’t end there and subsequently more students became involved with the project, Kord Chandler and David Pruitt to name a few. LAC students are credited for their contributions to location and post-production audio.
It is well understood that if you excel in class you will be recognized by the industry and opportunities will come to you. Who is in the Industry? Well, arguably we all are. The moment a student enrolls in the Audio program a students degree of separation from successful working individuals is reduced to the power of two maybe three. With hard working faculty pushing students to be the same, students can take great pride in how their names made it to the credits rolling before an audience on opening night.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Lights! Animation! Passion!

2009-11-13T08:45:00.020-05:00

Former executive of Disney and Pixar’s Animation Studios, Doug Nichols, made the stage at Living Arts College (LAC) presenting, “What Studios Want: Getting in and Staying Ahead.” Mr. Nichols has over 20 years of experience working in the animation film industry and has managed both Pixar Entertainment Studios and Disney staff.

Students welcomed Mr. Nichols with open arms as he provided insight into the working world of digital animation as a highly rewarding and competitive field. He expressed the importance of making a great impact, as a talented animator is not all it takes to succeed in the entertainment industry. If animation films such as “Finding Nemo”, “Up”, “Mulan” and “Fantasia 2000” ring a bell, then one could only imagine his passion. He is admired in the entertainment industry as a production professional that has contributed his knowledge and expertise on what studios look for in an artist.

“Your name, exceptional work and interaction with people will never go unrecognized”

- Doug Nichols

Being talented alone is not all it takes to make a great impression with an employer. Teamwork, relationship building and maintaining a good name in the industry will do wonders in maintaining a career in a most highly competitive field. Mr. Nichols expressed the need for passion to strive and sustain a creative career in both animation and game design. When you have the passion working overtime doesn’t seem so bad, which calls for the saying, “time flies when you are having fun.” How’s that for a career?

“Find it, define it and execute!” – Doug Nichols

As the discussion moved forward, Mr. Nichols covered the key points of success and how to get the job you want. Plan your career by creating goals, know your skill set and define it. Once you are skilled take it to the next level and execute your design. Animation is a talent driven business and “the best get the best” jobs so let your work speak for itself. Your reputation will follow you, respect your colleagues and partners, present your work with open critique and never burn any bridges. Setting goals will help execute the final result and land you a dream job.

The presentation ended with a few final words of wisdom from the “guest of honor”.

“The future of animation is very bright. While it is hard to predict where the industry will be in five or more years, one thing is certain, it will grow and there will definitely be more jobs.” – Doug Nichols
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

A TRIP TO THE “BIG EASY” & SIGGRAPH 2009

2009-09-21T15:19:00.013-04:00

New Orleans is known for its great food and music but this year the “Big Easy” had other
things on the menu. It was the home of the SIGGRAPH 2009 conference that Living Arts College students attended and enjoyed a feast of animation delights.

The SIGGRAPH conference and exhibition is a five-day interdisciplinary educational experience and commercial exhibition that attracts hundreds of exhibitors from around the world. SIGGRAPH is widely recognized as the most prestigious forum for the publication of computer graphics research.

“SIGGRAPH was a life-changing experience for me. I enjoyed my first flight, and the Big Easy was quiet an interesting town!” Amanda Conklin - student

“SIGGRAPH, as always, is an amazing and knowledgeable experience. I would recommend it to anyone in Digital Animation or Digital Media. Anthonie Jones- student

In addition to SIGGRAPH's leading-edge technical program, the conference's installations provide close-up views of the latest in digital art, emerging technologies, and hands-on opportunities for creative collaboration. The smaller venue made exhibitors and vendors more approachable, giving LAC students insights and networking opportunities.

“I liked talking to the people inside the company…it gave you a chance to learn about what you want to learn from someone who actually worked on games and movies!” Jesse Howard- student

“The professionals I spoke to were very inspirational.” Sasha Cheeks - student

The conference is home to the international SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, showcasing works from the world's most innovative and accomplished digital film and video creators. Content included outstanding achievements in time-based art, scientific visualization, visual effects, real-time graphics, and narrative shorts.

“The overall global connections were overwhelming for me; I have never seen so many people from different countries in one location!” Clint Kernodle- student

The trip’s biggest surprise was the winners of various contests given throughout the conference. Current student Erin Nakagaki won the “Navida Challenge” drawing contest. Alumni Lacy Brown won two preliminary rounds and placed second overall and Jasimin Motley placed second in two art competitions. The experiences the students had at SIGGRAPH and the networking events they attended will leave a lasting impression on them and jumpstart their careers.

“…SIGGRAPH was a great experience and I’m gonna try to go every year from now on!” Michael Vitrano- student

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Pete Sekula

2009-09-02T15:28:00.017-04:00

Red Storm Art Director & Living Arts College Alumni
Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

Do you ever wonder how the environments in many video games look so authentic? Living Arts College alumni, Peter Sekula shared with students how his position as Art Director for Red Storm’s game “Bio Shock” created the very realistic environments. Pete found himself in the jungles of Costa Rica. He had to take in every detail and put a team together to design an environment for “Bio Shock”. Pete said, “As an animator, you always have to think, life is a mirror to an immersive experience. How are we going to get characters to imitate life and how are we going to animate them?” “Companies are searching for animation talent that is awesome at their craft and their portfolio showcases their talent. A good portfolio must focus on believable movements”, reports Pete. As an Art Director at Red Storm Entertainment, Pete is responsible for hiring new talent. Musts for the “killer” portfolio!
1. Full body human movement.

2. Research the company. Be open-minded to new technologies.

3. Have “game ready stuff” to show.

4. Have a wire frame to show and how it was rigged and imported.

5. Understand the entry-level game position and how teambuilding ramps up in the performance of a game.

6. Learn the rules of production and expect to execute the rules.

It takes a team of people to develop a game at Red Storm Entertainment. The Art Director steers the ship (the game) from one phase to the next. It always takes one more layer to achieve where you really want to go with the game. “It takes a group of interactive minds to come up with one theme and run with it.” states Sekula. Visuals are very important to emersion in a story, so pictures have to draw in the gamer.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

HOW A DESIGNER COMMUNICATES…..

2009-08-14T08:40:00.004-04:00

Storyteller & Former Walt Disney Imagineer Defines Story Telling at Living Arts College

The moral of the story, “we as designers must make ourselves accountable for results. Elevate the expectation of what design can do and in the end satisfy the requirements we are asked to fulfill.”

Kenneth Penkowski, partner and executive brand director for local advertising agency, Ulanguzi visited the College and told stories to the students.

In addition, he showed the Ulanguzi’s 2009 demo reel which displayed projects for highly respected clients and current ongoing projects.

Kenneth told the students three stories about his life in the design arena…the titles were quite catchy.

1. “It All Started with a Mouse”
Kenneth told the story of how he became a Disney Imagineer and how he uses what he learned from that experience in his work daily.

2. “For Rent”
Ulanguzi was referred to a development company to market their apartment complex. This wasn’t your ordinary apartment complex. These apartments were part of the wave for the “Go Green” revolution. He shared his challenges and accomplishments with the project.

3. “Come Fly with Me”
A Las Vegas helicopter tour company came to Ulanguzi in need of a new marketing technique or strategy. They had no problem selling the helicopter tours, they just wanted an easier way for customers to purchase the tour tickets. He shared Ulanguzi’s unique answer to the marketing dilemma.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

BDA/Promax Conference

2009-08-03T14:23:00.007-04:00

…students got an eyeful of design ideas and a pocket full of business contacts!

BDA/Promax is the world’s largest broadcast design conference and for a group of Living Arts College students it bridged the gap between longevity and futuretainment.

From the honoring of Robert Redford for the Lifetime Achievement Award to the rapidly shifting world of broadcast design, this year’s conference hosted presenters that shared their insight and upcoming trends.

Living Arts College graduate, Matt Habit- “Robert Redford, WOW! Remembering his life and his involvement in film, was incredible!”

At the conference the buzz word was “Viral”. Viral is widespread popularity through the process of internet sharing. All eyes turned to the rapidly shifting world of broadcast design, motion graphics and the convergence of a new way of branding. In one of the sessions “Contagious” gave a profound presentation called “What is Advertising?” The session made the audience think about the “art” of getting people to forget they are watching an ad.

Students had many opportunities to mix with various professionals in the broadcast design community and to see samples of their great work.

Student – Kirsten Wiltjer- “It was fun; the work they showed was amazing!”

Student – Elisabeth Rauch- “I loved the Cartoon Network presentation! They demonstrated the logo process from start to finish!”

Through lively panels, exhibits, sessions, screenings and networking, the BDA/Promax conference provided three exciting days of dialog, discussion and displays of some incredible work.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Close up with Top Photographers

2009-07-28T13:58:00.006-04:00

Students Travel to “Look 3”

Living Arts College students from the School of Communication Arts recently got an upfront, close up look at creative photographer. Students and Professor Eversoll attended “Look 3 Festival of the Photograph” in Charlottesville, Virginia sponsored by National Geographic magazine, Apple and Canon. This festival of creative image making that displayed the progression of photography into different media applications.

The College photography students enjoyed three days of gallery viewing, presentations and involvement with skilled photographers from around the world. All were eager to discuss their backgrounds, experiences and love of photography.

The students’ journey through “Look 3” started off with the World Press Photo 2009 North American Debut. The exhibit showcased photojournalism containing 196 winning photographers. Photos ranged from natural disasters to the Olympics in Beijing to a single full-time working mom caring for her six small children.

Each evening, the students had a chance to listen to renowned photographers. Some of these photographers were Sylvia Plachy, Martin Parr and Gilles Peress. Each photographer had a distinctive artistic style in their photography. Sylvia Plachy’s photographs have appeared in over 50 major publications and exhibited internationally. Her photography is acclaimed as “diverse, surprising, and humorous, transforming the elusive into the poetic.” Martin Parr is a contemporary photographer with a unique style and is very popular in the worlds of art, fashion and journalism. Gilles Peress’ photography represents the complexity of war and peace. He has documented events in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Lebanon, Palestine, and Rwanda.

Under the nights’ stars, the students enjoyed viewing the work of the most exciting and innovative current photography from emerging photographers along with nationally and internationally recognized photographers. The projections in the pavilion presented a dynamic cross-section of work from photojournalism to art. The photographers showed many images and added voice and/or music to accompany their work.

The final night of the festival, students celebrated the closing moments by meeting and shaking hands with some of the world’s most famous and renowned photographers. They met photojournalists from “National Geographic”, “Sports Illustrated”, “The White House” and “Aperture Magazine”.

The photography program at the College embraces three essential aspects of professional photography--camera technique, digital manipulation and business practices.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

WEIGHT OF THE RIBBON

2009-07-17T14:00:00.018-04:00

A Perfect Evening with Curtis Brown

How do you describe Curtis Brown? Passionate, Artist, Designer, Independent, Actor, Photographer, Theatrical, Dancer, Loves a Challenge, Driven, Unique Style, Rooted in Human Emotion….. He combined all of these elements in “Weight of the Ribbon.”

The disease somber, the mood inspiring, when photographer Curtis Brown captures a moment the images transcend time. Curtis and dancers from the Carolina Ballet translated his concept into visual form through “the lens” with distinct expression and movement using a ribbon suspended from the studio ceiling.

Each inspiring image has an emotional journey of a breast cancer victim in their battles against the disease. The images depicted moments from strength and triumph to moments of defeat and collapse. Colette George said, “The exhibit was emotional and awe-inspiring.”

The “Weight of the Ribbon” gallery event brought in volunteers from all over the Raleigh area. The pictures were on display and available for sale with half of all proceeds donated to “Susan G. Komen For the Cure”, which funds breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment programs.

Curtis is a graduate of the School of Communication Arts. He studied Advertising Design with a concentration in Photography. To view his work, visit his website at http://www.curtisbrownphotography.com.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKETING SCHOOL

2009-06-11T16:38:00.000-04:00

The excitement was high and there was a “buzz in the domes” when former professor, Greg Carter returned to campus. Students never forget a fantastic professor that leaves an impression on their life as well as their education.

Greg Carter, owner of Cyber Piggy, shared with students how you can use creativity to “bring home the bacon”. Greg was never satisfied with the status quo; he took his creativity to new heights when he developed Cyber Piggy. Greg believes that creativity is the most valuable problem solving tool we have and he’s discovered ways to take life’s unpredictable challenges and turn them into marketable and result driven opportunities.

Carter said having a job where you have the freedom to think outside the box is invigorating and helpful in conveying a message. He uses this belief to work with a social network of thinkers. “BestThinking.com” is social network that is topic driven and attracts common “thinkers” to discuss and brainstorm. Check out BestThinking.com to see how Greg uses his animations to tackle major problems with a light hearted approach.

Students were encouraged to utilize the web for marketing their talents and to join social networks to create ways of meeting other “thinkers.” Using the web and animation to promote, tell a story or convey an idea is a successful way to live “high on the hog!”

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

HOBBY TURNS INTO A GREAT CAREER

2009-06-09T10:36:00.000-04:00

Raleigh’s Hottest DJ – Jason Wiggs

Jason Wiggs says, “DJing was a hobby until about a year ago. That changed when I started attending School of Communication Arts. I began acquiring the tools that I needed to create a great production and set out DJing professionally.”

Jason Wiggs is a sought-after disc jockey, best known as the resident disc jockey at The Oxford Gastropub in Downtown Raleigh. His experience, knowledge of music and mixing talents combine to display an unbreakable link between hip-hop, rock, pop, and top 40 to electronic dance music of house, breaks, drums and bass. His performance is a journey beyond the realms of music.

As a child his grandfather wanted him to learn true music appreciation. He gave him a symphony orchestra album and his love for music emerged. Growing up, he played the tuba in symphony orchestra and had a spot on the drumline in the marching band.

On his 18th birthday he received his first set of turntables. Using the self discipline acquired over many years of training in classical instruments he embarked on a more modern, newly acquired instrument and began the journey of musical exploration.

His most recent endeavor was his participation in Raleigh Fashion Week – Strut 09’. He provided music for the event’s producers with remixes, adding sound to video clips and performed all music selections live in conjunction with the emcees performances.

See Jason in person at The Oxford on Friday and Saturday nights in Downtown Raleigh.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

CONGRATULATIONS ALEX CENTENO-RODRIQUEZ

2009-06-03T13:06:00.001-04:00

ROBERT F. LAUTERBORN ADVERTISING SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

School of Communication Arts salutes Advertising Design student, Alex Centeno-Rodriquez for being the recipient of the prestigious Robert F. Lauterborn Scholarship. The scholarship is presented each spring at the American Advertisng Federation’s Silver Medal Awards ceremony.

Alex is bilingal and calls Costa Rica his home country. Success is a characteristic that Alex is very familiar with. He earned his MBA from the University of Science and Technology in San Jose, Costa Rica and opened his design company, Merkados Interactive Partners in Raleigh, NC several years ago. Merkados designs and maintains bilingual websites and provides consulting services in Internet marketing.

It was not a surprise to the faculty and staff at the School when Alex won the scholarship. He has won two Best of Category awards at Gallery competition since beginning his studies at SCA. Alex picked up his first award at Fall 2008 Gallery Show for Stamp Collection Design and most recently at Winter 2009 Gallery Show for Illustration Design.

Stay posted...I’m sure we will hear more from Alex in the future.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

FASHION, MUSIC, DANCE... & MORE FASHION STRUT09

2009-06-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

FASHION, MUSIC, DANCE …. & MORE FASHION
STRUT09

Raleigh Fashion Week was a celebration of fashion, beauty, music and dance. Brian Wiliams gleaned the momentum he gained from STRUT08 to produce an expanded fashion showcase.

The three day event featured fashion, music, and dance along with talent, healthy living seminars, vendor displays, trunk shows and evening runway fashion shows.

Brian Williams of Brian Williams Television tapped School of Communication Arts for talent in front of the camera and behind the camera. Audio professor, Craig Brandwynne and his company Center Sound Records sponsored the talent for the three night event.

SCA Audio students brought their time and talent to STRUT09. The crew included Nicholas Talford, Faith Langley, Jason Wiggs, Timothy Jamison and Calvin Clark, Jr., as well as alumnus, Frank Carbone.

Nicholas Talford was Technical Director for the main stage assisted by Calvin Clark, Jr. Graduate and artist, Frank Carbone performed Friday night on the main stage with a five piece backup group featuring Faith Langley. Frank credits Timothy Jamison with his great choreography.

DJ Jason Wiggs was named the official DJ of STRUT09 early on by Brian Williams. DJ Jason Wiggs was responsible for performing all music selections live and “on the fly” for each night. Jason determined the flow of the entire show through his music. He worked in conjunction with three different emcees and gave each their cues for what to say, when to say their next lines and brought the music in and out as they were speaking.

Looking forward to SRUT10.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

SCA STUDENTS “MOTIVATED” TO EXCEL

2009-05-12T09:24:00.001-04:00

Bold, daring, determined and caring – that’s Karen Gilliam’s motto for life. The beginning of the Professional Development Day was the dawn of pursuing a life of excellence.

Instead of coffee to get your morning going, Karen Gilliam awakened students by having them stand up and “Stamp it Out” to Donna Summer.

Ms Gilliam encouraged students to “Live a Life of Excellence” by explaining what that means, why it’s important and how they are going to get there. Eight is her magic number. She demonstrated her eight ideas for excellence. Then she moved on to her eight areas of your life to work on to excel in everything that you do. In Ms. Gilliam’s plan to pursue a life of excellence you must:

1. Write down your accomplishments daily.
2. Find a mentor, someone who lives to make sure your dreams come true.
3. Avoid critical and negative people, surround yourself with positive influencers.
4. Take pride in your appearance.
5. Take your failures in stride and move on.
6. Live your life with the end result in mind.
7. Accept the things in life that cannot be changed.
8. Write down your definition of success.

Each area of your life must be defined and they are:

1. Spiritual Life
2. Family Life
3. Professional Life
4. Personal Development
5. Financial Life
6. Health
7. Community Involvement
8. Social Life

To keep the students motivated and the spirit within them alive Karen had the students dance their disappointments away to “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. Tomorrow morning they are going wake up and look at themselves in a whole new way, they are going to like what they see in the mirror.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

4 P’s of MARKETING: PRODUCT, PLACEMENT, PRICING, & PROMOTION

2009-05-11T09:32:00.000-04:00

Students decide their fate: Miserable or Marketable?

Laurie Muriel, Co-Director of the Professional Services Department spoke about being miserable or marketable at the quarterly Professional Development Day this week.

She shared with the students her philosophy of not waiting until your financial situation is critical, but to look ahead and plan the future with purpose. Discussion topics were about opportunities, missed opportunities and making your own opportunities. Career marketing with the “4 P’s of Marketing: Product, Placement, Pricing, and Promotion” was the highlight of the presentation.

The Product is YOU. Ms Muriel shared with students the importance of Career Marketing, “packaging” yourself and how it affects the hiring manger’s decision. Placement is about being in the right place at the right time, or creating your own opportunities. Pricing is not to underestimate or over estimate your worth. Promotion is about creating an “Elevator Pitch”. An “elevator pitch” is a brief introduction about who you are, what you do, resulting in an action such as setting up an appointment or handing out a business card. Students developed their own “elevator pitches” and delivered them to their peers on the big stage. It was great practice and a skill that will be needed by all students as they network and break into their respective careers.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

SCA TALENT “ROCKED THE HOUSE” WITH 17 DAZZLING ACTS

2009-05-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

School of Communication Arts held their first talent show, hosted by the student government, MODIV this week. The much publicized and highly anticipated event filled the School’s theatre with standing room only.

MODIV had welcomed and encouraged all areas of performance creativity. Most of the acts were musical talents, such as acoustic performances, vocalists, bands and solo artists representing all genres of music.

One unexpected yet relished performance was that of “The Fish Stix”, a group of Audio and Film instructors who joined forces to present a compelling opening act. Their kick off song was from The Beastie Boys, which got the audience energized and “dancing in the aisles”.

Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place winners, which were funded by MODIV’s many fund raisers. SCA’s most popular student band, “Hidden Movement”, took first place performing two original songs earning them the first place large cash prize. Second place belonged to Johnny Carroll, who played the keys and sang an Anthony Hamilton piece which earned him two 311/Ziggy Marley tickets. Le’Shawn Troy-Rogers took third place with an original song.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

SCA In FULL BLOOM at SPRING GALLERY SHOW

2009-05-11T09:27:00.000-04:00

An array of budding talent blossomed in the theater of SCA this week. There were flash designs, student films and maquettes OH MY! The Gallery Show proved to be “a sight to behold” with the use of vivid colors, exciting motion graphics, spectacular animations, entertaining student films and “wake you up” sounds designs.

Professor George LaChevallier entertained the audience with his quick wit and humorous stories while Professor Lena Corter handed out awards for categories from Electronic Media to Sound Design. The work shown at each gallery show continues to get better and better, which tells me that School of Communication Arts has the best talent in the country!

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Happenings in May @ School of Communication Arts

2009-05-04T09:02:00.000-04:00

May 6th, 5-8pm
Spring 2009 Gallery Exhibition

The Exhibition showcases juried creative works of current students in Animation, Film, Audio Production, Advertising Design, Web Design, Photography and Interior Design.

May 7th, 9am-3pm
Professional Development Day & First SCA Talent Show

School of Communication Arts is very excited to be holding their first Talent Show hosted by the student government, MODIV.

Motivational speaker, Karen Gilliam will speak at 10am. A workshop by Laurie Muriel will be held at 11am on “How to Get a Part-time Job in These Challenging Economic Times”. This is in preparation for the upcoming Part-time Job Fair.

May 11th, 10:30am
Local Rock Band Defines the Importance of Branding
Ariel Down is Setting the Rules for “Breaking In” with Their Ideas About Music Promotion

Experience a national touring independent rock band based out of Raleigh, NC.

May 14th, 2-4pm
SCA Part-Time Job Fair

Are you looking for a part time job? Local non-industry businesses will be on campus advertising open positions and doing on-site interviews.

May 27th, 10:30am
Multimedia Expert to Present: “How to Prepare your Career for the Unexpected”

Plan to be entertained. Greg Carter’s work is wild and vivid.

Mr. Carter has designed print media for Reebok and Sports Illustrated and multimedia for Discovery Channel. He has worked on projects for Warner Brothers and the American Lung Association.

All events are open to the public and there is no cost. Media are welcome and encouraged to participate.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Local Rock Band, ARIEL DOWN, Defines the Importance of Branding

2009-05-04T09:01:00.000-04:00

SCA students will hear from members of Ariel Down … a national touring independent rock band based out of Raleigh, NC. They will spell out THEIR formula for success.

Members of Ariel Down will define the importance of branding whether it’s for yourself or a company. One of their goals is to help students educate themselves on how to be a business.

The band incorporated Autumn Rain Records, its own production company and record label in 2003. Each band member plays a critical function in the day-to-day operation and business of the band. Band members take on roles such as: marketing director, booking agent, public relations specialist, web designer, financial advisor and even tour bus driver.

The band prides themselves on their hard work, relentless attitude and high energy. Critics such as Benjamin Ray claim, “Ariel Down is one of the hardest working Indie bands in the country.”

“Shine” was released in February, 2009. The bands debut album, “Vision” was released in July 2006. Both records were recorded by John Plymale (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Meat Puppets) at Overdub Lane in Durham, NC and mastered by Greg Calbi (Springsteen, Dylan, Bowie) at Sterling Sound in NYC.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Gregg Sartiano Mixing With a Master

2009-04-24T16:58:00.000-04:00

Mixing business with pleasure, Gregg Sartiano has been in the final stages of mastering Warren G’s latest album. Working side by side with mastering mind, Bernie Grundman, has brought clarity to Gregg’s mixed tracks.

The sounds coming from Bernie Grundman’s mastering studio echoed the latest unheard tracks from Paula Abdul, Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas. Many of today’s greatest hits have been mastered by Bernie Grundman and Brian “Big Bass” Gardner. In that very studio, Professor Sartiano mixed with the masters as Warren G’s album was finessed into sonic splendor. Bernie stated that Gregg’s mixes are “clear and spacious”. “Coming from him when no one was around is a huge compliment,” Gregg said.

For the past five years Gregg has mixed all of Warren G’s music

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

SCA students “BRANG IT” to the Real World!

2009-04-22T13:19:00.001-04:00

School of Communication Arts (SCA) digital film students received a dose of “real world” experience as they helped in the taping of a television pilot called “BRANG IT.” Film Instructor George Sartiano, students Jeremy Person, Gaby Veray, Billy Orlando, Josh Baker, Jessica Barfield, Donny Biscardi, Jeremy Lewis and graduates Blake Godfrey and Stefan Byerly contributed as camera operators and production assistants in a major dance competition at North Carolina Central University this week-end.

World renowned choreographers RoRo, Kujo, ProZak, and Salah judged the event and held workshops for winners in each category. The SCA students didn’t know what to expect as the dance competition started. The level of dance captured by the students’ camera skills went beyond anything they had seen in their young careers.

When the production ended, the SCA students received high praise from the Executive Producer, Calvin Foster and the choreographers. They “bragged on” the professionalism of the students and graduates. High praise was given to their execution and level of competency in their craft. It was a successful production and a chance to “showcase” their SCA skills in a real world production environment.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Alumni Alex Carr “Sees Red” at SCA

2009-04-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

Graduate, Alex Carr demonstrated his Sony “Red” camera as a three day guest speaker for the Digital Film students. Alex talked to students about the industry, but not only did he give them industry tips, the students were assigned positions in a “mock production.” As each student performed their duties, Alex reminded them of the importance of diligence and performing at a high level of professionalism. He gave constructive criticism about their roles and the importance of listening to a director while on set. Alex treated each student as if they were working in Hollywood, each student could appreciate his candor.

After the LA scenarios, Alex demonstrated the Red Camera’s functions and features. Each student saw the difference in picture quality and enjoyed learning new tricks of the trade from a rising cinematographer and a graduate from SCA.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

FIRST SCA TALENT SHOW

2009-04-20T15:20:00.001-04:00

School of Communication Arts is very excited to be holding their first Talent Show hosted by the student government, MODIV.

The talent show will be on May 7, 2009, which is also SCA’s quarterly Professional Development Day. Motivational speaker, Karen Gilliam will speak in the morning. Workshops will be held in the afternoon on “How to Get a Part-time Job in These Challenging Economic Times”. This is in preparation for the upcoming PT Job Fair.

SCA is welcoming all areas of performance creativity, some of which will include interpretive song and dance, poetry, live performance, beat sampling, as well as other artistic, innovative talents.

Concluding the spring talent show, prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

WORLD FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER, HENRY GROSSMAN SPEAKS TO SCA STUDENTS

2009-04-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

Wednesday afternoon’s guest speaker has worked for over 40 years in the commercial photographic business around the world. Grossman brought a vision and style to School of Communication Arts that was enjoyed by all.
There was standing room only as students, professors, alumni and guests filled the 200+ seat theatre and sat for over two hours mesmerized by the photographs and stories of Mr. Grossman. He may be known as a “world famous photographer” but incredible “storyteller” should be added to his accolades. Every photograph had a story!
Mr. Grossman brought his recently released Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, featuring his rarely seen photographs of The Beatles during the recording of Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart Club Band, arguably the most iconic and influential album of all time. Grossman's book contains compelling photographs of four of the 20th century's most popular and publicized figures. While showing the book, Henry shared incredible stories to captivate the audience and show the personalities of these powerful creative musicians.
Now I have the book signed by Mr. Henry Grossman.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

CRAIG SLAGEL GOES TO WORK AT RHYTHM & HUES

2009-04-20T10:11:00.002-04:00

Alumni and former professor lands job at Rhythm & Hues. The big question is "How did he hear about the job"? From me ... School Director at School of Communication Arts. I never forget a graduate or their special talents. Several months ago I was sent an email by Barbara McCullough. Barbara works at Rhythm & Hues in talent resources and university relations. R & H was calling for resumes for a candidate to fill a senior training position. The email detailed the skills needed to fill the position. I immediately thought of Craig. His background was perfect ... he previously had held a position as a senior trainer at Electronic Arts. I forwarded the email to Craig and said "this job description has your name on it".

I ran into Craig at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week. He told me that he starts work at R & H in mid April.

Congratulations to Craig Slagel! Stay in touch with me .... I may just tell you about your next great job.
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

JET SETTING AUDIO INSTRUCTOR WORKS IN LA

2009-04-20T10:11:00.001-04:00

Gregg Sartiano has been flying out to Los Angeles every weekend for the past two months working on the upcoming album of Warren G. Gregg was featured on the cover of Indonesia’s Rolling Stone magazine highlighting his Indonesian project which he completed just before he started teaching at the School of Communication Arts. (SCA)

The Indonesian project was a talent search similar to “American Idol,” looking for the next great talent in Jakarta. The winner received a recording session to record the next big hit. Gregg is still waiting for the outcome of that project, but uses examples of “real world” studio mixes as classroom tools now. Working with translators and numerous people with broken English, the project was completed. “The toughest part of the project was the language barrier,” he claims, but says, “Communication through music is a beautiful experience.”

Gregg is no stranger to the audio industry; he has been making “beats” and working with artists such as Warren G, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, B-REAL, and many more. His best friend and colleague James Lugo is the vocal coach for many American Idol contestants. Gregg is well connected to the Hollywood audio world and recently had audio student, David Pruitt, accompany him to a recording session for Warren G’s upcoming album. Whether Greg is in LA or here at SCA he brings the real world insights and war stories of the industry. This is a real world plus to his students.
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

STUDENT, DAVID PRUITT GOES TO HOLLYWOOD!

2009-04-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

Bright city lights of Hollywood were calling out to audio student David Pruitt as he and Audio Instructor Gregg Sartiano hopped the eye-opener flight from Raleigh, NC to Los Angeles, CA. The two arrived in LA just before noon and drove straight to the studio for a scheduled recording session with Graham Ward and Mark McCombs. Graham Ward is a musical prodigy specializing in percussion, and Mark McCombs is a seasoned jazz pianist.

Almost upon arrival, Gregg, David, and the musicians got straight to work recording, slicing and mixing tracks for an upcoming Warren G album. When things slowed down in the studio, David and Mark were able to venture out into the streets of LA running errands and site seeing. David saw some of the familiar sites he had always seen on television, such as the Walk of Fame, Kodak Theater, Wax Museum, and Capital Records building.

Day two started early, Gregg had five songs to mix before lunch. Later that day, as a creative exercise, Gregg took the fresh tracks they had created and put them on a CD and drove around the city. Mixing business with pleasure, Gregg showed David the “perks” of being an audio engineer in a town like Hollywood. They went into a tall plain looking building and inside David found a hidden treasure of talent, such as the sound engineer for “Cold Play,” Gregg’s good friend James Lugo who is a vocal coach for “American Idol,” and Dave Stewart audio engineer for “Eurythmics.”

David’s determination, talent and passion to be a part of the audio industry in Los Angeles led him to meet Gregg’s peers who accepted him as one of their own. He now has contacts in his field and an open invitation to any one of the studios he visited.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Debra Hooper visits with Henry Grossman

2009-04-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

School Director, Debra Ann Hooper visits with world famous photographer, Henry Grossman. Mr. Grossman's career began in the early 1960s. As a contributing photographer for Time, Life, Newsweek and People Magazine, Grossman covered a variety of important figures, including Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor, Nelson Mandela, Duke Ellington and Truman Capote. Grossman gained unprecented access to President John F. Kennedy in the White House and abroad. Through his work he also befriended The Beatles and went to Abbey Road Studios to photograph them during the legendary Sgt. Pepper session.

Mr. Grossman recently released Kaleidoscope Eyes: A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, featuring his rarely seen photographs of The Beatles during the recording of Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart Club Band, arguably the most iconic ad influential album of all time. Grossman's book contains compelling photographs of four of the 20th century's most popular and publicized figures. Among the photographs, Henry shares incredible stories to captivate the personalities of these powerful creative musicians.

The best is yet to come... Mr Henry Grossman is visiting School of Communication Arts in the near future.

Read about Mr. Henry Grossman's visit here.
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Debra Hooper visits GDC 2009

2009-04-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

School Director, Debra Ann Hooper just returned from Game Developers Conference which has been voted the most important event on the busy industry calendar. She was accompanied by professors, Ben Forman and Rich Ponte along with 15 students.

"The camaraderie and celebration of this industry floods the convention center over the course of five days. It's inspirational and hard to pass up," Debra commented.

For me the week of GDC feels like a family reunion," Debra said.

The annual Game Developer's Conference isn't about pomp and circumstance--it's about people banding together once a year and attempting to fit all their oversize brains into a single convention center. They sit on panels discussing distributed gaming possibilities, cloud computing, game physics...and, they occasionally stumble upon a booth that has Rock Band blaring or Street Fighters fighting.

The Internet buzzed this week with the announcement of OnLive--the scene-stealer at this year's show. In a nutshell, it's a streaming video game service in which the data centers on the back end host the entire game. You can play on everthing from your desktop PC or MacBook to a tiny thin-client "MicroConsole" that attaches to your TV.

What I found fascinating about the upcoming Dexter mobile game isn't the fact that it's based on the popular serial-killer TV series. Or the fact that it has a devious collection of minigames, such as analyzing blood splatter patterns or moving the iPhone back and forth in your hand like a hacksaw to...cut...things. I'm psyched by the fact that Icarus Studios, the company behind the project, has adapted its engine for an MMO to work on an iPhone. Icarus Studio is based in Raleigh.

Fans of the prizefighting classic don't have much longer to wait until Punch-Out comes to the Wii (mid-May).

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

My visit with Alex Carr

2009-04-20T09:56:00.002-04:00

Being just 4 years out of School of Communication Arts film program, you might say that Alex Carr is on his way to mastering the total art of feature film making. Mr. Carr will review the breakthrough capabilities of the Red Camera that has swept through the feature film production world as the camera system of the future, available here and now.

As a School alum, member of the IATSE Union 600 Guild of Cinematographers and Apple Certified in Final Cut Pro; Alex Carr is a passionate filmmaker willing to share his knowledge of contemporary, digital filmmaking.

Mr. Carr will be demonstrating a real-world look into how the Red Camera functions and what it’s like working with Red footage in the post production lab. He wants students to benefit and be enlightened by his expertise in high-end digital cinema.

After graduating high school in 2002, Carr was invited to stay aboard a replica of a 19th century pirate ship. At the time, the ship was being loaned to Jerry Bruckheimer Productions on the feature film Pirates of the Caribbean starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Jefferey Rush. Carr saw first hand how a film set really worked and how important every crew member is to the set.

A few weeks after graduating from SCA’s digital filmmaking program in 2005, Carr started working at NBC 17 as a promotional editor. Later that year, he started working for Steve Murray, who specializes in Stock Footage and Tourism Commercials. With a strong background in post production, Carr went on to edit his first feature film Wherever You Are in summer 2007 starring Jane Adams and Josh Pais. After completing the film, he took everything he had to Los Angeles, California.

With more of an interest in cinematography, Carr moved on to become a focus puller. He traveled to Tangiers, Morocco to work on a feature film called Blackline: The Beirut Contract with cinematographer Seo Mutarevic (Wild Things 2, American Strays, Monster's Night.) The second part of Blackline took place in Beirut, Lebanon, where the explosions were “real” even off of the set! After returning from Beirut, Carr picked up some more work from NBC as an assistant editor for the NBC network showHeroes.

Summer 2008, he went back to working on the set as a digital imaging technician (DIT) alongside Seo Mutarevic, on the new television series Twenty Six Miles starring John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard), Kimberly Caldwell (American Idol) and Diamond Dallas Page (WWF.) After the production wrapped, Carr joined Local 600, the Guild of Cinematographers as a DIT. Once a Union 600 member, Carr finished out the year working on five more feature films as a DIT and two others as a focus puller.

This year Carr has exclusively worked with the Red One Camera System and has become a post workflow specialist focusing only on feature films.

Today, Carr is co-owner of Split Focus Group in Los Angeles which specializes in cinematography, VFX, and post production online plus finishing. Split Focus owns a full Red One camera package. Seo Mutarevic is a business partner and cinematographer for Split Focus.

You can find out more about Alex Carr's visit here.
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Debra Visits Game Developers Conference 2008 - Continued

2009-04-20T09:56:00.001-04:00

Game Developers Conference 2008
A Showcase for Games and a Chance to Make News.

Maybe you couldn’t make it to San Francisco for GDC but experience the “buzz” with me!

Forget the cable cars ….. I zipped around in a race car. Bet you don’t believe me ….. but I’ve got proof.

Vicious Cycle …a Company in a Vicious Industry
Find out what Vicious Cycle is looking for in talent when hiring from the human resources department and SCA graduate and Art Director, Bert McLendon.
With decades of combined development experience and a skilled team of artists, programmers, and designers this company has been involved in the development of many great products throughout the years.
Check out some of their games such as: Curious George, Dead Head Fred or Marvel Trading Card Game.

Electronic Arts was BIG at GDC….
Do You want to Know What They Are Looking for in Young Talent?
Listen to the words of the Head of Global Talent from EA.
Carl Schmidt
Carl Schmidt is currently a Lead OutSource Artist for Elecrtonic Arts. Carl shares some very enlightening comments for future graduates of the School. He is a graduate of the School of Communication Arts. Carl worked at several Raleigh game companies before heading for the West Coast to work at Invidia.

Craig Slagel
Get the latest from Craig on what he thought was “Hot” at GDC. He also has great advise for students getting ready to graduate and anxious to work in the the game and animation industry.

Craig is a recognized leader in the animation field. He graduated from the School of Communication Arts and has over 10 years experience in computer graphics training including seven years at Electronic Arts

Why should you attend GDC?

I ran into Marx Myth, graduate of SCA, former faculty member and now Art Director/Arts Manager for Lockheed Martin 3D Learning Solutions.

Read what Marx had to say…

GDC is fantastic to network, gather info on new procedures & peer approaches, and gain understanding on how games are impacting the world.
I met a plethora of new folks there…many outside my area of expertise (art) and culture (serious games). With these new contacts I can share ideas and information on troubleshooting managerial problems, solving game engine difficulties, and gain encouragement with difficulties in scope creep…scheduling and budget runovers. I would definitely say networking is the largest prize here.

I was struck by the great number of games to see…they ran the gamut from casual games to triple-A titles. The new technologies were also captivating…I particularly loved the new wii stuff and the brainwave UI development (NeuroSky)…mind-blowing fun.

And all of the many classes to take…I felt fortunate to gain insights into the many processes available…this is much better that the online input…the person can speak directly to your concerns and demonstrate if time is available.
The first two days also have full day tutorials and group gatherings.

For any student or any one wanting to change jobs then the jobs expo is tremendous…absolutely the most congested space I have ever seen at any conference….many of the big titles have private areas for on the spot interviewing.

Overall…I feel GDC is the most impressive conference I have ever been to…something for everyone.

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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

Debra Hooper Visits GDC - Game Developers Conference 2008

2009-04-20T09:55:00.000-04:00

School of Communication Arts Director has been named to the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award for 2007.

2009-04-20T09:53:00.000-04:00

“In high school they told me I wasn’t college material. Today, I’m Director of a college I helped found.”

School of Communication Arts Director has been named to the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award for 2007.Ms. Hooper is one of the founding members of the Raleigh, North Carolina school that she now heads.

“One of my advisors in high school told me that I wasn’t college material. I sure wish she could see me now. You see, I am always up to finding an answer to any challenge. This is what we do every day here at the School of Communications Arts. We train dedicated, serious students to break in to good jobs. They meet all kinds of challenges. For example, one of our grads not only worked on the latest Academy Award winning animation feature, but has gone on to work on other major productions. This is not unusual.”

"I am writing on behalf of Kaye Lloyd Gattis, Pat Godwin Long, and myself to collectively recommend with highest praise Debra Ann Hooper for your consideration when selecting this years 25 women who have proven themselves to be dynamic leaders." - Kelli Moore Barham

History of accomplishment
North Carolina native and School of Communication Arts co-founder, Debra Ann Hooper, officially opened the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh in 1992. She has served as the School’s Director and Vice President since the beginning. The school thrived under Debra’s signal leadership, and because of its growth, the School opened its new campus in October of 2003 in the Wakefield area of North Raleigh. The “School of Communication Arts @ Digital Circus” was recently named “one of the Seven Wonders of the Triangle “ by the Raleigh News & Observer. A tribute given to an institution of higher education was made possible because of the dedication of our candidate’s career, and to the students under her watch.

Career Goal
The School is one of a handful of schools on the East Coast offering programs known for excellence in the Digital Arts Community. From its unique monolithic domes to its long-standing commitment to delivering a “Higher Digital Education,” the School attracts a diverse student population, including many international students. Ms. Hooper has hand picked the cream of the crop, and, therefore, the school boasts some of the best talent in the Digital Animation, Digital Media, Digital Filmmaking, and Digital Audio Production industries. She has also recruited a diverse faculty to enhance students understanding across programs. School faculty hail from Argentina, Puerto Rico, China, Hungary, France, California, Florida, New York, etc.

Here are just a few questions that were asked to Ms. Hooper during her nomination:

Please describe your business.
I am the Director and Vice President of the School of Communication Arts @ Digital Circus. The School is one of a handful of schools on the East Coast offering programs known for excellence in the Digital Arts Community. From its unique monolithic domes to its long-standing commitment to delivering a “Higher Digital Education,” the School attracts a diverse student population, including many international students. I have handpicked the “cream of the crop” faculty, and therefore, the School boasts some of the best talent in the Digital Arts, Animation, Filmmaking and Audio Production industry.

Where is your business located?
The School is located at 3000 Wakefield Crossing Drive in the beautiful Wakefield Community of Raleigh, NC.

PROFESSIONAL
What is the most difficult aspect of your job?
The most difficult, but also the most rewarding, is continually providing positive motivation for not only my students, but the very talented faculty and staff that I work with every day.

What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
The most enjoyable part of my job is seeing the students graduate and knowing that I have been a major part of their success. Many of our graduates have gone to work in our “backyard” at local Triangle Area companies including Redstorm Entertainment, Epic Games, Virtual Heroes, SAS Institute, Rockett, Burkhead & Winslow, Research Triangle Institute, Trailblazer Studios, IBM, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Carolina Hurricanes.

I also greatly enjoy traveling all over the country, meeting with company executives, art directors and trainers; this has afforded many of my graduates a “foot in the door” opportunity. I have pushed hard to help place our graduates at some of the most well known studios and agencies in the industry such as: Electronic Arts, the World’s largest video game company, Industrial, Light & Magic of George Lucas “Star Wars” fame, their latest project being the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, The Walt Disney Company, PIXAR, Blue Sky Studios, Digital Domain, DreamWorks, Clix 3X, producers of commercials for Nike, MTV and Burger King and Big Idea, the “Veggie Tales” creators. With many long time associates in the industry, I will often pick up the phone to personally recommend one of our graduates to a world renowned studio or production house.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?
The School of Communication Arts was the first college of its kind not just in the Raleigh area, but the entire region. I was a Founding member from its inception. Watching us grow into a nationally recognized training facility has been a source of great personal accomplishment for me. Also, witnessing an increasing number of women going into the traditionally male dominated fields of animation, filmmaking and audio production is a rewarding experience for me.

What was your best career decision?
By far, my best career decision was to open the School of Communication Arts with my business partner of 25 years, Roger Klietz. In 1992, we opened the School with five students and today we have over 350 students from all parts of the world. What was the career decision you most regret? I regret not returning to this area sooner than I did. This region is home to me and I love being a part of its growth.

What motivates you?
My source of motivation is seeing our students graduate from the School and their overwhelming excitement when they are hired by such companies as Industrial Light & Magic, The Walt Disney Company, Epic Games, PIXAR, Research Triangle Institute, Electronic Arts, SAS Institute, IBM, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Clix 3X, Blue Sky Studios, Redstorm Entertainment or Duke University.

Who has been the most influential person in your career?
My father was an incredible business person. He taught me that I could do anything I wanted to and to never give up. He always made me feel that I was smart and talented and that I should never give up on reaching my goals. He always treated other people kindly and with respect and I’ve tried to follow his example in my business dealings as well as in my personal life.

What is the best career advice you've been given?
There is a place and there is a need for a hard-working, determined woman in whatever field you desire to be in. Don’t hesitate to jump into an arena that is new to you! Fiftteen years ago … To continue to lead the School of Communication Arts in the “cutting edge” of development in the exciting arenas of digital arts, animation, filmmaking and audio production.

Fifteen years ago, I realized my dream of opening a Digital Arts School. Today, my two major goals are to expand the campus facilities by an additional 60 percent to accommodate training in three new disciplines: medical, dental and veterinarian technician and to expand our existing programs to include Bachelor degrees. Don’t miss the Creativity Mini Seminars At the Campus HD theater Continue reading below to know more about Ms. Hooper...

What is your strategy for balancing your professional and personal/family responsibilities?
I am extremely close to my mother, brother and sisters. We talk almost daily and certainly weekly. My family is the most important thing to me and they are always encouraging of my work with my School and I encourage them in their professional endeavors as well. My family and friends attend our School’s functions as guests when they are in town and they share in my pride in the School’s accomplishments.

Who are you mentoring and how?
I am actively involved with 350 students on a daily basis. I mentor every day. Having worked in the industry that we train in, I am able to share with my students the wonderful life this industry has provided me and can provide them. I have been fortunate to have visited many famous companies such as: PIXAR, Disney, Blue Sky Studios, Rhythm & Hues, Sony Imageworks, Digital Domain and Industrial Light & Magic. I love sharing these experiences with my students. One of my fondest memories I often share with my students is when I was given a personal tour of the private library of George Lucas and had lunch at SkyWalker Ranch. SkyWalker Ranch is the workplace of Film Director and Producer George Lucas of “Star Wars” fame.

The name ….. Debra Ann Hooper. What does winning this award mean to you?
I’m thrilled and honored and still can’t believe that my name will be listed with such successful women business leaders that are being honored this year and in previous years.
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus

A Few Words of Introduction

2009-04-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

A few words of introduction for myself, Debra Ann Hooper!

I was born in Raleigh, NC and the year is not important! I have lived in many different areas, but returned to Raleigh in 1992 to open the School of Communication Arts. SCA was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and my only real regret is not returning to this area sooner.

I’ve had the very great pleasure of watching the School grow into a nationally recognized training facility and this is a source of huge personal accomplishment. I get so excited when one of my students finds success in the digital arts arena!

In my personal life, I love to travel and sample different restaurants and cuisines. I’m exciting and fun and have energy to spare! This blog will be an ongoing sample of the vibrant personality that is Debra Ann Hooper!
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Debra A Hooper
Vice President/Director
School of Communication Arts
@ Digital Circus