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.

“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.

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

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.

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

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.


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

Terrance Mann at Living Arts College

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.

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