The Highlights From F.A.M.E. Week

Our first F.A.M.E. Week was one for the books! We’re here to share highlights from our most ambitious campus-wide event series to date. Thank you to our amazing faculty, staff, students and alumni who made the week such a success. Watch our Spotlight Awards highlight video for a peek at the best moments during the show.

PAINT JAM

The unofficial “opening ceremony” of F.A.M.E. Week started with Paint Jam. This was like no other art show you’ve ever experienced before. The lights were low, the mood was high, and the competition was FIERCE. Since Paint Jam fell on Friday the 13th, and there was a full moon that night, the artists drew their inspiration from those themes. With four hours on the clock, student and professional artists grabbed their paintbrushes and worked on 8-by-16 canvases. The crowd observed the art battle while snacking on slices of pizza and listening to the DJ’s eclectic mix of beats. By the end of the show, each of the three teams illustrated spooky masterpieces that are currently on display in the Brick Box.

A big thanks to the Animation Program and Career Development advisor Kevin Bannerman for hosting such an entertaining art show!

ALUMNI AUTHORS PANEL

When you get a bunch of writers together in a room, storytelling becomes infectious. You can’t help but feel inspired and ready to write. That’s exactly what happened after we invited five of our alumni authors back on campus for our writer’s panel. Alumni Relations Director Joe Byron moderated the panel of alumni authors. Each alumnus talked about their writing process, finding their voice and getting published. Their books covered a variety of genres including, filmmaking, nonfiction, comics and wildlife photography.

Interested in learning how to get started with writing as your career? Check out the alumni writer’s panel video on Student Connect.

Alumni Author Julian Starks

RIAA RECORD CEREMONIES

One of the most recognizable spots on our campus is the RIAA Record Wall (located in B2 near the Veterans Center). The Record Wall has more than 30 RIAA Gold and Platinum records on display and is an impressive visual of our most successful recording alumni. During F.A.M.E. Week, we added three more plaques to the wall honoring Henrique Andrade, Nick Henriques and Andrés Borda Zabala. These three alumni have worked with some of the biggest names in music including Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Zayn Malik and Carlos Vives.

The first Platinum Record presentation honored alumnus turned recording engineer Henrique Andrade for his work on Zayn’s album, Mind of Mine.

The second Gold Record presentation honored alumnus turned music producer Nick Henriques for his work on Loud Luxury’s single, Body.

The third Platinum Record presentation honored Spotlight Academy member and recording engineer Andrés Borda Zabala for his work on Carlos Vives’s album, VIVES.

ALUMNI HITMAKERS PANEL

Our RIAA Gold and Platinum Record honorees reunited on our main stage for a hitmakers panel with vocal producer Daniel Zaidenstadt. The panelists captivated the audience with real stories about their experience in the studio. They shared everything from insider secrets to studio etiquette to staying focused during an artist’s session. This fireside-style chat was truly the closest thing to being a fly on the wall during a studio session. If you are interested in being an engineer, producer or assistant, do yourself a favor and watch the hitmakers panel here.

Left to Right: Joe Byron, Henrique Andrade, Nick Henriques, Daniel Zaidenstadt, Andrés Borda Zabala

TELLY AWARD WINNERS PANEL

Instructor Donna Loyd and Romell Foster Owens, president of Jowharah Films, worked with a team of Entertainment Business alumni on an award-winning PSA called Your Sight, Our Vision. The PSA is about the importance of eyesight care and testing for degenerative diseases. If you are interested in advocacy filmmaking, in particular, PSAs, check out what these panelists had to say about shooting this PSA here.

Left to Right: Donna Loyd, Romell Foster Owens, Monica Yates and Devin Banks

CONTENT MATTERS PANEL

In marketing, they say content is currency. As attention spans wane the importance of short-form content becomes essential to modern marketing plans. Our Entertainment Business Program brought a panel of branded content and digital marketing experts together to share why content matters. Instructor Clayton Guiltner moderated the panel, which included Torre Catalano, Chief Creative Officer of The Colors You Like, Jake Bulgarino, Founder of Eastward Films, and Patrick Brown, Digital Media Producer for One Earth Initiative.

Left to Right: Jake Bulgarino, Patrick Brown, Clayton Guiltner

ANIMATION CHAT WITH DAMIAN SZEIBERT

Our Animation Program Director Joffrey Black interviewed 3D Modeler Damian Szeibert about building a career as a digital sculptor and 3D modeler. With more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Damian shared how he turned a passion for graphic design and illustration into a job at one of the most influential animation studios in the world.

Left to Right: Joffery Black with Damian Szeibert

AUDIO ENGINEERING SOCIETY (AES) PANEL

Our Audio Engineering Society brought in inductee Andrés with his mentor moderated by Grammy-winning Gustavo Borner. Gustavo Borner is known for his work on Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Birdman (2014) and Watchmen (2009) who happened to have Andrés as an intern early in his career.

Left to Right: Gustavo Borner, René Garza and Andrés Borda Zabala

CINE GEAR EXPO

Our all-day expo had nine premier vendors from the film, tech and VR industries here on campus. Students had the chance to travel to the Moon with the interactive virtual reality experience. They also had the chance to test gear from RED, Sony and Quasarscience throughout the day and network with the various vendors. Shout-out to our grand-prize winners from the Cine Gear Expo raffle!

WINNERS

THE 2019 SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

Our grand finale event honored our five newly inducted Spotlight Academy members. See our full ceremony recap with celebrity guest Adam Devine here.

Spotlight Academy Class of 2019