Once again CAS students’ talent and expertise rise to the top with a total of 15 nominations announced by the Michigan EMMY® Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) on Wednesday, May 15. Making the 35th Annual Emmy Nominees announcement even more exciting is that faculty members Troy Hale and Geri Alumit Zeldes each have a project nominated, and WKAR TV has four nominations.

Additionally, CAS Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media (TISM) graduate Anthony Siciliano, who currently works for the MSU Communications and Brand Strategy (CABS), has been nominated with his CABS colleagues for three EMMY® awards.

A category of the EMMY® awards program, the Michigan Regional Student Television Awards recognize outstanding student achievements in production and promote best practices, as well as provide an incentive for the pursuit of excellence in television journalism. This recent nominations are for entries from January 1 to December 31, 2012.

The Michigan Emmy Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, states that it is:

“the standard-bearers for excellence in the television broadcasting industry and the gatekeepers of the prestigious regional EMMY® Awards in Michigan. The Michigan EMMY® represents the most experienced and talented television professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all of Michigan’s 11 television markets.”

The black tie 35th Emmy Gala will take place on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at the MotorCity Casino Sound Board Theater in Detroit, Mich.

A listing of CAS Students, Faculty and WKAR National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) EMMY® Nominations follows:

College/University Student Production Nominations

Newscast

Focal Point Newscast: MSU CAS School of Journalism/WKAR

Lauren Gentile

Chloe Hill

Joseph Khalil

Josh Sidorowicz

Huiyi Zhou

Focal Point Newscast December 1, 2012: MSU CAS School of Journalism/WKAR

Lauren Gentile

Chloe Hill, Joseph Khalil, Josh Sidorowicz, Huiyi Zhou

News: General Assignment

Students Vote Absentee: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Chloe Hill

Drought Threatens Christmas Tree Farms: MSU CAS School of Journalism/WKAR

Lauren Gentile

Sports

Help a Willing Kid at Lansing’s Crown Boxing Club: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Andrew Kelleher

Public Affairs/Community Service

Students in Final Get-Out-the-Vote Push: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Josh Sidorowicz

Commercial

Welcome to Media Sandbox: MSU CAS Media Sandbox/www.vimeo.com

Robert Smith and Victoria Zou

Animation/Graphics/Special Effects

Lord of the Drinks: Cyborg Smash Productions/MSU/www.youtube.com

Ryan Sundberg

Editor

Help a Willing Kid at Lansing’s Crown Boxing Club: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Andrew Kelleher

To the Moon! MSU/www.spaceballoon.cas.msu.edu

Kirk Mason

Photographer

Bailey Hoop House: MSU CAS School of Journalism/WKAR

Katie Harrington

Help a Willing Kid at Lansing’s Crown Boxing Club: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Andrew Kelleher

Talent

Josh Sidorowicz Talent Reel: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.youtube.com

Josh Sidorowicz

Writing

Proposed Library Millage: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Chloe Hill

Students in Final Get-Out-the-Vote Push: MSU CAS School of Journalism/www.focalpoint.cas.msu.edu

Josh Sidorowicz

35th Annual Emmy Nominees: CAS Faculty and WKAR

Arts/Entertainment

BackStage Pass – Seth & May: WKAR TV

Tim Zeko and Michael Mihalus

Children/Youth/Teens – Program Special: WKAR TV

QuizBusters

Michael Mihalus and Matt Ottinger

Documentary – Cultural

U.S. v Narciso, Perez & the Press: MSU/www.vimeo.com

Geri Alumit Zeldes, CAS School of Journalism Faculty

Environment

Sustaining Our Young Forest: Clearwater Media Partners/WKAR

Scott Allman and Charles Nelson

Health/Science – Program/Special: MSU/Comcast

World Medicine

Troy Hale, CAS School of Journalism Faculty; Alberto Moreno (not affiliated with CAS); and Jim Peck (not affiliated with CAS)

Interview/Discussion

Evening with the Governor 2012: WKAR TV

Tim Skubick

The College of Communication Arts & Sciences has a stellar reputation for attracting true innovators from around the world, both as teachers and researchers. I am confident that this well-deserved reputation is stronger today than ever, evident through the caliber of students that we are attracting, the increase in research dollars being awarded to the college, and the numerous accolades our faculty and students are earning in all departments and specializations.

Just this year, we have among our faculty a Fulbright Scholar and InternationalCommunication Association (ICA) Career Achievement recipient (Joe Walther), ICA Fellow (Sandi Smith), ICA Applied Research Award for a team of three faculty (Charles Atkin, Kami Silk and Sandi Smith), FCC Chief Economist appointment (Steve Wildman), the Meaningful Play Game of the Year designer (Carrie Heeter), two Excellence in Teaching award recipients of only five awarded across the university (Samantha Nazione and Jessica Russell), a University Distinguished Faculty awardee (Johannes Bauer), an American Academy of Advertising Fellow for lifetime achievement (Jef Richards), a Knight Mozilla Fellow (Sonya Song), , as well asseveral top paper recognitions across disciplines (Constantinos Coursaris, Wietske van Osch and Bruno Takahashi).

And here at CAS, a special recognition is given each year known as the Faculty Impact Award. It was created by the CAS Alumni Board and is given annually to a current faculty member of the college who has made a significant and enduring impact on the lives and careers of his or her students. Nominations are made by CAS students and/or alumni.

This year’s recipient is Karl Gude, Graphics Editor-in-Residence with ourSchool of Journalism. Gude is the former director of information graphics at Newsweek magazine and The Associated Press. He left Newsweek to spearhead the first information graphics program in the college, where he also teaches the creative process as part of the Media Sandbox faculty.

As a visual storyteller, artist and writer, Karl consults with corporations, scientific institutions and government agencies including NSF and the CIA, as well as across campus for a unique array of research and creative initiatives. However, Karl’s creative magic comes alive most brilliantly when he engages with our students. Overhearing his enthusiasm and passion in the hallways and classroom, you instantly know he was meant to inspire future creative communicators. Please join me in congratulating Karl Gude when you see him, and check out the videothat captures his surprise when presented this award.

Reflective of our ability to attract the top professionals in their respective fields is the recent appointment of James Dearing as the newchair of our department of Communication. Dearing is the senior scientist in the Institute for Health Research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado and co-director of the HMO Cancer Communication Research Center, a National Cancer Institute center of excellence. He is also co-director of Kaiser’s Center for Health Education Dissemination and Implementation Research.

Dearing earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and was a professor of Communication and director of Graduate Studies in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. He also served on the faculties of Michigan State University, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Michigan. His research interests will be an excellent fit for our college, complementing and elevating our commitment to Health and Risk Communication. Stay tuned for more details about Dearing’s accomplishments, interests and future plans in upcoming issues of CAS NEWS.

I would also like to extend an enthusiastic welcome to a cadre of new faculty who will be joining the college over the summer and through the fall. As we draw closer to the new school year, I will share more about each of them along with pictures, but for now, please join me in welcoming Anastasia Konova (Advertising + Public Relations), Fan Cao and Eric Hunter (Communicative Sciences and Disorders),Jennifer Ware (School of Journalism), and Shelia Cotten, Andrew Dennis, Jina Huh and Josh Introne (Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media).

In conjunction with the Made In Michigan film, “Freaky Deaky”, a companion mobile app called “Freaky Deaky Flashback” is now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.  The app was developed through a unique collaborative effort between students in the Michigan State University Game Design and Development Specialization, Eyde Studios located in East Lansing, MI, and Pixo Entertainment located in Southfield, MI.

Brian Winn, Director of the Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab at MSU, was the lead designer on the project. Winn worked closely with a team of eight students in the MSU Game Design and Development Specialization and a team of professionals at Pixo Entertainment to develop the app. Winn stated, “this project gave the students very real-world experience working on a professional-level project, complete with the deadlines and production schedules they can expect in the industry.”

In Freaky Deaky Flashback, the player assumes the role of an undercover FBI Agent, Daniel Jacobs, immersed in the rebellious counter-culture of the late-1960s. The player must infiltrate a group of deviant college students whose peaceful demonstrations have turned explosive. The goal of the player is to figure out who set off a bomb during a student demonstration and apprehend the suspects before they do any more damage.

The Flashback app features an explosive bomb defusal puzzle (Dynamite Dash), a high-speed chase game (Hot Pursuit), and an intense shootout game (Fully Loaded). Across the games, players can aspire to earn forty-eight achievements and level up across ten ranks of ability.

The students were primarily responsible for building the three games that are part of the app. “The students definitely rose to the occasion and delivered an outstanding set of games,” commented Winn. Matthew Vorce, the lead student programmer on the project, stated, “working on Flashback was different than a typical student project because I knew everything I was working on would be released to the public. This meant I had to be sure the quality of my work was to a higher standard.”  Justin Girdard, the student team lead, added, “working for a client really changes how you go about doing things and adds new challenges to the development cycle. Aspects like deadlines and quality assurance play a much bigger role.” Sean Hurwitz, CEO of PIXO, stated, “Getting to know the graduating students in a work environment is great benefit for PIXO.  This year, we have two graduating students starting in the next few weeks, and have hired several others over the past few years.”

Freaky Deaky Flashback is based on the Freaky Deaky book, by Detroit-native author Elmore Leonard, and motion picture, directed by Charles Matthau. In Flashback, the player interacts with characters from the story in their youth, providing a rich backstory on the characters in Freaky Deaky.  The story in Flashback is told through a sequence of compelling motion comics (aka, “flashback” sequences). The app also provides details on the Freaky Deaky motion picture; include a film synopsis, trailer, and character overviews.

Robert Cantrell, executive producer on both the film and the game, commented that the focus of the app complementing the film and film complementing the app takes advantage of the synergies of both the growing gaming and film opportunities in Michigan.  Cantrell added, “the skills and talent of the students that developed the app were as good as you will find anywhere and having them able to demonstrate their skills here in our state was a gratifying experience.”

For questions about the project or the CAS Game Design and Development Specialization at Michigan State University, contact Brian Winn at winnb@msu.edu or call 517-353-5497.

Social Media Marketing, Media Sandbox style:

The Media Sandbox is searching for a student to take on the task of daily management of it’s social media channels. The Media Sandbox is the Integrated Media Arts curriculum in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Sandbox is seeking someone with a creative background and a skill for both Facebook and Twitter copy (with potential for expansion into other social networks). A good understanding of social network dynamics and audience is also necessary.

Responsibilities Include:

• Daily management of posts on all social media outlets.
• Content curation for original Content provided by Sandbox staff and faculty.
• Work with a team of Staff and Faculty.
• Publicizing events and major accomplishments in the Media Sandbox and CAS College to students, alumni, and interested professionals.
• Manage and maintain relationships with appropriate social media influencers that are important voices in our program.
• Find and engage with content conversation around the Media Sandbox brand and students.
• Market the Media Sandbox to potential incoming students and current students.
• Market Sandbox students to external organizations.
• Stay current on trends in field to promote thought leadership by Media Sandbox.

The position is largely self-directed and requires a self-starting attitude. The Media Sandbox is looking for someone with a keen eye for engaging content and a skill for presenting it in an appealing manner for Students, Faculty, and Professionals in order to grow our online brand both locally and nationally.

Preferred Experience

• Prior experience with Social Media Marketing
• Student in Advertising, Journalism, or Telecommunication
• Strong interpersonal communication skills

How to Apply
Send your resume and a BRIEF personal statement to mediasandboxmsu@gmail.com.

EAST LANSING, Mich., April 18, 2013 – An elite group of students have been given a challenge: Create a half-hour fiction film together over the course of two semesters using professional equipment and a $2000 budget under the supervision of professors Jeff Wray and Bob Albers. This select group of Media Arts, English, and Theatre students are a part of the Fiction Film Production specialization.

“Jeff and I created this specialization because we knew there were a ton of students that wanted to make films,” Albers said. “The specialization is three years old, and every year the films that the students make get better and better.”

The students in the specialization this year first met in a directing class taught by Wray that only Fiction Film specialization students may take. In Fall 2012, the students met again to begin their long journey as one group of filmmakers to create their own fiction film.

“Learning to work in collaboration is the most important thing.  Students have to give up the creative freedom they typically have on their own projects for specific jobs making the film,” Wray said. “We try to make this as much like professional independent filmmaking as possible.”

During the production phase and post-production phase of the film, Wray and Albers assigned specific roles to each student. Some roles required more than one student, helping inspire even more collaboration. Andy Beaudoin, Dennis Corsi, and Sarah VerStrat, the trio of writers for the film, had never written a film together prior to the specialization.

“Working with two other writers was challenging, but it was a great experience to toss ideas back and forth and learn from the other writers,” Corsi said of the collaboration. Corsi is also the post-production supervisor of the film.

“It’s really interesting seeing everything come together,” Beaudoin added of the writing experience. “You have to let go of what you want and make decisions that are right for the story itself.”

Once writing for the film was completed, the next four months were devoted to shooting Married with Benefits. Last minute casting changes, film set fallbacks, and illnesses were among the challenges the students had to overcome to complete the film. Fast-forward to April 2013 and the students have sold out the film’s April 24 world premiere. In addition to having an additional screening on the Michigan State University campus at Wells Hall in room B122 on April 29, the students are preparing to submit Married With Benefits to film festivals nationwide.

Married With Benefits is the end result of the unique journey the students took in the specialization. The film is about Mary (Deb Fernandez) and Scott (David Mackson) attempting to spice up their marriage by experimenting with an open relationship. Upon letting a bizarre assortment of people into their lives, they discover that it is not as simple as they had hoped.

For more information about the film and purchasing tickets for future screenings, visit www.marriedwithbenefitsmovie.com.

The Ellis N. Brandt Endowed Lecture for 2013 offered a look at how social science can contribute to designing and implementing effective communication campaigns. “Talking to Social Animals: From Food Pyramids to the ‘Truth’” was the title of this engaging talk by Rob Gould, executive VP of public relations firm Brodeur Partners.

Gould has led some of the nation’s most successful health campaigns throughout his 30+ year career, including creating the well-known, award-winning “Truth” anti-tobacco campaign. He was the lead researcher on the development of the Food Guide Pyramid for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It’s wonderful to study communications and the other fields that are related to communications and the social sciences. That’s where I started my career and I’ve never regretted pursuing an advanced degree in the social sciences,” said Gould. “What I really want [the audience] to come away with is: fundamentally it’s an applied discipline.”

“And if you’re going to move from testing theories to practicing as a communications professional, it’s probably good to talk to people who’ve been through that transition. That transition means being aware of the problems you’re trying to solve. If they’re worthy of solving, the big problems — they fight back,” said Gould.

Gould also had advice for students looking toward careers in journalism and communication. “Deciding who you work for is the biggest challenge,” he said. “If you’re in communication and you’re going towards journalism, that would be a great example of choosing wisely. There are new forms emerging now, funded by foundations and other non-profits that are giving sort of a new life to a kind of journalism that actually might be better than the for-profit model that we’ve worried over for the past ten years. And maybe these new forms might actually provide some better opportunities for people to work for leaders who really have a clear vision about what journalism communication can really be and should be.”

“Looking out five years, we’ll get beyond the whole discussion of bloggers and the credibility of the media and all that -— I think those issues will work themselves out. The big issue will be, who do you work for?”

Prior to his current position with Brodeur Partners, Rob Gould has worked with public and private non-profit organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association.

The annual Ellis N. Brandt Endowed Lecture focuses on public relations and the public interest. The Brandt Lecture was created by the Gerstacker Foundation and is named after Ellis N. Brandt (BA ’43 Journalism), a vice president of the foundation. Brandt is a recipient of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award.

Today we are excited to announce the top ten finalists for the media sandbox challenge! The grand prize winner will receive $3000!

Click the names to view their projects. In no particular order:

The group comprised of Jonathan Black, Carolyn McLean, Terry Sieting, and Qinge Wu // Website and Project Showcase

The group comprised of Manuel Tejada and Carla Prida // Poster Series

Lia Shaffer // Poster

Jordan Jennings // Poster

Austin Thompson-Truchan // Poster

Elizabeth Izzo // Book Layout

Zachary Zweifler // Video

Carly Belsito // Video

Miranda Miller // Poster Series

Elizabeth Morgan // Poster

Michigan State University is in the middle of its first campus-wide Science Festival which runs through Sunday, April 21. While our students’ amazing, award-winning creative work is showcased throughout the corridors of our building, the college is also internationally respected for its outstanding science and research.

Just this week we learned that Communication and Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media (TISM) professor Joe Walther won the prestigious 2013 International Communication Association (ICA) Steven H. Chaffee Career Achievement Award. The award “acknowledges sustained and coherent work on a well-focused communication problem central to the communication discipline” and “must have comprised multiple projects and publications and generated second-generation work among students and other scholars.” Join me in congratulating Joe, who is in Amsterdam at this time doing social media research as a Fulbright Scholar.

Additionally, the ICA is also awarding the 2013 Applied Research Award to associate dean of graduate studies Kami Silk, director of the Health and Risk Communication Center and communication professor Sandi Smith, and our beloved former chair of the Department of Communication Charles Atkin. This award “honors a scholar or group of scholars who have produced a systematic and outstanding body of research that addresses a significant communication problem…” We are so fortunate to have such an outstanding team of researchers working on internationally relevant health and risk-related communication problems, as well as mentoring our graduate and Ph.D. students here at CAS.

Coming up this week and featured in the MSU Science Festival agenda of events is the annual Brandt Lecture hosted by the department of Advertising and Public Relations, as well as two TISM video game demonstrations for children. This year’s Brandt Lecture will feature Rob Gould, Executive VP of the PR firm Brodeur Partners, and an expert on how social science can contribute to designing and implementing communication campaigns. He was the lead researcher on the development of the Food Guide Pyramid for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helped create the well-known “truth” anti-tobacco campaign. The lecture will take place in CAS Room 147 on Thursday, April 18 from 7-8:30 p.m.

On Friday, you can catch our TISM team Nathaniel Abernathy and Culver Redd in CAS Labs 240 and 246 from 4-6 p.m., demonstrating games on biology, evolution, astronomy and animals for children ten years and older, teenagers and adults. Video games are increasingly being used as a learning mechanism to help introduce students to science, math, technology and engineering subjects while also providing students the opportunity to practice digital art, storytelling and problem solving. Casey O’Donnell and Rabindra Ratan provided demonstrations earlier in the Festival.

Other exciting projects underway in CAS include work by TISM assistant professors Emilee Rader and Rick Wash on cyber security behavior by non-expert users. Two research projects funded by the National Science Foundation are directed toward increasing understanding of how non-expert users deal with security risks and how to better design online information protection. Assistant professor Wei Peng is studying the effects of video games on health behavior and the effects of social networks on behavior. Recent work funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on short and long-term effectiveness of exercise games for young adults.

John Besley, an associate professor and Ellis N. Brandt Chair in the department of Advertising and Public Relations is the lead writer for the National Science Board’s (NSB) biennial chapter on public attitudes and understanding of science and technology. Besley also recently completed a pilot survey of scientists’ views about online communication with the public in cooperation with the American Association for Advancement (AAAS).

And in the department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, assistant professor Laura Dilley is studying the role of prosody, or the properties of speech associated with voice pitch, loudness and speech rate, to understanding words. This research holds potential for significant advancement in human health, technology and science. For example, voice pitch, loudness and speech timing is often highly disrupted in many disorders affecting speech and language, including dyslexia, autism, stuttering and Parkinson’s disease. Dilley’s research could lead to new insights regarding mechanisms underlying these disorders.

And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg with regard to the vast array of fascinating and potentially life changing scientific research taking place right here in CAS and campus wide. I urge you to expand your horizons by attending one of the many excellent events scheduled as part of the MSU Science Festival.

As part of the spring semester “Friday Studio Talk” speaker series, Spartasoft has invited a different game development studio to talk with Spartasoft members, faculty, and MSU students about their company’s work and other game design and development related topics. MSU Media Sandbox has generously provided support for several of the events.

On Friday, April 12, Nick Timmerman and Vinh Chu from Pixo Entertainment shared with students the difference between what you learn in school as a student studying game design and development and what it is really like creating digital applications and games in the real world.

Nick Timmerman, who is currently the Project Manager at Pixo, has worked in the entertainment industry for companies such as Back Sky Production, Raleigh Studios, and Emerald City Films. Timmerman kicked off the presentation with an overview and explanation of Pixo and their client-centered work approach.

Pixo creates high quality applications for their clients by collecting user analytics. Understanding user behavior through analytics allows both the client and Pixo to have a deeper understanding of how their users interact with products to refine the areas that are giving users the most difficulty.

Vinh Chu and Nick Timmerman with the attendees (click for larger image).

While analytics are increasingly used in the design process to improve products, Timmerman explained that the effort dedicated to design and development is not as simple as collecting analytics. Occasionally there are hiccups in the process, such as the client having different expectations, developers being overworked, and the demanding crunch we have all learned to love! Timmerman went on to describe his role as Project Manager for Pixo Entertainment, and how his role impacts production and communication between the Creative Director, Technical Director, Pixo teams, and the client. By opening and streamlining communication, Pixo worries less about production hiccups, and focuses more on developing their internal workforce and innovation.

Vinh Chu also joined Timmerman to discuss what it is like to be the Technical Director at Pixo. Chu is a veteran of the gaming industry where he refined his skills as a programmer at Midway Games in Chicago, Illinois. Chu expressed how much Pixo has appreciated Timmerman joining the team, especially since he is able to do what he loves the most now–program. Much of Chu’s work as the Technical Director prior to Timmerman’s arrival consisted of meeting with clients to talk about technical abilities and troubleshooting coding problems. Chu has since been able to step out of meetings with clients and get back to his passion of programming for applications and problem solving.

PIXO's Nick Timmerman with the Spartasoft e-board!

Everyone in attendance better understands the client-based work and relational aspects performed at a company like Pixo. Spartasoft, Media Sandbox, and MSU sends its thanks to both Nick Timmerman and Vinh Chu for sharing their time and experience with us and we hope to continue developing a relationship with Pixo Entertainment. Students interested in game design and development at MSU benefit by these experiences with companies because they receive professional insight, encouragement, and education beyond the classroom.

Students interested in learning more about game design opportunities in Michigan should check out the next event! Spartasoft and Media Sandbox are hosting another Game Studio Talk on Friday, April 19 from 6-8 PM in Studio D! A panel of guest speakers from Stardock, including a Producer, Lead Artist, Game Designer, and two Programmers, will come to campus to discuss what it is like working for a mid-sized Michigan based games company. Students will also learn what they look for when recruiting, what it is like to make games for a living, and the hard decisions they face as they try to create great games. Three of these guests are MSU alumni! We are super excited to bring them home! Please help us welcome them back!