Alumni
John Kilkenny Honored at Spring Commencement
An alumnus of Media Arts, Mr. Kilkenny is Executive Vice President at 20th Century Fox, where he heads the studio’s visual effects department. Just a few of the films that Mr. Kilkenny has touched over the course of his career are: Titanic, I Robot, Garfield: The Movie, the Die Hard series, Fantastic Four:Silver Surfer, Night at the Museum, and the highly-anticipated James Cameron epic story told in 3-D technology, Avatar (scheduled for release in December).
As a student, Mr. Kilkenny was active in television production and music promotion. He interned with the NBC affiliate in Tucson, was a sports producer at the ABC affiliate, and headed the ASUA concert division.
In 2006, Mr. Kilkenny contacted the College of Fine Arts to offer his service to his alma mater. He is a member of the Hanson Film Institute’s developing Industry Council, composed of highly experienced creative and business professionals willing to provide critical support to help lead students to successful careers in the film and television industries.
Mr. Kilkenny provides Media Arts students with specialized internships at 20th Century Fox in visual effects producing. This highly competitive premier internship places the intern with a film currently in production. The student experiences the details of producing visual effects, a key component of feature films made today. Through this internship, Mr. Kilkenny has madea significant positive impact on student career entry.
In 2009, the School of Media Arts and the Hanson Film Institute will explore with Mr. Kilkenny his ideato provide unique training in visual effects producing through the UA Media Arts Producing Program. No such professional training exists at any U.S. college or university.
John Kilkenny brings his professionalism and career knowledge to Media Arts. He has significantly enhanced student learning, the Internship Program, the Producing Program, and the School’s standing in the industry. The School of Media Arts congratulates Dr. John Kilkenny! Thank you, John!
Alumni Visits Impart Industry Wisdom to Media Arts Students
This spring, several prominent alumni visited campus to share their professional experiences and insights with current students.
In January, Lya Guerra (BA 2000) spoke to BFA students about the process of festival programming. Lya has worked as a programmer for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival since 2005, and currently serves as the festival’s International Liaison and Film Programmer. In addition to working for SXSW, Lya also works as a short film consultant for a number of indie film companies, including IFC, Wholphin, and Screen International. She currently lives in Bergen, Norway.
In February 2008, Christian Lander (MA 2004) began writing a blog satirizing the cultural quirks of lefty, urban, white folk. Created just for laughs, the blog caught fire, and Lander has now published a NewYork Times bestseller, Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions, with a possible television show in negotiation. When Christian came to campus for a book signing at the ASUA bookstore in February, he spoke to an undergraduate Media Arts class. With his customary tongue in cheek élan, he encouraged students to read widely, sharpen critical thinking skills and develop sound writing skills.
Media scholar Derek Kompare (BA 1990) spoke to MAR graduate students in February. Kompare is an Assistant Professor of Cinema-Television in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, where he teaches media history, media theory, film and television genres, and media globalization. He has written about television history and form in Media History, Television and New Media, Flow, and many anthologies. His 2005 book Rerun Nation: How Repeats Invented American Television was runner-up for the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Katherine Singer Kovacs Book Award. His next book analyzes the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He received his M. A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
In March, the School of Journalism partnered with Media Arts to welcome MAR alum John DeTarsio, who discussed his career as an Award-winning photojournalist for network magazine programs, including CBS News 48 Hours, CBS News 60 Minutes, ABC News 20/20, and Dateline NBC, as well as for network reality shows. DeTarsio was impressed with the School of Media Arts, which he found to offer “everything that a student needs to prepare for a career in the Film/Video industry. It is so current and up to date--an incredibly sophisticated center you should be very proud of!”
In March, four-time Emmy nominated Set Decorator Greg Grande (BA 1984) spoke to Media Arts students about the field of production design. Greg served as Set Decorator for Friends for 10 years. More recently, he was the Production Designer for Dirt.
In April, Brad Slater (BA 1996), a talent agent at the William Morris Agency (WMA), talked with students about the talent representation business. After his visit, Slater enthused, “I was so impressed by the hard work that you all have done with the department. It’s incredible. I was blown away by the building, the resources, and the dedication to the program.”
Previously a talent manager, Slater joined WMA in 2003. Slater’s clients include Academy Award winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson; Brendan Fraser, Amaury Nolasco, Chazz Palminteri, Emily Procter, Jerry Ferrara, and Jensen Ackles.
Also in April, LA-based film casting director Eyde Belasco (BFA 1991) conducted a film audition workshop in an event co-convened by the Schools of Media Arts and Theatre Arts. Over thirty-five students from both Schools took advantage of a rare chance to see and experience the specialized art of the film audition in action.
Ms. Belasco led a group of nine graduating seniors from the BFA Acting/Musical Theatre programs through a series of videotaped film auditions, observed by their peers in Theatre Arts and Media Arts. John Shartzer, BA in Theatre Arts commented: “To have the opportunity to experience a real audition scenario, in a low stress environment was amazing.”
Ms. Belasco has over fifty feature films to her credit, including Half Nelson (Academy Award nominated for Ryan Gosling and Artios Award Winner for Independent Feature Film Casting) and Special, which both premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. She is currently in her twelfth year as the West Coastcasting director for the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Directing Labs.
READ MORE ALUMNI STORIES
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