November 2023
As we approach the end of the year, I can't help but reflect on the incredible journey 2023 has been for the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design.
Students settled into our new Performing Arts Centre; the Story Arts Centre participated in Nuit Blanche for the second year in a row; Public Relations students took home five at the Achieving Communications Excellence awards held by Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto. We also welcomed new faculty, Lauren Acton, Jason Colthrust, Rebecca Peirson, Karen Shopsowitz, Wanda Taylor, Veronika Ticha, and the new Chair of the Communications and Media department, Laura Kittner, and the magic that fills our hallways of a school full of storytellers has been and continues to be, as tangible as ever.
In this edition of Storyteller, we are proud to share the remarkable achievements of our students, faculty, and graduates. Each newsletter is a snapshot of that magic, and it’s always rewarding to see it extend beyond our walls as our students pursue their careers confidently.
I hope you enjoy this edition as much as I do.
- Nate Horowitz
NUIT BLANCHE AT THE STORY ARTS CENTRE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
Our campus participated in Toronto's highly anticipated all-night celebration of contemporary art, Nuit Blanche, for the second consecutive year. Starting from 7:00 p.m. on September 23 and ending at 7:00 a.m. on September 24, our campus transformed into an immersive and interactive multi-disciplinary art experience following the theme "Plant A Seed" that stemmed (no pun intended) from the overarching theme for this year, "Breaking Ground."
Students, alumni, and faculty did an incredible job organizing all of the outstanding components of the night, which included a live mural painting by four students from our Fine Arts program, a collaborative performance by students in our Dance, Music and Theatre programs, a multi-sensory "Digital Oasis" experience hosted by our Broadcasting department, an immersive VR "Virtual Garden" developed by students and graduates in our Game - Development program, and so much more.
John Caffery, Instructor and the Event Coordinator for Nuit Blanche, shares, "I believe Nuit Blanche at the Story Arts Centre was a tremendous success. I am deeply grateful for the way in which students, alumni, and faculty collaborated to make Plant A Seed come to life." He continues, "Although Nuit Blanche is focussed on brevity and the events of one night, the impact of a seed being planted is a commitment for a long time." Hear more about the event from John here.
STORYWORKS MAKES A DIFFERENCE
PR STUDENTS CREATE DEAR TORONTO: A VIDEO SERIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
A group of students in our Public Relations - Corporate Communications program worked with Centennial's International Student Support Department in their Storyworks course to create a video campaign highlighting some of the challenges international students face and how to navigate them with Centennial's resources.
The three videos in the campaign include:
Ayushman Pisupati, who worked on this series, shares, "We used a documentary style storytelling and visual style to highlight the journey of our fellow international students to make the stories more relatable. By using a peer-to-peer method and making the campaign more relatable, we're showing students that they are not alone in their struggles and that Centennial College has the resources for them to overcome any issues they may face during their academic journey."
The campaign garnered media attention, and Ayushman and fellow student Samah Mohamed went on CBC Metro Morning to discuss the campaign and their experiences as international students. Listen to the segment here.
FACULTY MEMBER TOBI ASMOUCHA ATTENDS PHOTOGRAPHY RESIDENCY AT ARTSCAPE GIBRALTAR POINT
Tobi Asmoucha, an instructor in our Broadcasting and Photography programs, was selected to partake in a one-week immersion residency led by the Feminist Photography Network (FPN) on Toronto Island’s Artscape Gibraltar Point.
While there, Tobi and other fellow artists participated in workshops and had the opportunity to connect and share insight on the industry. "Some of my favourite moments were the individual conversations I had with other artists where real connections were made while discussing artistic concerns. I found new people who understood my challenges and learned from feminists who were at different points of life," she shares.
"I found a supportive community where I could share my creative curiosities and challenges, either in the studio or at the beach. Eating dinner together that had been prepared together kept the conversations going. Having a safe, caring community to share ideas and get feedback from was invaluable."
Current students in our Photography program also had the chance to visit Artscape Gibraltar Point to meet with Jennifer Long, Co-Founder of FPN, tour the facility and learn more about residencies, along with other key pieces of information about the industry.
GRAD PROFILE
NARMEEN lakhani
Children’s media is a vast, exuberant industry filled with multiple forms of storytelling that hold the power to educate, empower, and entertain—something Narmeen Lakhani, a 2018 graduate of our Children’s Media program, has come to know well throughout the years.
Having launched Birdwings Media earlier this year, a startup that she began conceptualizing in her business class within the program, Narmeen has been creating diverse content for preschool and school-age audiences that parents and educators can use to teach about Muslim contributions to society, in addition to offering consultation and training to youth-related industries on more equitable narrative representation.
From writing her own creative stories at ten years old to now producing creative educational content for youth and leading learning sessions about Muslim representation in children’s media, Narmeen’s academic and professional experiences, tied with the opportunities that Birdwings Media has brought thus far, have allowed her to elevate the content she creates and expand its reach.
Narmeen was recently on our podcast, Storyteller In-Depth, to discuss Birdwings Media. Listen to the full episode here.
GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT JENNIFER SUTHERLAND WINS APPLIED ARTS STUDENT AWARD
Jennifer Sutherland, currently in her second year of our Online Graphic Design program, won an Applied Arts Magainze student award! Her award-winning work started off as a semester-long project to create a magazine. The project involved various elements, from market research to content creation, culminating in fully designed and print-ready files by the end of the semester. Jennifer submitted her cover design and won under the Editorial Design Cover/Spread - Series category!
"To be acknowledged with the award was really a gift," Jennifer shares. "It's nice to know that others see your work and value it, especially in juxtaposition to the other incredible entries. The best part of winning was sharing the news with my young kids and watching them get excited for me."
It's always rewarding to see the impact of a program long after graduation. In the case of our Arts Management program, we are proud to share that three of our graduates have found themselves working together at the National Ballet of Canada, helping demonstrate the program's strength and the interconnectedness that our graduates have as they leave our classrooms and enter the industry together.
Richard Lefebvre, Associate Director, Individual and Legacy Giving at The National Ballet of Canada and Instructor in our Arts Management Program, shares, "For prospective students interested in the Arts Management Program, having alumni who work at some of Toronto's leading arts organizations, such as the National Ballet, demonstrates that the program is of high quality and value. With hard work and perseverance, students will find jobs in the sector."
Nipun Kudalkar, Arts Management grad and Officer, Prospect Research at the National Ballet of Canada, shares, "The presence of three Arts Management graduates working together within the same company serves as a compelling testament to the opportunities that await students upon graduating from the program. It exemplifies the effectiveness of the education provided and highlights the strong sense of camaraderie and connection among Arts Management students, even across different cohorts."
Read Part 1 of our Arts Management series: A Q&A with Program Coordinator Rebecca Peirson
GAME - DEVELOPMENT STUDENTS ATTEND THE CNE TO SHOWCASE THEIR WORK
It was an incredible Game - Development program takeover at this year's CNE! Our students showcased their games to the public in a series of Centennial Game - Development booths and on stage for live presentations.
"The experience was incredible, and I'm very grateful I got to experience it with my peers," says Anthony De Fazio, a third-year Game - Development student. "There was a lot to like, but my favourite part was just watching the public play and enjoy our games. Game development isn't easy, and putting these projects together required many months of hard work and determination- but watching people play and have fun made it all worth it."
Similarly, Ronan Daniel, also in his third year of the program, shares, "Showing our games to the public was my favourite part; seeing people of all ages coming to our booths, getting excited and enjoying the games we've worked so hard on was very affirming as a game dev. Seeing other people, who you don't even know, having such emotive reactions to an experience you've hand-crafted is such an elating feeling - you just have to feel it to understand."
GRAD PROFILE
ERIN GRIFFIN
Erin Griffin, a 2016 Public Relations - Corporate Communications program graduate, has joined the Executive team of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Toronto's Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 term as Secretary.
In addition to this new role, Erin is the Manager, Public Relations at the National Payroll Institute, which is where she first began working in 2020 after taking on a few roles after graduation.
"Because of what I learned in my program, I was able to hit the ground running in my field placement and make a great impression. But really, the most valuable lessons I learned there were about networking, being open to opportunities (and feedback) and being professional," she shares.
"I took the program very seriously. I recognized that the instructors there were industry professionals and were my first important contacts in the industry, and I learned to embrace their feedback. These are all skills that I definitely use today and are some of the things that I think have made me successful in my career."
3 GRADS 3 PERSPECTIVES:
A LOOK AT OUR INTERACTIVE MEDIA MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Interactive Media Management is a one-year Graduate Certificate program that equips students with the skills for various user experience design, project management and communications roles. Hear from three recent graduates who delve into three different aspects of the program, including:
- The type of material covered in the program
- Advice to prospective and current students, as well as grads
- Life after graduation and how the program prepared them
Our Fall 2023 graduating class of the program organized their student showcase, Beyond Clicks, that included the incredible work they completed throughout the year.
Titled "How to Make a Good Short Film," The Journal of Wild Culture met with Steve Lucas to discuss the Script to Screen program, his teaching style, filmmaking, and more.
MUSIC FACULTY MEMBER STEVE KOVEN RELEASES NEW ALBUM
Steve Koven, who established the group The Steve Koven Trio in 1993, has performed worldwide and is one of Canada’s longest-standing trios.
Bahamas Sessions is the latest release by The Steve Koven Trio, with eight tracks composed and produced by Steve. “My favourite part of creating my last album was having the experience to record in the Bahamas with some local amazing musicians,” he shares.
You can listen to Bahamas Sessions by the Steve Koven Trio on its digital album here.
SCRIPT TO SCREEN GRAD ENRIQUE MIGUEL BANIQUED PRODUCES FILM: VILLAGE KEEPER
Enrique Miguel Baniqued, a 2021 graduate of our Script to Screen – Advanced Television and Film program and Producer at Smallaxx Motion Pictures, took part in this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for a film he produced called Village Keeper.
The film was selected as one of two feature films to receive TIFF's Every Story Accelerator, presented by RBC's Screen Creator & Emerging Artist Initiative. It was also chosen for the Micki Moore Fellowship.
Enrique brought several fellow Script to Screen graduates to work on the film and shares, "I wanted to keep my relationship with Centennial as I was looking for students who had the same drive as I did, which I knew was going to be there as I came from the program myself. It was important for me to hire [Script to Screen] grads as I wanted to bring up and give those students, who invest in learning, an opportunity I myself would grab, and do a great job on, when I was there."
A LOOK AT FACULTY MEMBER BRIAN DE LIMA'S PUBLISHED RESEARCH
Dr. Brian Jude de Lima, an instructor in our Music Industry Arts and Performance program, has been conducting research in the music industry for several years now. Most recently, he has written an essay that has been peer-reviewed for the MUSICultures journal on alternative modalities in teaching Western art music in post-secondary education. He has also been exploring the topic of anthropomorphism, specifically about the artist Prince, which was included in a new book about the singer and his music.
"What I find fascinating is that although musicians play instruments, the best ones know how to make their instruments 'sing.' Even though that may sound like a cliché, it does hold merit as some of the earliest compositions, both classical and jazz, had used anthropomorphism— the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, in this case, instruments sounding like humans speaking," he shares.
THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA, ARTS AND DESIGN FEATURED IN CENTENNIAL'S GET READY SPEAKER SERIES
Centennial's Get Ready Speaker Series includes two instructors and a graduate from our school! Check out their videos and the additional resources linked below to find out more.
Listen to Kamar's episode of our podcast, where he discusses the art industry, his journey as an artist, and the process of creating his book.
Find out more about Margot in some of our previous publications:
- Centennial Grad and Professor Margot Van Sluytman Talks Poetry, Social Justice, and Being Nominated for Poet Laureate of Ontario
- Instructor Margot Van Sluytman Writes and Teaches New Course: Your Voice Matters – Expressive Writing for Employability
Check out Bianca's submission to our Where Are They Now? series on our Instagram.
CATCH UP ON EPISODES OF STORYTELLER IN-DEPTH
With so much happening every day at the School of Communications, Media Arts, and Design, it is not hard to find cool stories to share on our podcast. There is something for everyone.
Want to learn more about Artificial Intelligence? Check out: Video Editing with Justin Serran and The Writing Industry with Kelly McConvey.
Interested in writing your own book? Check out: Two Spoons with Hannah Sunderani and Halal Sex with Sheima Benembarek.
A career in broadcasting? Check out: Behind the Mic with CBC's Jessica Ng and On-Air with Lataevia Beezer, Co-Host & Weather Specialist at CTV News Atlantic.
Starting your own business or continuing your education? Check out: Kamaj Silva - Entrepreneur, Graduate Certificates with Grad Cassandra Mair and Birdwings Media with Narmeen Lakhani.
The journey to being an artist? Check out: RBC Emerging Artist Sara Vargas Nessi, The Artist's Vision with Kamar Thomas and The Creative Process with Jennifer Rose.
Interested in animation or the art industry? Check out: Behind the Animation with Production Coordinator Molison Farmer and Arts Ahead with Reid and Charmian.
To hear the personal experiences of two School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design Instructors, check out: My Memory with Nesh Pillay and Diversity, Inclusivity and Accessibility with Sasha Boersma.