WELCOME FMCAD FACULTY & STAFF

From Monday, November 23, 2020, to Friday, January 29, 2021, the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts is hosting one-hour virtual information sessions at various times. Connect with our professors to hear how you'll get hands-on experience through Live Labs, performances, and ongoing work-integrated learning, and learn the industry-specific business skills needed wherever your career and your story take you. Your professional future starts here.

Find your session.

The 12-minute film, the pair's capstone project for the Journalism graduate certificate program, highlights efforts to combat child abuse in Uganda. The film grew out of a health and social change intiative led by Denmark's University College Absalon with partial funding from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. 

Read more about Lau and Multani's film and their experience documenting the stories of women and children in Uganda.

She spoke to Humber Today about her work, what it's like to collaborate with the Duffer Brothers, and how she went from Humber Film to Hollywood sound editor. Read her full interview.

Humber is the only participating postsecondary institution and the five projects--available for online viewing for 12 hours starting at 7 pm--are the most by any participating institution.

Learn more about Nuit Blanche Toronto 2020, or find out more about the Humber-sponsored projects, including a short film by students in the College's Indigenous Transmedia Fellowship and a composition by a Bachelor of Music graduate.

The annual $10,000 cash prize recognizes the accomplishments of an emerging jazz musician, and supports "the pre-production, production, and/or recording of original music composed by the recipient."

Read more about Jesse Ryan and his work.

The two were honoured for their work on the Bachelor of Public Relations Senior Fellow in Residence program, which brought Tobey, who runs her own agency, to Humber as the CPRS Senior Fellow in Residence. Males received the 2020 Award of Attainment and Tobey was named the CPRS Mentor of the Year. Read more about their innovative collaboration and the residency program.

Michelle Doyle and Cathrin Hagey, graduates of the creative writing program, were recently named to the CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist. Doyle was nominated for "The Intensive," an excerpt from her recently completed memoir about identity and personal development, and Hagey was nominated for "The Fringe," an essay about a difficult moment in her childhood.

Postgraduate journalism alumni Lucy Lau and Harmony Multani are nominated for the People's Choice Award at the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival for their short film, Pearl Under Pressure: The Impact of Violence Against Children in Uganda. The film, which documents the work of the The Denmark Uganda Vietnam Exchange (DUVE), was shot over a week in January 2020 as part of an international learning opportunity through Humber College. Read more about the film and Lau and Multani's experience in Uganda.

Fadi was recently featured in The Focus Magazine for his team's work on the dramatic scene where Brad Pitt's character plummets 80,000 feet to Earth from an antenna that extends outside the planet's atmosphere.

We caught up with Fadi to find out more about what he does and how Humber helped him get there.

What is your current job title and what does that mean on a daily basis?

My current job title is "Tracking and Layout Department Lead" at Mr.X Inc in Toronto, Ontario. The tasks I perform in a day can vary, so here are some of the things that I do:

Lead - I oversee a team of 8 others on a daily basis as part of my duties as lead. I work with them to address any issues or concerns they have, as well as just general supervision, support, and direction.

New Show Setup – I work with the technical leads in the studio to set up new shows. I help ingest the data that’s been given to us by clients and set up the foundation required for each show so they’re ready for our artists to work with. This includes things like dictating render resolutions, color spaces, and software templates.

Interviews – I conduct interviews alongside my manager to scout for potential new hires in the Toronto tracking and layout department.

General Troubleshooting – I work alongside all the artists in my department to help them with any issues they may have. This can be related to the specific shot/show that they’re working on, or it could be one of our proprietary tools that needs bug fixes.

Pipeline Overseeing – I manage and oversee the pipeline for the Tracking and Layout department across all 3 locations. The "pipeline" is the technical term for the proprietary toolsets that allow for the transfer of data from one department to the other. I discuss, oversee and approve any development that affects the data coming into or going out of the tracking and layout team.

Training – Having worked with a team to pioneer the current training system in place for Tracking and Layout, I still oversee the training to this day. New hires for Toronto are seated next to me and get 1-on-1 time as they are introduced to the tools and workflow. Once they’re at a comfortable level, we put them into production. During this phase, they continue to sit next to me so I can oversee their work and troubleshoot any hiccups they may experience.

Shot Work – If there’s nothing from the above list on my plate for that day, I work on individual shots alongside my team.

What was your career path to get where you are now?

My career path after leaving Humber has been fairly single track. I was hired at Mr. X while still in my third year and have been here ever since. I was brought in as an "Entry Level Tracking Artist". Over the years, I was presented with more responsibility and higher-level tasks as my skillset, knowledge, and experience grew.

In the fall of 2017, I worked with my supervisors to restructure and establish an entirely updated training program for new hires in our department. This training has been widely successful. Over 10 artists have gone through it since and almost all are now at a senior level.

In the spring of 2018, I was given the opportunity to travel to India. We opened a branch in Bangalore and I was sent there to train the staff of the tracking and layout department in our proprietary toolsets and workflows. I held live demos, recorded hours of video training documentation, established personal connections and rapport with the individual artists, and continued communication with them afterwards, overseeing their work and progress.

In the fall of 2019, the position for department lead became available and I was presented with the promotion. I’ve been in that role since.

How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?

Humber did a fantastic job of preparation me for my career.

The education I received allowed me to build a portfolio that helped me acquire the position in the first place.

The outreach to former students and industry professionals prepared me by helping set up an in-depth network of resources and contacts. This helped me understand the importance of communication and references. It was a Humber grad I met through this networking that recommended me for the position at Mr. X, helping me secure the job.

Studio tours and guest speakers hosted by the professors gave me insider knowledge about the workings of the industry, and supported everything the instructors were telling us. Humber also helped prepare me with useful pointers on how to set up my demo reel, website, and resume to stand out more than other applicants.

Find out more about Fadi Sara on IMDB and read the articles where he and his team were featured: 

https://www.thefocus.com/news/ad-astra-fall-brad-pitt-mr-x-fall-from-space

https://www.thefocus.com/news/ad-astra-brad-pitt-fall-mr-x-visually-chaotic

What are you doing now and what was your career path to get here?

After gaining valuable experience in all facets of film work, I decided to specialize in Screenwriting and, a few years after graduating, found myself writing and directing my first feature film "Brewster McGee" which was shot on 16mm black and white film. Over the next several years, I continued my filmmaking journey here in Vancouver with my documentary short "Broken Palace" as well as my most recent feature film "A Legacy of Whining" (which I also acted in). I have just completed (along with my Producer/wife Maria) our new documentary "European Tour '73".

Tell us some of your favourite Humber memories.

The memories that I cherish most from my time at Humber are of the many great friendships that I made with my fellow Humber film students and the amazing (and sometimes nerve wracking) moments we spent getting our film projects across the finish line in time!

Also, upon arriving at Humber College, I immediately found the offices of the campus newspaper "The Humber Voice" and became the film critic for the paper for the next three years. This allowed me to received a press pass to cover the Toronto International Film Festival which was enormously exciting ("Hey! Is that Roger Ebert getting on the elevator...!).

How did Humber help you get where you are now?

I think the best thing about studying film at Humber College was how well it prepared me for real life in the film world. Just like in the film business, we had to learn how to exist and get along within a group of fellow crew members and be able to respect and listen to each other's creative ideas and to balance and be productive amongst all the different personalities and viewpoints involved. Also, the course's expectation of having us learn all the different functions and duties in the film world gave us a very well-rounded and valuable opportunity for some incredible hands-on learning.

Share a tip for upcoming filmmakers.

I think it's important for potential filmmakers to get a solid understanding of their craft - whether it's going to film school or learning online or especially going to as many movies as possible - that's key. When I went to Humber, I used to jump on a bus downtown almost everyday after class and see as many movies as I could (they used to have a collection of very cool repertory movie houses that featured amazing film titles from North America and around the world!).

Also, I think it shouldn't be overlooked just how important it is for filmmakers to get out and meet as many like-minded individuals as possible (yes, that dreaded word "networking"!). Making a film is a social experiment at all times and you will need as many people pulling in the same direction as you as possible. Get out of your comfort zone and start being part of your chosen community! Help other filmmakers on their sets, support other filmmakers and creatives - the love will make its way back to you!

Watch the trailers for Ross's films "A Legacy of Whining" and "European Tour '73".

Back in his third year at Humber, Steve made a case for a business which, he happily reports, has been his full time job for nearly 5 years. He told us a bit about the business and how Humber helped him make it a reality.

What are you currently working on and what was your career path to get there?

In 2014, I started a YouTube channel called the Samurai Guitarist. Since then I have built a following of 500k followers with over 54 million views. I've branched out to doing sponsored deals, merchandising, an online guitar course and a number of other things that have built a comfortable and fulfilling life in music. I've traveled the world because of this and can't go into a guitar store without being recognized (this is still weird for me).

What other projects have you worked on since leaving Humber?

A failed country band.

How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?

It was very beneficial, many of the skills I learned at school I still use on a regular basis. From working in the studio to my music business class with Andy Scott, there is very little I learned that I don’t use regularly. 

Photo credit: Jenny Marrin

Keisha graduated from Humber's Film & Media Production Program in 2018 and we caught up with her to find out more about the project.

Your work is prominently displayed at Dundas station in Toronto. Tell us more.

This is the end result of a year-long artist residency with VIBE Arts and RBC called "Desire Lines". VIBE is a non-profit organization delivering free arts education workshops to marginalized youth across the GTA, and as one of the emerging artists on the roster I was incredibly happy to be a part of this project. I produced a short film, the stills of which are being displayed alongside my headshot and poster on the TTC Pattison panels for one month in Dundas station.

Along with that, I am currently working on my next short film, which is being produced through another program at VIBE. I am an artist in the NExT program, which is a mentorship opportunity specifically for young, Black artists. I will be filming my project next month, which will then be exhibited at a gallery with an opening reception sometime in March.

What other projects have you worked on since leaving Humber?

I produced a short documentary/proof of concept for a future, longer film; I applied for and received a grant from ArtReach for a project I will be running this summer involving workshops and a gallery; and in general have been planning my next film projects.

I also work as a freelancer, so I have continued to do freelance editing and filming since graduation, as well as working as a contract facilitator at some non-profits in the city, as I am passionate about working with and mentoring youth through arts education opportunities.

How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?

I made some of my closest friends while at Humber, and I still work with my crew today. It feels good to be able to collaborate with each other outside of the school setting, and it's great when I'm able to pick who I want to work with.

Photo credit: Aniqa Rahman.

Find out more about Keisha at @keishajamesvideo and @thebrokegallery on Instagram. Her current project is on Instagram at @wtdtyfilm. You can also read more about the VIBE Arts projects here:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/12/27/vibe-arts-brings-emerging-artists-work-to-ttc-subway-stations.html
https://www.toronto.com/news-story/9781496-vibe-arts-brings-emerging-artists-work-to-ttc-subway-stations/

his first project after arrival involved making a recording with his former Humber instructors.

Dan told us more about the CD and what he learned at Humber.

***

NOW

I recently released a new CD called City Abstract, featuring teachers from my Humber days: Ted Quinlan, Pat Collins, and Ted Warren. I had been living in NYC for the last 15 years and just moved back this spring, and this was the first project that I wanted to do. All three musicians had a huge impact on me when I was studying at Humber in the late 90’s, and it was an honour to be able to do a record with them.

THEN

I released a record in March of 2019 that features Steve Swallow on bass, Ben Monder on guitar, and Mark Feldman on violin. It was an absolute thrill to get to record with these legends, especially Steve Swallow, who played bass on all of my favourite Gary Burton records from the 1970s. So incredible!

I also did a trio recording with Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums; that should be released in 2020. I'm very excited about this record too.

HUMBER

For me, it was huge to get to study with people that were actually out there playing on a regular basis. It really has a huge impact on young players, getting to learn from masters already out on the scene playing and doing their own thing.

***

Follow Dan on social media at @DanMcCarthy on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. (Photo credit: John Rogers)

Competing in a field of 72 teams from six college, Team “A-Block” -- comprised of Nicolas Diaz, Emily Little, Julia Laing, and Chelsea Speck – created an app to address academic integrity. Check out some images of the app here.

The Adobe Creative Jam is a design challenge that asks students to create a visual or motion design concept based on a theme revealed at the event. After three hours and no rules, the teams present their work to the jury in front of a rapt audience. The 2019 Jam drew over 300 students from Sheridan, George Brown, Seneca, OCADU, Algonquin College, and Humber.

Congratulations to all the students who competed, and especially to Team “A-Block”!

We caught up with him to find our what he's been working on.

***

NOW

I recently completed the 48 Hour Film Project. It was exciting, partly because it’s a fast-paced creative project that forces you through all of the creative processes of film-making in a very short time-frame, and partly because I used it as a way to test myself as both a director and producer.

THEN

Since Humber, I’ve worked on a number of projects. I produced and acted in a couple episodes of a small web series called Business Inc. that Robbie Woods and I wrote together, I worked as a Knight at Medieval Times, and I’ve been involved with a number of different film projects. The latter were largely in a production support capacity and have been great for learning to eventually create my own work. Business Inc. is one of the projects I’m proudest of, and I eventually want to remake it with the production skills I’ve learned since then.

HUMBER

My time at Humber was really great for getting comfortable with my own voice, both on and off the stage. Learning about story structure and joke construction and then getting to practice both through performance was a pretty cool combination to get comfortable with all aspects of the creative process. Humber also gave me an opportunity as a work-study student to learn about more technical and production skills like stage lighting and managing performers; those skills have served me very well in my production endeavors since then.

***

Find out more about Erik on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all under the handle @eriksmithcomedy. (Photo credit: Sammy Lo.)

To celebrate, we're singling out three standout original dramas created by Radio and Media Production students for a second-semester course. 

Learn More >

The project is part of the Global Affairs Canada division of the Federal Government and aims to highlight the support Consular Services offer to Canadian travellers.

The hackathon event took place in the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation and started with an introduction to the design challenge and a briefing call with the client where students were provided the information, materials and inspiration they needed to start their projects.

“When a client is involved, the experience is holistic and involves every aspect of working in the field,” says Bianca DiPietro, program coordinator of the Graphic Design program. “The dynamic between client and student is much more professional and holds a certain level of recognition.”

DiPietro and David Neumann, program coordinator of the Web Design and Interactive Media program say the opportunity for their students to work with real-life clients is great exposure—allowing students to communicate effectively, problem solve and work collaboratively with others.

The students gathered in small groups to design a concept while working with their faculty and advisors to complete their project proposals by the end of the day. Faculty will review the submissions and select up to eight concepts based on uniqueness, creativity and execution. The selected submissions will be shared with Global Affairs Canada to consider the concepts further.  

For one group, their concept is a three-dimensional, hollow hemisphere that resembles a globe and features data and information within it. User-friendly to all ages, the globe can be tilted or spun around to allow users to see inside the globe and learn about Consular Services. 

“Projects like this give validation to the program and show trust in us as working professionals by allowing us to have our work showcased and potentially have our work attached to the Government of Canada,” says Gizaham Jones, third-year Graphic Design student.

Using different skills and methods, a Web Design and Interactive Media group’s concept includes movable Plexiglass panels. With infographics and data printed or engraved onto the materials, the installation will allow natural light in airports like Toronto Pearson Airport to reflect onto it. The concept also features QR codes and Near-field communication (NFC) codes, which lead users to find more information on the government’s website using their smartphones.

“Being able to have clients give you an open-ended project to work with is a great way to get your creativity and development moving and apply what we’ve learned so far,” says Paul Cudmore, second-year Web Design and Interactive Media student.

The hackathon is part of Humber’s Data storyLAB, which is an innovative hub for data-driven storytelling. Based out of the North Campus, the storyLAB will produce year-round research and partnership opportunities for student learning and engagement.

“StoryLAB is an opportunity for students to pair with reporters, developers and coders to discuss the influence data can create in different journalistic settings. The lab demonstrates how data can transform and impact politics, social justice, and the day-to-day lives of Canadians,” says DiPietro.

Humber’s storyLAB and The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting recently created a storyLAB Data Journalism Grant to support independent data-driven journalism. 

For the inaugural grant, Humber and The Pulitzer Center are accepting proposals for stories related to Indigenous lands and property rights. The grant will provide up to $10,000 for a freelance journalist or team of journalists to explore a related story from a data-driven perspective.

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This article, by Alysia Burdi, was first published by Humber Today on September 20, 2019. Read the article in it's original context.

Convergence and sweat were silver medalists at the CSPA College General Magazine Hybrid Awards, with individual student journalists receiving 15 2019 Gold Circle Award commendations across 11 categories. This year’s CSPA Gold Circle Awards attracted 7187 news and magazine entries from college and university publications around the globe. A full list of individual award recipients is included below.

N03 Editorial Writing

- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Staff, "Tuition Poses Unnecessary Barrier to Upward Mobility, Success," Humber Et Cetera, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N05 Personal opinion: Off-campus issues

- SECOND PLACE: Devin Nguyen, "No Easy Route to Good Journalism," Humber Et Cetera, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N12 Personality profile

- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Ross Lopes and David Tuchman, "In Memoriam Harry Leslie Smith," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N14 Cultural feature

- SECOND PLACE: Elesha Nicholls, "Wingin It," Scribe, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;
- THIRD PLACE: Kateryna Horina, "They Got Chills," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;
- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: David Tuchman, "Paying To Play," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

 N18 Briefs writing

- SECOND PLACE: Kateryna Horina and Austin Spearman, "News In Brief," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario.

N29 Single sports photograph

- THIRD PLACE: Paige McGowan, "Bear Hunting," Humber Et Cetera, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N37 Newsmagazine Cover

- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Chelsea Alphonso and Ross Lopes, "Decolonize It," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

 N38 Page One Design

- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Et Cetera Staff, "Higher Education," Humber Et Cetera, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N45 Alternative Story Presentation

- FIRST PLACE: Kit Kolbegger and Michelle Rowe-Jardine, "Predators of the Press," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N46 Design Portfolio of work

- SECOND PLACE: Chelsea Alphonso and Ross Lopes, Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N50 Single Subject Feature Package, Double-truck (two-facing pages)

- THIRD PLACE: Staff, "Legalization Day," Humber Et Cetera, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;

N51 Single Subject News or Feature Package, 3 or more pages or special section

- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Chelsea Alphonso, Ross Lopes and Austin Spearman, "Reporting People As People," Convergence, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario;
- CERTIFICATE OF MERIT: Paige McGowan and Art Team, "Centre Stage," Scribe, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario.

David Bezmozgis, co-ordinator of Humber’s creative writing graduate certificate, has been shortlisted for the Giller Prize for Immigrant City, his sophmore short story collection. Bezmozgis is no stranger to Giller nominations; his novels, The Free World and The Betrayers, were shortlisted in 2011 and 2014 respectively. The $100,000 prize will be presented at a gala on November 18.

Nicola Winstanley, co-ordinator of Humber’s Media Foundation program, is a finalist for a 2019 Governor General’s Literary Award in the Young People's Literature – Illustrated Books category. How to Give Your Cat a Bath is the fourth book by the acclaimed children's author. She is a past recipient of both an Ezra Jack Keats Foundation New Writer Award and a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award nomination. The winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards, valued at $25,000 in each category, will be announced on October 29.

Congratulations, David and Nicola!

It is the most extensive grant dedicated to Canadian data-driven journalism.

The grant supports projects related to essential and underserved topics affecting Canadians. For the inaugural grant, Humber and Pulitzer are accepting proposals for stories related to Indigenous lands and property rights. The grant will provide up to $10,000 for a freelance journalist or team of journalists to explore a related story from a data-driven perspective.

"Opportunities for enterprise, data-driven journalism in this country are few and far between," says David Weisz, director of storyLAB at Humber College and professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts. "Especially when it comes to covering Indigenous issues, where the cost of travel alone can cause newsrooms to lose their appetite for a particular story. This grant is to ensure that these important stories get told and told properly."

This grant opportunity is now open, and applicants are encouraged to submit their proposals by October 31, 2019. The winner(s) of the grant will be honoured at a cocktail reception on November 15, 2019.

Humber’s storyLAB leverages the multidisciplinary nature of the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts to create collaborative opportunities between Humber staff, students and industry partners. Humber’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts is committed to fostering data journalism, most recently creating and hosting Data Driven, a data journalism symposium for coders, investigative reporters, developers and data advocates. 

Alumni were recognized in four categories for their work as directors, film editors and sound editors. The alumni nominees include

• Katrina Saville, Director/Writer - I Beat Up My Rapist (Best Short Film)
• Hugh Elchuk, Editor - Cardinal: By The Time Your Read This, Episode 302, Roman & Irena (Best Picture Editing – Movie For Television)
• Drew MacLeod, Film Editor - Letterkenny, Episode 501, We Don't Fight at Weddings (Best Picture Editing – Comedy or Family Series)
• Cailey Milito, ADR Editor - Northern Rescue, Episode 109, Wake Up (Best Sound Editing – Comedy or Family Series)
• Robert Hegedus, Supervising Dialogue Editor - Heartland, Episode 1207, Running Scared (Best Sound Editing – Comedy or Family Series)
  

Also nominated is professor and Post-Production program co-ordinator Lara Johnston in the Best Picture Editing – Feature Film category for her work on Mouthpiece. Lara previously won a Canadian Cinema Editors Award for her work on this film.

The DGC Awards will be presented at the DGC Gala on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Mouthpiece was the opening night film for the Special Presentations section of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Mouthpiece is directed by iconic Canadian director Patricia Rozema and in the words of Danis Goulet, TIFF programmer, is “a potent exploration of how women across generations contend with their own socialization.” Find out how to purchase tickets.

The film was selected as the opening film for the Special Presentations section at TIFF (Lady Bird had this slot last year). Although the film wasn't officially a Humber endeavor, Lara edited the film, had grads as assistant editors and was able to screen a rough cut of the film to her entire cohort from last year, an amazing experience for our students!

For this year's competition, DX invited students studying in all design disciplines to submit proposals that develop creative solutions focussed on the accessible navigation of public spaces. Anushka's winning project was called “Connexus”, and the concept was a set of wearable bracelets for young children or older adults with cognitive impairments. The bracelets helped ensure caregivers were able to monitor the safety and location of their ward and help provide directional support and a feeling of security for the wearer.

Anushka and her team came up with the initial concept during a class project earlier this term, where BDES students hosted an ideation session with Fontys students in March. Anushka then refined this concept as part of her class project, submitted it to the competition and won! She was awarded $1500, and her work will be on display at the Design Exchange.

Congratulations, Anushka, on this stellar achievement.

Assisted by Radio Humber student volunteers Jenifer Tait, Sarah Miranda, Kyle Drinnan - along with Noah Scanga and professor Greg MacDonald - the grade five students wrote, recorded and produced their very own podcast.

Radio Humber Outreach is an initiative of 96.9 Radio Humber - the campus and community radio station housed at the Humber College north campus in Toronto. Working with the teachers, Radio Humber offers select workshops to school children interested in learning about podcasting and the audio world.

Listen to the Silverthorn Public School student's podcast.

Lara's assistant editor on the film is a Humber graduate and two of her students also worked on other aspects of post-production for the film.

Directed by Patricia Rozema, Mouthpiece centers on Cassandra, an aspiring writer who, while struggling to compose a eulogy after the sudden death of her mother, comes to discover that her own rebelliousness is as much a response to the male gaze as her mother's conformity.

Mouthpiece is currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox until June 13th as part of their Canada's Top Ten programming. Get your tickets here.

Michel's photo (displayed below) was taken on a recent trip back home to Havana, Cuba. Congratulations, Michel! We're looking forward to seeing more of your excellent work.

Developed by faculty members, Anne Zbitnew and Jennie Grimard, and in partnership with Tangled Art + Disability and Humber students, 

The Toolkit is intended to educate and inform on how to make the presentation of art inclusive and accessible for all. So far, the toolkit is making its way around the country as a resource and guide for art galleries. It was used in Halifax for their version of Nuit Blanche in October and the City of Toronto is adapting it for use in all their museums and galleries. The Canada Council for the Arts is using it as a resource and Tangled will be developing workshops led by disability-identified artists to educate other public art spaces about access and inclusion.

Congratulations to all involved on this amazing achievement!

They created a new brand and digital strategy for Oxford Hack, an annual hackathon that is hosted at the University in the UK. Main deliverables for this project were a new brand identity, social assets, website design, print materials, and promotional items.

It wasn't easy. With the time difference and also other obligations of both the Graphic Design students and the collaborating students in the UK, it was a bumpy road.

Fast forward to December 2018 and the result is an absolutely amazing outcome of such a messy but beautiful collaboration. The students created a beautiful brand, style, and collection of collateral that was used at the Oxford Hack 2018 on Nov 24 & 25 at the University of Oxford.

You can view the students' work on the Oxford Hack website and Facebook page.

The students experienced real-life struggles, design difficulties, and the challenges of working as a group internationally.

A big thank you to Vojtech Havlicek and Klaudia Krawiecka, PhD students at the University of Oxford for their openness to collaborate and provide a meaningful experience for the Graphic Design students at Humber College.

The demo was created by a group of students which included Noel Marcial, Zachary Davies, Sam Fisher, Collin Skanes and Adam Odeh. Their proposal is for CREL -- Reel-FM -- which would feature music, soundtracks, contests, interviews, and talk - all related to movies. Each member designed their own movie-related show to become part of the station's schedule. Creative production and voice imaging by Noel Marcial.

In the article, he discusses how video game players are real athletes and describes SMSIT’s Game Lab, outfitted with super-fast computers and ergonomic chairs.

Read the full article (note, the article is written in French).

The event was a live demo for Relic Raiders, a new indie game made by local Toronto developers, which will be released in late October.

Microsoft provided high-end laptops for students to play the game on. After playing the game, students were invited to provide feedback to on-site representatives. The event was a huge success, with over 400 students from all Humber faculties coming to play the game.

The event was also a major networking opportunity for Game Programming students from all years, but especially our third-year students. These students had the chance to connect with an upcoming local developer and to interact with a professional-grade Beta about to go through its final polish, as well as the opportunity to provide feedback and thoughts on how to further improve the game's design.

Overall, Microsoft was overjoyed with how the event turned out and is extremely interested in doing more of these events on an even larger scale.

Michael is the winner of the William F. White/Vilmos Zsigmond Cinematography Scholarship for 2018.

This prestigious award is given to a successful full-time post-secondary Canadian student who is currently enrolled in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of studies at an accredited College or University Cinematography program.

Paul Bronfman, Whites Chairman and CEO, and Rick Perotto, VP of Business Development, presented Kashuba with the award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 11, 2018 at a gathering of industry professionals.

“Never in my life (this early anyway) did I picture myself speaking in front of the people I read about in Canadian Cinematographer,” says Kashuba. “[These are people] whose work I watch on the big screen, and whose methods and dedication to cinema inspire me everyday.”

The two professors had assistance from two media studies students, Dhanuska Premarantha, Chloe Chung, and SAT student Hilary Leehane. This annual conference - now in its 10th year - is the premier forum for UI research in the automotive domain. The conference brings together researchers and practitioners interested in both the technical and the human aspects of in-vehicle user interfaces and applications.

The paper proposes a demo for an augmented reality application for training emergency responders, which would use an AR projection on a pre-recorded emergency scenario. The team is currently seeking funding for the registration costs of the conference, as well as funds to build a prototype of the proposed design.

The conference will take place on September 23-25. Best of luck to the faculty and students!

Simran won for her Mountain Dew ad, which she both illustrated and designed. The final award (Merit, Silver, or Gold) will be announced at ADCC's Directions 2018 Award show on November 8th in Toronto. The ADCC is a Canadian non-profit, non-political group dedicated to encouraging excellence in Canadian advertising and design.

Congratulations on this accomplishment, Simran, and best of luck in November!

The winners include Dahin Rah, Advertising & Graphic Design, Dana Mevorach, Graphic Design, Jordan Jackson, Graphic Design, Austin Riswick, Film and Television Production, Geoff Baillie, Advertising Copywriting, and Ian Dunlop, Advertising Copywriting.

Applied Arts Magazine is Canada's premier magazine of visual communications, featuring the latest opinions, news and images from the creative advertising industry in Canada and abroad. Their annual Applied Arts Awards are the only competition in Canada that recognizes the talents of professionals across the visual communications sector.

The winners will have their work published in the Fall 2018 Student Awards annual, in the online Winners' Gallery and Awards Archive, as well as receive a complimentary copy of the Fall 2018 issue, an awards certificate, and more.

You can view Dahin's award-winning campaign for Rocky Mountain Bicycles below.

Congratulations to all the Student Award winners!

We would like to congratulate Radio Humber Diploma graduating student Josette LaFleur for being this year’s recipient of the Rene Roth Memorial Scholarship – an award given away to a student who demonstrates leadership, innovation, and creativity. Josette majored in News and would have been a favourite of the late Rene Roth- who taught sales and marketing in the Radio Humber Diploma program before losing her battle with cancer three years ago.

Also, congratulations to three Broadcast - Radio professors for winning multiple awards at the 2018 Crystals Awards held on Monday, May 7th.

Kyle Taylor, the Humber Radio Lab professor and Creative Director of Indie 88, picked up three awards for creative production excellence. Creative Production professor, Greg MacDonald of Bell Media, and his creative team won two Crystals Awards for creative excellence. And, finally, Writing for Radio professor, Larry MacInnis, also walked away with two Crystals Awards for creative writing excellence. All in all, it was a big, exciting night for RBD. It just goes to show that our students are being taught by the best in the business.

Congratulations to all on receiving these amazing honours!

Humber is among several other media and educational organizations partnered on this project, such as Global News, The Toronto Star, Ryerson University, and more.

The BNC awards are organized by the OCNA and recognize the outstanding work of local Ontario newspapers. The student-run newspaper, Humber Et Cetera, won first prize in the General Excellence category against stiff competition in the Colleges/Universities division.

This is a tremendous honour for our third-year diploma students who write, edit and lay out the newspaper, as well as second-year students who work as reporters and supply most of the copy. Thanks to Salem Alaton for his many years of hard work helping the students produce an award-winning paper. Thanks as well to Rob Lamberti who worked magic last year to help second-year students transform their academic writing into quality newspaper copy. And a special shout out to Marlee Greig, creative advisor, and technical support. Humber Journalism also won second place in the Student News Writing category for investigative pieces that a team of third-year students wrote about the $400K rebranding of IGNITE.

Congratulations to Tyler Bloomfield (now full-time CBC contract), Brandon Austin (co-founder of a thriving social media management firm with major clients), Alana MacLeod (full-time Global News contract), Erian Amor De Los Reyes (full-time CBC contract) and Ken Kellar (moving to Winnipeg to pursue journalism there).

They did this at the Radio-TV-Digital News Association (RTDNA) Central Canada meeting on Saturday, April 25 at Humber College, North Campus. The format was like speed-dating  where students spent five minutes with a news director or journalist.

Along with the networking opportunity, students were able to bring along a sample of their TV or radio work on a phone or tablet for some instant feedback and coaching.

The events drew students from Humber College and other broadcasting programs in and around the GTA.

Industry leaders at the event included Paul Rogers, Senior Vice President of CTV, Mike Crawley, CBC reporter, Kym Geddes, News Director at Newstalk 1010 and City News reporter Amanda Ferguson.

Jayme Poisson, an investigative reporter for the Toronto Star and a partial load faculty member, won the Hillman Prize for her work with David Bruser at the Toronto Star, reporting on Grassy Narrows.

Richard Warnica, who began teaching Features this semester, has been nominated for a National Newspaper Award for Best Long Feature. Check out Richard’s nominated profile of on Rebel Media’s founder, Ezra Levant.

Chris is a recent graduate of the Photography program and has been working part-time with the School of Media Studies for the past 2 years. Outside of Humber, Chris continues to work on career development and honing his craft behind the camera. A natural result to his outstanding efforts, Chris’ hard work has been deservedly rewarded.

Snowboard Canada Magazine has been Canada’s premier national snowboard magazine for more than two decades, and has outsold all other snowboard magazines since their launch in 1992.

Chris will also be featuring a collection of his work at his first solo art exhibit “Busy Boarding”, this Saturday, October 13, 2018, and Moguls in Mocean in Orangeville, from 5:30 to 8:30pm. All are welcome to attend.

We are fortunate to have someone like Chris on our team, and we wish him even more success in the future!

The app aimed to provide users with quick, accurate knowledge on their legal rights when confronted by a police officer. However, after the apps initial launch in 2015, Legalswipe soon discovered there were several usability growing pains. Users could not reliably navigate the app in the heat of the moment, and as such, were not fully enticed to use the app.

Legalswipe reached out to Humber for help, and that's where Robert Blair and his students entered the picture. The students took on this Applied Research project and used Humber's state-of-the-art Usablity Lab to redesign the Legalswipe app to be more dynamic and aesthetically appealing. In the end, the students exceeded Legalswipe Co-Founder Christien Levien's expectations. He remarked that the students succeed in making the app more fun and intuitive to use.

The opportunity proved to be an excellent real-world learning experience for the students and a great piece to add to their portfolio. Congrats to the second-year Web Design and Interactive Media students for their hard work and their contributions to making this important app a success.

Michael Downey, a student at Humber’s Radio Broadcast Diploma program, and his student collaborators have won best newscast in the category of Audio Radio Newscast at the 2017 Broadcast Educators Association of Canada National Student Awards.

The award-winning entry was a regularly scheduled newscast on 96.9 Radio Humber in which journalism students Anna O’Brien, Tyler Bloomfield, Alanna Fairey and Brandon Choghri travelled to Washington, DC to report on the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In Toronto, Radio Humber’s Pasquale Pettinicchio and Michael Downey alternated between broadcasting from the anchor desk and corresponding with the reporters in Washington.

The award will be presented to Michael and his collaborators on Friday, May 26th at the National Students Awards Gala at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto. At the gala, a clip from the award-winning newscast will be showcased for those in attendance. The newscast is also eligible for the President’s Awards (Best Audio/Video), which will be announced and presented at the gala. The annual BEAC National Awards is a program that recognizes and rewards creative and technical ingenuity and excellence in students attending a radio, television/video or new media/animation program.

Congratulations to all students and faculty involved in this amazing achievement!

Broadcasting - Radio diploma students Sean Towgood, Tevin Guthrie and Chris Wheeler placed second for their work on “Stigma” in the same category.

The Emerge Media Awards celebrate and showcase the achievements of the best writing, editing, videography, audio, graphic design, communications and public relations work at the postsecondary level.

Selected by an independent panel of judges from 313 submissions, eight winning individuals/teams represented various postsecondary institutions across the country.

He won for best radio commercial, station promotion and public service announcement. Congratulations, Larry!

Of the eight winning entries, Humber college students in Art Foundation, Visual and Digital Arts, Interior Design, and Industrial Design proposed and constructed a winning entry that will be unveiled on Family Day, February 20th.

Explorers are challenged with what is and what can be through a visual distortion of reality in The illusory. Constructed of highly reflective linear panels, the circumambulatory experience pulls the explorer into the centre for a moment of introspection and to experience an ever-changing illusion of reality. From afar, the structure is incognito, reflecting the surrounding environment and fading into it. Entering the space, the explorer views misconstrued, mirroring illustrations of themselves and their surroundings.

The inspiration for the Illusory came from the relationship shared between humans and the environment. The site itself inspired the shape of the piece, where from afar the complete form curves and angles with the sloping beach while its reflectivity causes it to disappear into the sky. The installation is meant to provoke curiosity. After approaching the piece and entering into a circular space, participants view fragmented versions of themselves and the environment. The Illusory is an introspective experience, depicting humans themselves as the catalyst for change in the present environment. 

Eight schools participated in the the first annual Advertising Industry competition to secure  a coveted spot in the Orange Juicer Apprenticeship Program at the The Grip Agency.

Each school was given 6 weeks to prepare a campaign book and presentation for Honda Civic. Six teams made it through to the final round of presentations including 3 Humber teams, 2 Seneca teams and 1 OCAD team.

Channel Six left a memorable impression on the judges with strong creative presentation skills, as well as the conviction and passion they had for their idea.

The winning team included:

• Copywriters from the Advertising Copywriting postgrad program Shane Terry and Christina Roche
• Art Directors from the Advertising and Graphic Design diploma program Laura Córdova and Andrea Por
• Account Managers from the Advertising - Account Management postgrad program Gosia Socha and Dhara Naik

None of the Above is a second-year documentary by Film & Television Production students, Tassja Graf (Director) and Madeline Ciuffreda (Producer). It is a story about Elliot, a young student living in Toronto who identifies as agender.

The Land of Nod is the coming of age story of the sixteen-year-old Nicholas, a son of a local serial killer. Tormented by his classmates and uncared for by his alcoholic mother, Nicholas is on a quest to find out if he is anything like his father. His only ally is Enna, a fifteen-year-old girl who is obsessed with finding the body of one of the victims, her sister. Unsure of himself and who he might end up to be if he lets anger reign, Nicholas must look past guilt and others’ perceptions in order to move on. The Land of Nod is a dark coming of age story that explores the loss of innocence, the truth of nature and nurture, and the victims of murder that are not talked about: their families.

The film will screen as part of the 16th Annual Canada's Top Ten Film Festival in January 2017.

The Ahlan Bears can be purchased here.

Dozens of students from several distinct programs including Broadcasting Radio - Diploma, Broadcasting Radio - Graduate Certificate and Journalism - Print and Broadcast, were directly involved in reporting or producing content for the show.

The program originated in the control room at 96.9 Radio Humber, with a support team in the broadcast newsroom and studios, and reporters on location across Humber, throughout local ridings, throughout Toronto, across the Greater Toronto area, and beyond. We had a Radio News student reporting from Ottawa, and a Journalism student at the Justin Trudeau's headquarters. The energy in the broadcast centre on election night was fantastic!

The broadcast was a huge undertaking for any professional broadcast news operation; embraced and executed with enthusiasm by Humber students who chose to get involved and cooperate with students from other programs.

The award winning team included the entire classes of all programs involved in the final credit, as well as: 
Nick Westoll - Journalism Print & Broadcast: Producer, Co-host
Adam Haga - Broadcasting - Radio: Producer 2 (organization, and reporting live from Ottawa) 
Kenan Habibovich - Broadcasting - Radio: Producer 3 (technical production, live operating)

The award will be presented May 27th at the BEAC national conference in Halifax; streamed over beac.ca. 

In Breath of Life she recounts her struggle to survive, the arduous task of waiting for treatment and how she has accepted her new-found role as a champion of organ donation awareness. 

Breath of Life is a second-year documentary from Film & Television Production students Fiona Cleary (Director) and Justin MacDonald (Producer). The film was available on all of Air Canada's in-flight entertainment systems, as part of this year's EnRoute Film Festival. The film was in competition, along with 12 other films, and won Air Canada enRoute Film Festival People’s Choice award.

They both worked tirelessly during the campaign promoting the competition and entry, which paid off! Breath of Life was a highlight in a stellar program of films programmed by the folks at Spafax for the Air Canada enRoute Film Festival.

The annual event attracts industry leaders from radio and television - and sees the return of many of our alumni who are currently active and very successful in the news media industry. The most exciting part of the day is the opportunity for current students to interact and network with news directors, reporters and award winners in the breakout session following the luncheon.

This year’s theme was “wise words." Malick Ba, a second-year advertising and marketing communications student placed second at the event and Cleo Clatney, a first-year public relations advanced diploma student at placed third. Donte Spence, also a first-year public relations advanced diploma student was part of the team representing Humber. This is the second year Humber participated in the public speaking contest.

“I’m so proud of Malick,” said Anna Santilli-Finn, ADMC program co-ordinator. “He’s added to the program’s reputation by competing and placing second in this competition. I think it speaks well of Malick’s strong skill set and the skills we teach in our program."

“Congratulations to Cleo on placing third,” said Lisa McLachlan, PR advanced diploma co-ordinator.“It’s encouraging to see our first-year students doing so well against postgrad public relations students across the GTA."

Mimi Tsui, professor at Seneca College was the faculty lead for the event. Mimi is a graduate of Humber’s PR post-grad program.

The students worked on an important campaign to help bring attention to the dangers of Fentanyl. The focus of the campaign is a website, facethefentanyl.ca which profiles "Tina Espey, 19, Cole Lockie, 21, Tyler Campbell, 17, Jake Bodie, 17, and Jessie Kolb, 24, as well as resources and information about overdoses and fentanyl." Toronto Police Chief, Mark Saunders told the Toronto Star, "the campaign is “just a starting point for this very issue . . . we can’t just arrest our way through this thing.”

His work is a stunning, four-minute look at the career of this celebrated Canadian (Detroit-born) artist. Congratulations Cliff on your amazing work! What a great feature.

The film has been awarded the first-ever 'Discovery Award' at the Canadian Screen Awards!

Feature Writing for Journalism and Media Students was published by Oxford University Press and is currently available on Amazon. 

The Ottawa Tibet Film Festival is an emerging festival, with a strong lineup of films. Singing in Diaspora will be screened as part of the festival on March 20, 2016, at the Mayfield Theatre.

These for alumni launched their work for Angle Media Group on the brand new Hennessy book - Shaken and Stirred: Hennessy Crafted Cocktails and Mixed Drinks as part of Angle Media Group! 

As part of Angle Media Group, Andrew and Wale worked on the launch of Canadian Tire's new campaign " How To Videos' with the tag line " Don't Worry... You got this!" Wale worked on the pre-production and Andrew edited all the videos in English and in French. Congratulations on the great work!

"I would not have the career I do if it wasn't for the training I received from the unbelievably talented and dedicated faculty. Humber attracts the best because it is the best."

Follow Charlotte on Twitter @CharlotteHegele and read more about her on IMDb.

"It’s a great program that just keeps getting better and I recommend it to anyone seriously interested in acting."

Born on the small Caribbean island of Dominica, Dwain Murphy came to Canada when he was four years old. An only child with an active imagination, he loved to perform.

However, he was seriously bitten by the acting bug as a teen while watching Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. When a high school teacher encouraged his talent in drama class, he resolved to pursue it earnestly and began looking into college-level programs after he graduated from high school.

Dwaine decided on Acting for Film & Television at Humber because, he says, it was local and not as expensive as some of the other schools he investigated. Dwain remembers that he auditioned doing a Charlie Brown monologue rather than the customary Shakespeare or scene from a movie. Nevertheless, he was accepted.

He didn’t, however, realize then just how much his time at Humber would change his life. Since leaving, he’s built up a pretty impressive list of credits including a starring role in the full-length feature How She Move; roles in Saving God and Poor Boy’s Game; a recurring role on Degrassi: The Next Generation; Guns, a mini-series; Three Rivers; and, most recently, Ghost Whisperer.

For someone who had no idea on how to approach the acting industry, the AFTV program at Humber college provided me with the essential tools in order to succeed.
The Business of Acting class proved very helpful in finding an agent for myself, the Auditioning class with Michael Caruana helped ease my nerves in the auditioning room, and having John Bourgeois and the rest of the staff coaching us students along the way helped me grow tremendously as an actor.

I would recommend this program for any aspiring actor wanting to propel their career forward.

Since I've graduated I've booked several commercials, a lead role on a web series and a recurring role on a television series called XIII. Had I not attended the AFTV program, I can confidently say that I would not have had the same opportunities.

Read more about Hubert on his
website: huberttran.com and follow him on
Twitter: @HubertTran

"With the coaching of establish professionals, I gained training and connections that has proved to be an essential building block to my career."

Follow Brock on Twitter @BrockM31 and read more about him on IMDb.

"Each class and teacher is a necessary inspiration for the industry."

Follow Julian on Twitter @JulianRobino and read more about him on IMDb.

His screen acting credits include Taken (NBC), Jett (Cinemax), Endlings (Hulu-CBC), Kim's Convenience (CBC), Incorporated (SyFy) and The Strain (FX).

Besides being an alumnus of the Humber AFTV program, he's also an alumnus of both the Writers' Guild of Canada/Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program. He has written for the television cartoon 16 Hudson (TVO), co-created/wrote the digital series Sudden Master (OMNI/Rogers), and created the digital sketch series Off2Kali which screened at ReelWorld. Additionally, Richard serves as the ACTRA Toronto Treasurer.

"The teachers are all wonderful and go above and beyond to make sure that the right courses are taught so that grads enter the acting world feeling confident. I wouldn’t trade this training for anything in the world."

Danielle Watling graduated from Acting for Film and Television where she was the recipient of both the President’s Letter and the Academic Achievement Award. She studied improv after graduating from Humber in 2009 and is now also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory Program.

Danielle is very active in the improv community and began studying how to teach it at Second City’s LIT program. This led to the wonderful experience of leading a class of teens.

As a young actor, Danielle is busy developing her film and television credits. Currently, these include the Nickelodeon pilot Kicked in the Business, Forensic Factor-F2 and Breakout. She will make her first feature length film debut in A Kiss and A Promise. She’s also done voiceover work on the popular CBC Radio drama Afghanada, and her theatre credits include Ran-Tar the Terrible, Citizen Vain and Beyond the Moors.

She is also the co-creator of Hogan and Watling Productions. The young company recently produced Frosty The Show-Man, its first show, and Danielle played Cindy Lou-Who.

Hannah Hogan graduated in 2007 from Humber's Acting for Film and Television program where she received the Brian Linehan Scholarship for Outstanding Artistic Promise.

She credits the program with giving her the confidence to pursue acting as a profession, and for enabling her to approach acting as a technical craft. Since leaving, Hannah has done several commercials, as well as short and feature length independent films. She became a member of ACTRA a year after graduating, and enjoys working with the most talented artists in the Canadian film industry. Most recently, she can be seen starring in the YTV series That’s So Weird, which was nominated for several Canadian comedy and Gemini Awards. She is also working on producing a web series with fellow graduate Stephen Kew, and looks forward to increasing her profile as an up-and-coming Canadian actress.

"It was nice to be able to feel comfortable with them and take from their experiences in the industry. The program truly prepared me for what was to come for me in the industry."