College of Media at Illinois

Watch the Content Creation Lab's first episode, which was created, directed, recorded, and musically scored this spring by students from Champaign Central High School, Centennial High School, Urbana High School, and Mahomet Seymour High School, in collaboration with Illinois Public Media.

Students explored the possibilities of different career paths in the arts, sciences, and media industries, and discussed other hot topics.

Angela Aguayo, associate professor of media and cinema studies, created the Content Creation Lab to help young teens acquire media production skills. The pilot program was awarded a grant from the College of Media and is supported by the Illinois Community Media Project.

Watch:

Content Creation Lab: Season One, Episode One Teens explore the possibilities of different career paths in the ar...

Hot Ones host Sean Evans (BS ’08, broadcast journalism) talks about his viral success, and the many opportunities it has provided, during an interview with “The Town” podcast host Matt Belloni for YouTube’s FYC event at Avalon Hollywood in June.

“I’ve gotten to do so many cool things through this cartoon existence that I have. A couple of weeks ago I went back to my alma mater, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to give the commencement speech, which was super exciting,” he said.

The “For Your Consideration” event was attended by TV Academy voters who will help determine this year’s Emmy nominations and winners.

Belloni praised Evans his interview skills and format: “If [it was just] eating wings, the show would not be the success that it is. You are very good at what you do and you use the format to get what you want out of the interview, which is great.”

Read more: https://buff.ly/3PNh0UG

Watch Evans’s commencement speech: https://buff.ly/ofJldWM

‘Hot Ones’ Star Sean Evans on Viral Success, Keke Palmer Chemistry and Adversarial DJ Khaled Episode The YouTube star swapped sides of the table at Hollywood’s Avalon where ‘The Town’ host Matt Belloni stepped up to the plate to grill Evans.

Illinois Soul, a production of Illinois Public Media, and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts present a free Juneteenth celebration tonight. Featured artists Raphael & Whitney, a husband-and-wife duo that captured national attention as contestants on Season 11 of "America’s Got Talent," will perform at 5:30 p.m. at Stage 5 in the Krannert Center lobby.

The pair, who met on the University of Illinois campus, have performed alongside global superstars including Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, John Legend, Common, and Giveon. Their voices have also been featured on stages and broadcasts ranging from the Grammys and the Oscars to the Super Bowl and Saturday Night Live.

More info: https://buff.ly/sey5Ix9

Kavitha Cardoza (MS ’02, journalism) is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Richmond, and an award-winning reporter, recently receiving the prestigious American Mosaic Journalism Prize for exemplifying excellence in reporting on underrepresented communities in the United States.

Her work has been seen, heard, and read by millions on outlets like NPR, BBC World News, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Atlantic. She was also the host of "Breaking Ground with Kavitha Cardoza," a documentary series on education that aired on more than 150 public radio stations.

Cardoza says her decision to get a master’s degree in journalism at the College of Media completely changed her life. Read more about this Media alum who has been passionately elevating stories on “the last, the least, and the littlest,” for the past 20 years.

https://buff.ly/QrfZHlx

Jason P. Chambers, professor of advertising and associate dean for access and engagement, shared his insights on the branding impact of Proctor & Gamble (P&G), the makers of Ivory soap, in USA Today's “Iconic Brands” series, which celebrates American ingenuity with a deeply reported examination of how brands intersect with history, community, and everyday life.

"Ivory was one of the first packaged goods that led the branding revolution," Chambers said.

Brands like P&G emerged in the last decades of the 19th century as the manufacturing industry surged after the Civil War, he added. As more laborers worked in factories, not farms, they had more money, but less time. Consumers were more inclined to buy items that a previous generation would have made themselves—from clothing to crackers to soap.

Read the article:

P&G learned how to sell soap then created iconic brands While the company today is known for icons like Tide detergent and Pampers diapers, in the 19th century P&G made candles.

Jordyn Poulter (BS ’18, media and cinema studies) is among eight legendary athletes named to the Fighting Illini Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Poulter, a two-time Olympian, along with seven other elite Illini athletes, will be honored at the Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, at State Farm Center.

Poulter helped lead the United States to its first-ever Olympic Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games and Silver at the 2024 Paris Games, while being named “Best Setter” at the 2020 Olympics.

https://buff.ly/l03BCXk

Hear five practical tips to survive and adapt in journalism in this short masterclass video with Brant Houston, Knight Chair Professor in Investigative and Enterprise Reporting in the Department of Journalism, and co-founder of the GIJN - Global Investigative Journalism Network.

From securing various revenue streams to embracing technological changes, Houston shares actionable advice while keeping an optimistic outlook.

Practical Strategies to Navigate Today’s Media Challenges In this GIJN Academy masterclass video, Brant Houston, GIJN co-founder and Knight Chair in Investigative Reporting at the University of Illinois, shares practical strategies for navigating today’s challenging media environment.

The College of Media is now accepting applications for adjunct faculty to teach undergraduate courses for the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, the Department of Journalism, or the Department of Media & Cinema Studies.

Depending on department needs, adjunct instructors may be assigned to teach courses related to sports media, digital storytelling, social media, consumer insights, film criticism, news editing and reporting, portfolios, advertising technology, film & TV, public relations, branding, global advertising, interactive media and gaming, and media entrepreneurship.

For full consideration, applications must be received by 6 p.m. (CT) on July 15.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/YlQhSRf

Five College of Media alumni have won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their contributions to a "Chicago Tribune" piece on immigration.

Angie Leventis Lourgos (BS ’03, journalism), Dan Petrella (BS ’06, journalism; BA ’06, LAS; MS ’10, journalism), Marianne Mather (BS ’96, media studies), Bob McCoppin (BS ’85, journalism), and John J. Kim (BS ’97, advertising) were part of a team that produced the winning work, cited as “powerful coverage of the Trump administration’s militarized immigration sweep of the city that described in vivid, muscular prose how the siege-like incursion of ICE agents unified Chicagoans in resistance.”

https://buff.ly/wLqedVj

Los Angeles-based film and television producer Alex Hedlund (BS ’05, media studies; MS ’06, journalism) has three major projects set to premiere this year, including a 10-episode remake of "Cape Fear" for Apple TV starring Javier Bardem and Amy Adams, streaming now; a feature adaptation of "Verity" starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett; and the independent horror film "River."

Learn more about this College of Media alum who has empowered writers and directors for the last two decades, and find out which film or TV show he will champion next.

https://buff.ly/AqjEaIl