Road to Hall of Fame- Full Sail University

Since we are in award season let me talk to you a little bit about one of the biggest celebrations my school has every year since 2009: Hall of Fame. During Hall of Fame, Full Sail University recognizes the amazing achievements of select graduates who have outshined in their career field.  The great thing of this event is that it’s not only a ceremony giving an award to each graduate; it’s a whole week of seminars and events committed to the students.

This year I had the opportunity to be part of this. I went to every single seminar that I could and that was of my interest. I can say…I learned a lot.

The week for me started with the celebration of the Grammy’s. The school had a red carpet; people were dressed up, refreshments were served, students were given awards and many other surprises. Your experienced was like the real one.

Later in the week the workshops started. The first one I had the pleasure to assist was “Casting and Directing: Choosing and Developing Talent.” Disco San-Andreas, Tommy Dennis and Kevin O’Neill gave this seminar. I received great information. And guys…remember to always have a back-up plan if anything happens with one of your cast members.

                                      

The next morning, I had the pleasure to see my own teacher’s seminar Kim Craft talking to us about  “Self-Publishing: Maximizing Revenue, Rights and Control Over Your Writing Projects.” Every piece of information she gave us about self-publishing was very insightful.

That same day I assisted to “Conquering the Everest of Logistics: Getting a Firm Footing on Independent Filmmaking.” Darren Lynn Bousman (Full Sail Film graduate who directed Saw II, III and IV), Fahad Vania, Mike Wotherspoon and Rob Tuscani gave this workshop. A little advice I want to give you is: Find a great producer!

Another one I went to was “Copycat TV.” Troy DeVolld, Kristen Zimmerman, Anne Watters and Jennifer Dubacak were the speakers. This workshop was focused on my biggest passion: television production. I received great information for my future career. My advice to you on this one is: Know your target audience!

My last workshop was “Creating PR Buzz 3.0.” The panelists for this one were Jeff Timmons (98 degrees founding member) and Steve Helling (staff writer for People magazine).  My suggestion to you on this one is: Never try to be someone you’re not.

And finally the big event of the week: Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. On this one our outstanding graduates received their recognition for the hard work they have done within their specific niche in the industry.

The awarded were:

·      Marcella “Ms. Lago” Araica (Recording Arts Graduate, 2002),

·      Dylan “3-D” Dresdow (Recording Arts Graduate, 1997),

·      Chance Glasco (Computer Animation Graduate, 2001),

·      Joey Morelli (Digital Media Graduate, 1998),

·      Susan Rose (Recording Arts Graduate, 1989),

·      Jeremy Vickery (Digital Media Graduate, 1997).

Congratulations to all of them!

I had an amazing week and I acquired a lot of information about the entertainment industry. Something that did bother me was that most of the seminars that I wanted to assist were all at the same time and dates, so I had to choose. But I think I made the right decisions.

Next step for me…is to be one of those graduates on Full Sail Hall of Fame and help others get there too! After that the Golden Globes, the Emmy’s and why not…someday The Oscars!