Category Archives: Alumni

2018 Grad Lands Dream Job at Insomniac

Congratulations to Champlain Game Art & Animation 2018 alum, Colton Orr, who landed a dream job immediately after graduation at Insomniac Games as a character artist. His latest project was Marvel’s Spider-Man that was released in September on PS4. Orr went from student to character artist and entrepreneur in this feature by ArtStation Magazine. “As artists, we are […]

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Champlain Alumnus Wins BEA Award

The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) award for short form video documentary was awarded to Tyler Bradley, a 2017 Broadcast Media Production graduate of Champlain College. His video, titled Safe Harbor, Welcome Home, won first place in its category. The documentary will be screened on April 9 at the BEA’s annual convention and Festival of Media Arts […]

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Champlain Alum Book Reading

Kaela Coble graduated from Champlain College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. Her first book, Friends and Other Liars, was published on Feb. 6. Coble will be doing two readings, which will include book sales and signing. The first reading will take place at Phoenix Books in downtown Burlington, on Thursday, Feb. 8 at […]

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Champlain Alumni Win Innovation Award

Left to Right: Shannon Mitchell, Marguerite Dibble and Brook Chipman

Winners of the Innovation Award were announced at the 2017 Tech Jam Awards Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20. Among this year’s winners was a team of Champlain College alumni with their company, GameTheory.
GameTheory was founded by Champlain alumna Marguerite Dibble, who graduated with a degree in Game Art & Animation in 2012. The company was originally called Birnam Wood Games, and was started during Dibble’s time at Champlain College. Located in Burlington, it now employs several Champlain alumni, including team members COO Shannon Mitchell (Management of Creative Media ’16) and Lead Artist Brook Chipman (Game Art & Animation ’16).
The Vermont TechJam Innovation Award recognizes “companies and individuals… for building innovative ventures and products, tirelessly promoting Vermont’s strengthening tech ecosystem, and newcomers to the scene who bring fresh ideas and momentum to the state.” There were more votes than ever this year, which makes the GameTheory win even more exciting for the team.
Cailey McCalister ’18

Champlain Alumnus Wins VTIFF Award

Jeremy Lee Mackenzie, Champlain College alumnus, received the James Goldstone Award at this year’s Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF). His film, Hidden Blueprints: The Story of Mikey is described as “A hybrid film that details the history and creation of a collection of wood-scrollwork that was designed and hidden in prison. It tells the story […]

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CCM Grad Turns Passion into Small Business

Knowing no better way to guarantee a postgraduate job with an immediate opening, Maggie Bean chose to create her own freelance marketing agency. Bean graduated in 2016 with a degree in Management of Creative Media offered through the Stiller School of Business and a specialization in Publishing which is offered through the Division of Communication […]

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The 2017 Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF) released its lineup, and recent creative media graduate, Jeremy Lee MacKenzie, made the cut. His featured piece, “Hidden Blueprints,” is a hybrid documentary. The film will be screened on Friday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. in the Main Street Landing Black Box in Burlington. It tells the history of his wood scrollwork collection that he designed and hid while he was in prison, and the powerful transformation it created in his life.

VTIFF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the community through film. The entire festival takes place from Friday, Oct. 20 to Sunday, Oct. 29. For more information about “Hidden Blueprints” or this year’s programming, please visit the festival’s website.

(This photo appeared in a 2015 article from the Seven Days by Rachel Elizabeth Jones).

Julia Woodward – ’18

Filmmakers David LaRosa, Janine Laino, and Kathleen McGrath from Feenix Films recently visited students in the Filmmaking program at Champlain College. They showed their latest feature, Clandestine, and held a panel on independent filmmaking during the evening of April 8. Earlier that day they held a workshop with the students about directing actors. The next day, LaRosa appeared on FOX morning news program as a guest on Julia Swift’s “At the Movies” weekly Segment.

The aspiring filmmaking majors also spoke to the filmmakers about interning and working on their next film. The filmmakers, so impressed with the Champlain students, went into the Champlain College school store to buy merchandise to flaunt the school name. They spoke of coming back when they have finished their next film. They are looking forward to connecting with our students at film festivals.

“In all of my classes this week, the students keep referencing stories and advice that they learned from the Feenix team over the weekend.”  -Julia Swift, Filmmaking Assistant Professor

Ten Graphic Design majors recently traveled to New York City for a company tour of VICELAND, courtesy of Art Director Gerry Weber, who is also a Graphic Design class of 2010 alumnus. Students, along with Program Director Suzanne Glover, ​had the opportunity to spend time with ​the ​Champlain ​alumnus to learn about company culture, gain exposure to new and emerging industries, meet recruiters, and expand their professional networks and aspirations as they begin to plan for life after college.

VICE Media is a North American digital media and broadcasting company that has expanded primarily into youth and young adult-focused digital media, including online content verticals and related web series, the news division VICE News, a film production studio, and a record label among other properties. In February 2016, VICE Media launched a cable television network in Canada and the United States known as Viceland—a millennial-targeted network which draws upon the resources of the lifestyle-oriented verticals of VICE.

“I thought the highlights were touring the VICE offices, learning from Gerry about the design culture at VICE, and seeing some of the behind-the-scenes ​video footage and sizzle reels that embody the VICE brand.” – Hannah Campbell, Director – Alumni Relations & Annual Giving

Champlain Publishing Announces “Publishing: Digitized and Personalized”

Please plan to join the students, faculty, staff and alumni who make up the Champlain College Publishing Initiative on Friday, Feb. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Center for Communication and Creative Media’s Art Gallery, at Champlain College for the launch of our latest book.

Publishing: Digitized and Personalized is an anthology of essays written by Champlain students and alumni that examines modern-day publishing strategies and innovations from the student perspective. This book has been written, edited, designed, and produced by Champlain College students, is being published by Champlain Alumna Colleen Rooney ’16, and is sponsored by the Champlain College Publishing Initiative.

Publishing: Digitized and Personalized begins with Jeremy Allmendinger’s hilarious history of the publishing industry and moves quickly through several enlightening assessments of latter-day book marketing, including Kristin Orlando’s take on “stalkertizing.” It includes, among other great pieces on publishing, Tristan Lozuaway-McComsey’s treatise on educational fair use policies, and Colleen Lloyd’s clear-eyed comparisons of self-publishing v. traditional publishing that will help elucidate the pertinent issues for anyone considering this choice, no matter what the stage of their career.

Current student author Jessica Demarest of Champlain College Publishing Initiative will be on hand for a panel discussion with Editor Rooney, who spearheaded the project while she was a senior at Champlain, and author/former Champlain Publishing MVP Taylor Covington. Rooney and Covington plan to video-call into the discussion from Florida and Texas, respectively.

This event is free and open to the public, and books will be available for purchase.