University of Wisconsin–Madison

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Alumnus Joey Garfield Directs New Visa Advertisement

Joey Garfield (Comm Arts, ’92) recently directed Visa’s new advertisement “Flow” (2009) which has been released in Europe. The ad marks the second collaboration between Joey and artist Bill Shannon, a performer with a rare hip disability who relies on crutches to not only dance but to walk. In 2008, they worked together on RJD2’s music video “Work It Out”featured …

Students & Staff Collaborate on WI Film Festival TV Spot

Department of Communication Arts students and staff recently collaborated to create the new TV spot for the 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival (April 2 – 5). The ad was a collaborative project between: The spot created an invaluable real-world opportunity for a Comm Arts student to learn from professionals in the field of animation and apply skills learned in Comm Arts …

Alumnus Lisa Heller Honored at 81st Academy Awards

At the 81st Academy Awards Ceremony on February 22, 2009, Director Megan Mylan won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject for her documentary Smile Pinki (2008). In her acceptance speech, she noted: “Documentary, like all filmmaking, is a complete team sport, and I’d like to thank my editor Purcell Carson…and from HBO Sheila Nevins and Lisa Heller.” Her remark …

Alumnus Shawn VanCour Wins Outstanding Dissertation Award

The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) has named Comm Arts alumnus Shawn VanCour the recipient of the 19th annual Kenneth Harwood Outstanding Dissertation Award. Established in 1955, the BEA is a professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students who are interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises. The Outstanding Dissertation …

Alumnus Stuart Bass Wins Emmy

Congratulations to Stuart Bass (Comm Arts, ’78), an accomplished freelance film editor for his outstanding accomplishment in the field of television editing. Bass won a Primetime Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 21st, 2008. He was awarded for Outstanding Editing of a Comedy Series …

Walter Mirisch Publishes Autobiography

Walter Mirisch’s (History, ’42) autobiography, I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History, provides a unique insider’s view of the film industry though the life and experiences of an industry giant whose name is synonymous with numberous film classics, including three that won the Acdemy Award for best picture — The Apartment (1960), West Side Story (1961), and In the Heat …

Hollywood Badgers Featured in On Wisconsin

The Hollywood Badgers, a group founded in 2005 by Comm Arts alumni Lesley Feinstein (Comm Arts, ’03) and Mary Rohlich (Comm Arts, ’03), were featured in the Fall 2008 issue of On Wisconsin, UW-Madison’s magazine for alumni and friends. The Hollywood Badgers encourage students and new graduates to find their footing in Hollywood by joining the group, pooling resumes, …

Awards to Communication Arts Faculty

Congratulations to award-winning Communication Arts colleagues Susan Zaeske and Kelley Conway. Dean Gary Sandefur has announced that Professor Susan Zaeske (pictured at right) was selected to receive a Hamel Family Faculty Fellowship. Ten such awards were made across the College of Letters and Science in a highly competitive review of nominees from all L&S departments. Fellowship winners will receive …

Governor Dreyfus (1926-2008) and Communication Arts

Former Wisconsin governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus passed away on January 2 at age 81. He is well remembered by Wisconsinites as an enlightened political leader (he signed the state’s 1982 gay rights legislation), a successful grassroots campaigner, and a flamboyant public figure sporting a distinctive red vest. Those of us in Communication Arts are proud …

Professor Van Swol Wins Award for Publication

Professor Lyn Van Swol, who joined our faculty this fall, won the National Communication Association Group Communication Division’s 2007 Dennis Gouran Research award for the best published paper in group research. She received her award at the past NCA meeting for her article “Differences between Minority, Majority, and Unanimous Group Members in the Communication of …