Want to Bring your Art to Life? Consider EMAC.

EMAC's logo | Via Panther ConnectEMAC's logo | Via Panther Connect

Andres Rivera | Contributing Writer

The Entertainment and Media Arts Club (EMAC) at the Modesto Maidique Campus became an impactful hotspot for creativity and blossoming artistry after being founded in 2021. Students explore film theory, create connections within the entertainment industry, and learn about the arts in a variety of ways.

Founder of EMAC and alumni chair, Sofia Hayden is currently a video game engineer with Swanworth Studio. Hayden had a vision to create a club to fit a wide range of artistry within animation, storytelling, gaming development, audio engineering, comics, and manga. 

“I’ve always had an interest in the arts specifically related to entertainment. There wasn’t a lot for that field here at FIU, so I really wanted to connect with other students who shared my same interests and who wanted to learn the industry like I did,” said Hayden.

 EMAC has had many visitors over the years showcasing their talent and broadening their aptitude in the industry for all EMAC members. They’ve had a Sony PlayStation composer, an indie game developer, and multiple comic book illustrators. There were even some projects along the way EMAC members had a chance to work on such as creating a short film, developing a video game, and creating comic books.

The main vision of EMAC is to bring multiple students together that share a passion in the entertainment industry and grow connections within their respected creative arts community. During the creation of the EMAC there weren’t a lot of choices within these refined arts.

“They [FIU] had an animation degree path but then they didn’t have it and then it came back again. They also had digital arts, but the focus was a bit different, but they are definitely getting more into it and creating [more] courses.” Hayden said.

Some of EMAC’s main focus is to educate and guide students on the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. Audio engineers can get helpful information from meeting current and relevant composers such as Bill Hemstapat who worked on Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Ghost of Tsushima, released in 2020.

If you’re more into comics and illustrations then EMAC has sit downs and talks on creature design, world creation, and going through the basics of making art come to life. They also have sit down talks with FIU professors like Jonathan Perez, LMS Administrator within the department of Information Technology,  who led an educational workshop teaching short form narrative techniques.

Movies are some of the best ways to entertain and EMAC caters to film enthusiasts and creators as well. EMAC holds movie screenings for those who want to broaden their horizons on classic films, talking about the movie’s development and behind the scenes productions. EMAC previously had a meeting to watch “Alien” by Ridley Scott and analyze it critically. They offered free pizza and popcorn.

On bringing EMAC to reality and her aim in creating the club, Hayden said, “[The goal is] to connect with each other on campus and not feel like they are not alone on campus because it can be a very complicated issue.”

The Entertainment and Media Arts Club can be reached at emaclub@fiu.edu and can also be contacted through Panther Connect.

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