Behind the screens

Finding friends for life

Members of the Media Communication Association enjoy helping out other RSOs on campus while building their DAGD and TDMP skills. Photo by: Will Holden | Torch Photographer

Ferris television and digital media production (TDMP) junior Megan Dileo enjoys meeting students with the same passion as her.

Dileo is secretary of Media Communication Association (MCA), a registered student organization (RSO) on campus that organizes many projects, including the Ferris Media Festival and Battle of the Bands.

“I think our RSO is about making a lot of connections around campus, helping out people with videos and different projects, graphic design projects and videos we can help with,” Dileo said.

The Ferris Media Festival is an event that has people from different industries visit campus and talk to students, give seminars and teach about what it’s like in their respective industry.

Aside from promoting their own events, MCA members can practice skills learned in digital animation and game design (DAGD) and TDMP courses while helping other RSOs with events and projects. Along with that, they plan movie parties, award ceremony viewings, volunteer projects, video judgings and field trips.

“We have a lot of freedom and deciding what this group is going to do and we all have our own committees,” Ferris DAGD junior and MCA Vice President Erica Blackbird said.

Ferris TDMP sophomore and MCA President Seamus Hyman said that a typical meeting consists of going over current projects and discussing how to build up their two main events.

While the Ferris Media Festival and Battle of the Bands are two of the main events MCA hosts, they are also currently planning “World of Warcraft Artist’s Virtual Talk with Ferris State University,” an event involving Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Hearthstone. During this event, animation artists will be speaking with students about what it’s like working in the industry and will include a Q&A at the end. This event is open to the public 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in IRC 121.

“I just like coming together and hanging out,” Ferris TDMP sophomore and MCA media chair Kristan Kirsch said. “TDMP and DAGD aren’t like the biggest schools in Ferris, and so once you can connect with people here, you have that bond for a long time.”

For more information on MCA, attend their meetings or email them at ferrismca2@nullgmail.com.