On Friday, September 25th, Flashpoint Academy film students Jenny Tunberg and Vanessa Luna assisted Flashpoint’s professional film crew at the “Couture & Cocktails” Fashion Show benefiting the Joffrey Ballet.

From behind the camera, the crew did a fabulous job capturing all of the evening’s proceedings, from pre-show and post-show interviews with the minds and talent behind the event, to all the spectacular garments, to the dancers of the Joffrey themselves. It was truly an evening not to be forgotten!

Charlene Li

This week, marketing professionals from around the city gathered at Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences for a special social media- themed breakfast panel.

Over delicious organic pastries and fair trade coffee, panelists Charlene Li (co-author, Groundswell), Paul Rand (Zócalo Group), Howard Tullman (Flashpoint Academy) and Jon Bellinger (Ketchum) discussed and debated the winning strategies when leveraging social media for marketing purposes.

In addition to outside guests, a number of Flashpoint students also attended the panel, picking up some tips on how to market themselves and their art. Some attended as guests, while still others got some valuable experience behind the camera as they filmed the panelists’ discussion.

“Social Media is very important for a company’s success. One of the biggest things I took away from the event was that, companies who don’t pay attention to what’s being said about them online are in tremendous trouble.”

- Sam Carmichael, Flashpoint Academy Film Student

Slick Graphics by the Ketchum Team

The Panelists Arrive

Guests File In

Students and Production Crew

The Panelists: Jon Bellinger, Howard Tullman, Paul Rand, and Charlene Li

Howard and Jon Discuss Targeting B2B Vesus B2C Audiences

On Friday, September 25th, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin visited Flashpoint Academy to tour the school and meet with student government leaders.

On Friday, September 18th, Flashpoint welcomed over 40 students, teachers, professionals, and hobbyists of digital art for a meeting and product demo night with CG Society in our 5th floor Matrix.

Geared specifically toward 2D and 3D digital artists, this growing professional organization gives pros and aspiring students alike an opportunity to showcase their work among fellow artists, give and receive criticism, and grow as a tight-knit community of digital artists.

The meeting at Flashpoint featured a socialization hour and two demonstrations of advanced digital art programs. Marcus Kim of Autodesk presented Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010 for the 2D crowd, while presenter Jon Peake demonstrated VrayRT, an amazing raytracing technology that allows for immediate renderings of 3D images. It was truly a remarkable evening for all who came!

Guests gather in the Matrix.

Vray RT

Presenter Marcus Kim.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010

On September 16th 2009, World-Famous Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns took a break in the middle of an intense promotional tour for his new film on America’s national parks to stop by Flashpoint Academy and meet privately with a handful of our film students, staff and faculty. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the kind of meeting that will surely inspire our students during their time at Flashpoint and well beyond.

The students, many of which were first year students, engaged Mr. Burns with a number of compelling questions ranging from why he chooses the subject matter that he does to how his career has been different because he resides in New Hampshire.

As busy and pressed-for-time that he was, Mr. Burns carefully and articulately explained the origins of “making the still photograph come alive”, explaining that his father had a darkroom in the basement as he was growing up and seeing the photo emerge through the chemicals fascinated him. This process, of course, has come to be known as “the Ken Burns Effect”, a popular name for a type of pan-and-scan effect used in video production from still imagery.

Mr. Burns said he was impressed with Flashpoint gleefully exclaiming “I want to come here!” He enthusiastically explained that his latest documentary odyssey, The National Parks, has been in production for a decade, a topic he has always wanted to explore due to his fond boyhood memories of Shenandoah State Park in Virginia.

The National Parks will air on PBS beginning September 27th.

Wilmette composer’s work premieres in London
September 17, 2009
By J.T. MORAND

Miguel Kertsman saw his imagination come to life in London three weeks ago.

The Wilmette musician/composer’s opera “O Saci,” what he calls his children’s music play, was staged at St. Paul’s Church in London’s Covent Garden with Maurice Ravel’s opera, “L’ Enfant et les Sortileges” on Aug. 27-29.

The saci, a one-legged child who wears a magical red cap and has the power to cause great winds, launched himself from Brazil to the shores of England, where he met a Welsh water fairy capable of causing rain. The two worked together to put out a fire that was about to engulf a village. The saci, a prankster, is a Brazilian folklore with which Kertsman is quite familiar, having been born and raised in Brazil until he was 18.

“I’ve always been fascinated by that folklore since I was a kid,” he said. “I was never scared by this character.”

He was scared of other Brazilian legends, such as the bodiless, hairy leg that would attack children as they slept.

His fascination with the saci led him to write “O Saci” in record time after Alexander Medem, the director of Ravel’s opera, asked him to write an original musical theater piece that could be paired up with “L’ Enfant et les Sortileges.” Kertsman began writing in April and had to have the musical score delivered by mid-July.

“I wrote it very fast,” he chuckled.

At the same time, Kertsman was working on two movie soundtracks, an audio branding campaign, two concertos, two records and working full-time as a professor at Flashpoint Academy, where he’s on the recording arts faculty.

But, he added, he always wanted to write a musical theater piece for children and liked the idea of writing one where representatives from two different cultures worked together to achieve a positive goal.

“I was looking for a theme with universal appeal,” he said. “It’s a short piece for kids. It’s tender.”

“O Saci” is being referred to as an opera, but that’s a mistake, Kertsman said, because there are no sung words. The only words are spoken by a narrator between scenes. But, it’s not a traditional musical either. Medem wanted a pantomimed piece, Kertsman said.

Kertsman has worked with leading musicians in several genres and his classical works have been performed at major venues all over the world. His music has been released worldwide by Sony Classical and RCA Victor/BMG. But, unveiling “O Saci” in London is one of the most exciting events to happen, he said.

“I’ve never had anything premier in London before,” he said.

He’s hoping “O Saci” will come to the United States next year.

“I’m talking to people in Chicago right now,” he said.

Click here to go to the story on EvanstonReview.com.

Flashpoint Academy is honored to announce that CEO Howard Tullman has been included in Crain’s Chicago Business “Who’s Who” of Chicago Education.

See below for the full “Who’s Who” list.

Education

Paula Allen-Meares
Chancellor
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago
Age: 61
Business: Higher education
Professional: Institute of Medicine of the National Academies; New York Academy of Medicine; National Assn. of Social Workers

John L. Anderson
President
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Age: 63
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $194.0
Professional: American Assn. for the Advancement of Science; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; National Academy of Engineering; Economic Club; Executives’ Club
Civic: Partnership for New Communities; Commercial Club; Chicago Council on Science and Technology

Henry S. Bienen
Vice-chairman
Rasmussen College, Burr Ridge
Former president
Northwestern University
Age: 70
Business: Higher education
Professional: Assn. of American Universities; Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics; Argonne National Laboratory
Civic: Council on Foreign Relations; Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Steppenwolf Theatre

Donna M. Carroll
President
Dominican University, River Forest
Age: 55
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $58.0
Professional: Chicago Network; Economic Club; Council of Independent Colleges
Civic: Fordham University; Rush Oak Park Hospital

Warrick L. Carter
President
Columbia College Chicago, Chicago
Age: 67
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $237.5
Professional: Illinois Chamber of Commerce; Economic Club; New City Bank; Jikei Group; Executives’ Club
Civic: Rotary International; International House of Blues Foundation; Interlochen Center for the Arts; New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts; Commercial Club

Sunil Chopra
Interim dean
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston
Age: 48
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $184.6*
Professional: Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
Civic: Pardada Pardadi Educational Society; Village of Kenilworth Planning Commission

* Kellogg

Judith A. Dwyer
President
St. Xavier University, Chicago
Age: 60
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $78.1
Professional: American Assn. of Colleges and Universities; Assn. of Catholic Colleges and Universities; Council of Independent Colleges; Fulbright Assn.; National Assn. of Independent Colleges and Universities
Civic: Catholic Theological Society of America; Chicago Council on Global Affairs; American Irish Historical Society

Jim Edgar
Distinguished fellow
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana
Age: 63
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $4,170.0
Professional: Alberto-Culver Co.; John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc.; Horizon Group Properties Inc.
Civic: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation; Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Advance Illinois

Michael J. Garanzini
President
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago
Age: 60
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $1,175.3
Professional: Loyola University Health System; Loyola University, New Orleans; Fairfield University; Fordham University; Archdiocese of Chicago Board of Catholic Schools
Civic: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate; St. Gregory the Great High School; Loyola Academy; Flannery O’Connor-Andalusia Foundation; Chicago 2016

Sharon K. Hahs
President
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago
Age: 61
Business: Higher education
Revenue (millions): $123.0
Budget (millions): $123.0
Civic: Sigma Xi; Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi; American Chemical Society; Illinois Academy of Science; South Carolina Academy of Science

Daniel M. Hamburger
President, CEO
DeVry Inc., Oakbrook Terrace
Age: 45
Business: For-profit higher education
Revenue (millions): $1,091.8
Professional: YPO-WPO; Economic Club; Chicago Club; Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors
Civic: Jewish United Federation

Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider
President
DePaul University, Chicago
Age: 47
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $485.0
Professional: Ascension Health; Assn. of Catholic Colleges and Universities; American Educational Research Assn.; Economic Club
Civic: Chicago History Museum; Chicago 2016; Illinois Reform Commission; Catholic Schools Board Ltd.; Commercial Club

Ron Huberman
CEO
Chicago Public Schools*, Chicago
Age: 37
Business: Public K-12 education
Civic: American Red Cross; Chicago House and Social Services Agency; Rush University Medical Center; Children’s First Fund

* Fiscal year ends in June.

Alice W. Hunt
President
Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago
Age: 50
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $5.0
Professional: American Academy of Religion

Dipak C. Jain
Former dean
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston
Age: 52
Business: Higher education
Professional: Deere and Co.; Northern Trust Corp.; Reliance Industries Limited

Anthony E. Jones
Chancellor
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Age: 65
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $89.1
Professional: Illinois St. Andrews Society; Illinois Arts Alliance; Blue Star Art Gallery

Dennis J. Keller
Director emeritus
DeVry Inc., Oakbrook Terrace
Age: 68
Business: For-profit higher education
Revenue (millions): $1,091.8
Professional: Nicor Inc.; Economic Club; African Wildlife Foundation
Civic: Civic Committee of the Commercial Club; Princeton University; University of Chicago; Chicago Zoological Society; Mpala Wildlife Foundation

Martin J. Koldyke
Chairman emeritus
Academy for Urban School Leadership, Chicago
Age: 77
Business: Non-profit teacher preparation
Civic: Golden Apple Foundation; Academy for Urban School Leadership; After School Matters; National Council on Teacher Quality; WTTW-TV/Channel 11

Elaine P. Maimon
President
Governors State University, University Park
Age: 65
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $97.5
Professional: American Council on Education; American Assn. of State Colleges and Universities; Liberal Education; Chicago Network
Civic: Will County Center for Economic Development

Sylvia Manning
President
Higher Learning Commission, Chicago
Age: 65
Business: Higher education
Professional: Noble Network of Charter Schools; Chicago Network
Civic: City of Chicago Green Ribbon Commission; Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Sister Mary Paul McCaughey
Superintendent, Catholic schools
Archdiocese of Chicago*, Chicago
Age: 60
Business: Private K-12 education
Professional: National Catholic Education Assn.; North Central Assn; Assn. for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Archdiocese of Chicago Board of Catholic Schools
Civic: Healthy Kids and Families Network

* Fiscal year ends in June.

Gary E. McCullough
President, CEO
Career Education Corp., Hoffman Estates
Age: 50
Business: For-profit higher education
Revenue (millions): $1,705.4
Professional: Executives’ Club; Economic Club; Sherwin Williams Co.
Civic: Chicago 2016

Charles R. Middleton
President
Roosevelt University, Chicago
Age: 64
Business: Higher education
Professional: American Council on Education; National Assn. of Independent Colleges and Universities; Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities; American Historical Assn.; North America Conference on British Studies
Civic: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute; Center on Halsted; Rotary Club of Chicago

John N. Popoli
President, CEO
Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Lake Forest
Age: 59
Business: Higher education
Professional: American Assn. of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities
Civic: Menttium 100 Program; Rotary International; Providence College Alumni Board

Wellington Reiter
President
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Age: 52
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $89.1
Professional: American Institute of Architects; Urban Land Institute; Lambda Alpha International; American Collegiate Schools of Architecture

Morton O. Schapiro
President
Northwestern University, Evanston
Age: 55
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $1,563.0

Edward A. Snyder
Dean
Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Chicago
Age: 56
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $194.0*
Professional: Argonne National Laboratories; Career Education Corp.; World Business Chicago
Civic: Civic Consulting Alliance

* Booth

Howard A. Tullman
President, CEO
Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts & Sciences, Chicago
Chairman, CEO
Experiencia Inc.
Age: 64
Business: Education in digital arts and entertainment technologies
Revenue (millions): $9.0*
Professional: Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors; Cobalt Group; Experiencia Inc.; Passage Events; High Tower Advisors LLC
Civic: Paws Chicago; WTTW-TV/Channel 11; Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Endowment Committee; Northwestern University Block Museum of Art

* Flashpoint Academy of Media Arts and Sciences

David J. Vitale
Chairman
Academy for Urban School Leadership, Chicago
Age: 63
Business: Public K-12 education
Revenue (millions): $18.2
Professional: Economic Club; Ariel Investments LLC; UAL Corp.; ISO New England Inc.; Wheels Inc.
Civic: Museum of Science and Industry; Art Institute; Illinois Institute of Technology; Academy for Urban School Leadership; Chicago Public Education Fund

Wayne D. Watson
President
Chicago State University, Chicago
Age: 64
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $116.0
Professional: American Assn. of Community Colleges; National Assn. for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; Northwestern University
Civic: Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture; Chicago Botanic Garden; DuSable Museum of African American History

B. Joseph White
President
University of Illinois System, Urbana-Champaign
Age: 62
Business: Higher education
Professional: Gordon Food Service Inc.; Equity Residential; Kelly Services Inc.; Argonne National Laboratory
Civic: Civic Committee of the Commercial Club; American Council on Education

Ray Whittington
Dean, College of Commerce and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
DePaul University, Chicago
Age: 61
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $40.0*
Professional: Illinois CPA Society; Institute of Internal Auditors Foundation; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Institute of Management Accountants; Executives’ Club
Civic: University Club

* Kellstadt

Robert J. Zimmer
President
University of Chicago, Chicago
Age: 61
Business: Higher education
Budget (millions): $2,823.0
Professional: Argonne National Laboratory; Fermi Research Alliance LLC; Consortium on Financing Higher Education
Civic: Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Council on Competitiveness

Come join Flashpoint Academy at College Week Live, the world’s largest online college fair, for a special Test Prep event on Thursday, September 17th 2009!

The Test Prep Event gives students, teachers, counselors and parents an opportunity to learn about Flashpoint’s programs, chat live with admissions counselors, ask questions about standardized testing and admission standards, and reserve your spot at an upcoming campus tour.

The CWL Test Prep Event promises to be a fun and informative experience, and — here’s the best part — you don’t even have to leave home to participate! Just Click Here To Register. (Psst: It’s totally free, so sign up today!)

Plus, be sure to mark your calendars for the College Week Live Fall Show on November 4 – 7, 2009. More details on this event will follow.

The week of September 8-11 was truly an eventful one. In addition to having been student orientation and the first week of the Fall 2009 semester, this week also welcomed many visitors to campus, including three local television stations.

On Tuesday the 8th, the WGN 9 Chicago Morning News crew came to campus to film “Around Town” with Ana Belaval. A multi-segment piece airing throughout the broadcast, “Around Town” featured students demonstrating Flashpoint’s Foley Studio, Ana showing off our motion capture technology, students demoing their new game “Paper Aviators,” and a lifelike, 3D animation of the broadcaster herself. (Watch the Video Here!)

On Wednesday the 9th, we welcomed both NBC 5 Chicago and CBS 2 Chicago, both of whom covered Flashpoint’s use of the new Beatles Rock Band as a teaching tool for students. Covering everything from the technology and philosophy behind Flashpoint’s programs to the students who are proving the Flashpoint formula, these two outstanding pieces helped to show the city what makes Flashpoint, our faculty, and our students, major contenders in the digital media arts. (Watch the NBC and CBS Videos here!)

On September 8, 2009, Flashpoint kicked off the new school year, welcoming over 230 students in 4 disciplines to the first day of orientation.

From before 8am until after 5pm, students of film and broadcast, game development, recording arts, and visual effects and animation checked in, met their new classmates and teachers, and were introduced to the programs they’ll be participating in over the next two years.

Students were also given their very first assignments as Flashpoint attendees: create a Machinima to be presented to their peers and teachers this coming Friday, September 11th. This project gives this new class of aspiring artists an opportunity to interact with their teammates, immerse themselves in the creative process, and get a taste of collaborating, communicating, and creating professional results as Flashpoint students.