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MSLCE Explores the Edge of Fringe with Shona McCarthy


By Charlie Wein

By its nature, the world of art is abstract. There’s no right or wrong form of artistic style and everyone has the right to express their work in whichever way they like. For a performing artist, the hardest part is finding a means of getting their work out for the public to see, and it’s a difficult task. Presenting art can be incredibly time consuming, very expensive, and all comes without knowing if anyone will actually come to see it. As a performing artist today, it’s easy to become disheartened by the lack of support provided to the arts, so it’s always nice to be reminded that there are those who understand the importance of the arts and culture. And not just as a means of expression, but as one of the most valuable tools for connecting people and making a real impact on the world.
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MSLCE Students Shine in A Starry Night


By Charlie Wein

The students in the MSLCE program get many opportunities to work with and support actual companies in the Chicago area while in school. Whether building marketing plans or making creative suggestions, this experience is invaluable. This year, however, there was an even greater opportunity for the students to take charge as the School of Communication hosted Commfest, one of the largest events in over 100 years- and take charge is just what MSLCE did.
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International Entrepreneur Brian Linden Speaks to MSLCE Students on Developing Cultural Enterprises


By Chad Hewitt

Personally, one of my favorite aspects of the MSLCE program is the manner in which each course within the curriculum builds upon and interacts with each other. For example, while learning about the cultural wealth and economic development of various cities around the world is interesting in and of itself, the material in our Culture and Globalization class takes on new meaning and significance in the context of our Marketing for Creative Enterprises course. we Were recently given a valuable, integrated lesson in developing and branding cultural enterprises when Brian Linden of the Linden Centre visited our Marketing course to tell us how he built a sustainable and profitable organization focused on giving back to the community.
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MSLCE students visit 2112: Chicago’s First Incubator


By Poorvi Nair

As aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs, MSLCE’s latest visit to 2112 in Chicago was the perfect opportunity to experience real-world startups in the creative industries. As Chicago’s first business incubator, 2112 focuses on the development of entrepreneurs in Music, Film/TV, and technologies associated with the creative industries. It is housed in the same ecosystem of Fort Knox Studios.
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National Theatre’s Rishi Coupland Talks Data with MSLCE Students


By Nick Roman

Why do people do culture?  This was one of many thought-provoking questions Rishi Coupland of the National Theatre asked the MSLCE cohort in a recent NU Talk.  Coupland is the Head of Data Intelligence at the National Theatre in London.  The National Theatre is a cultural powerhouse with an entrepreneurial mindset that experiences growth through public engagement and artistic vision.  The talk with Coupland circulated topics of the National Theatre’s operations, Coupland’s career trajectory, data aggregation, and cultural engagement in both London and the United States.
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A Reflection on CommFest: A Starry Night


By Danny Bittker

What started as a phone call for me turned into an incredible experience culminating in a cast of more than 25 talented alumni taking a bow on stage in the Ryan Fieldhouse. CommFest: A Starry Night was a years-long effort by Northwestern University’s School of Communication to bring together students, alumni, staff, donors and friends for one night to celebrate. The production was hosted by Stephen Colbert and helmed behind the scenes by alumni Don Weiner, the Executive Producer and Dave Harding, the Co-Executive Producer who both became mentors of mine as I worked with them for over 8 months as their assistant.
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Madhuvanti Ghose Shares About Curation at the Chicago Art Institute


By Tate Glover

For our Marketing Class, Professor Rick Kolsky invited Madhuvanti Ghose, the curator of the Alsdorf Galleries of the Chicago Art Institute. Ghose gave us a brief history of the Alsdorf wing, explaining how the architectural design was intended to make the space primarily into a passage between the new building and the old building.
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A Week of Afternoon Visits Teach Students about San Francisco Creative Enterprises


By Tate Glover

After a delicious lunch at the SF MoMa cafe Tuesday afternoon, we were given a tour of the museum by one of the curators, Sarah Roberts. Recently the SF MOMA added an expansion to their old building that brings the museum to 10 stories high- the top three floors occupied by offices. Roberts explained that the expansion served a dual purpose: create room for more artwork as well as give the community more options to engage with free spaces and performances. After the tour we had the opportunity to speak to a number of their administrative staff about the museum’s goals and challenges. The museum staff were dedicated to finding ways to benefit and dialogue with the San Francisco community at large while working within the constraints of running a large arts organization. It was interesting to see the how all the different departments of the administration worked together to achieve their common goals.

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Kefei Zhao Hopes to Turn the Arts from Hobby to Profession


By Jacob Nelson

When Kefei Zhao first realized she was drawn to the arts, she thought it might be a hobby rather than a professional pursuit.

“I was really interested in creative stuff since I was really young,” the MSLCE student explained. She’s specifically attracted to artwork, shows, and film. “It was more like a hobby at first before I really related it to my future career plan.” (more…)

From Inspiration to Application: Students Gain Valuable Experience in LA


By Poorvi Nair

Ready to take on the nation’s TV and Film capital, eighteen students of the MSLCE 2018 cohort headed to Los Angeles, California as part of the program’s annual trek experience. The purpose of the trek was to get students interested in the TV and Film industries, and directly immersed and involved with professionals in the industry. From Amblin Entertainment to Universal Music and Amazon Studios, MSLCE students were very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet revered individuals whose stories served as a source of inspiration from a career standpoint.
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