CCI News & Events Center
Before Pinterest boards and TikTok DIYs, there was “Design on a Dime.” Now, 2019 public relations graduate Maddie Scalzi is bringing the 2000s HGTV show back to life, one DIY and thrifted find at a time.
When Lillian Glaze, a junior visual communication design major, opened the "WNBA Launch" email, she immediately realized the assignment was much bigger than she expected. She would be the technical director for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) brand reveal at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, helping bring the city’s newest professional sports team to life for thousands of viewers.
"Magan's Fare," a short film co-directed by two Kent State University faculty members, was just listed on The Hollywood Reporter as one of seven short films from Scott Feinberg's predictions for the Oscars for Best Live Action Short.
It is not every day that your work gets recognized internationally, but for four Kent State University digital media production students and alumni, their work has earned them a spot in the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF).
What started as a goal after attending a film festival has turned into national recognition for Kent State University digital media production senior Saida Lewis. She recently won an award at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth for her original pilot episode, bringing her creative vision to a national stage.
For five Kent State students, the classroom recently transformed into a high-stakes public relations agency boardroom. Their efforts caught the attention of the industry’s top judges, earning the team a prestigious honorable mention in the 2026 Public Relations Student Society of America Bateman Case Study Competition.
For most of her life, Kent State junior visual communication design major Jasmine McCulley, has built her identity around community, the arts and competition, whether through The Touch of Gold Twirlers or competitive baton twirling. Sixteen years after she first picked up a baton, she will represent Team USA this August in Paris at the IBTF World Competition.
Coined as “music-driven media,” Black Squirrel Entertainment's Kentcore seeks to feature all types of local bands. Giving them a chance to not only show their work but also show their personalities too.
Kent State’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America welcomed 20 alumni and communication professionals back to campus for Communications Connection, a professional networking event. More than 40 students from discplines across the university came to network, get professional headshots taken and have their resumes reviewed by working professionals.
Last summer, 12 Kent State students in the university's Visual Communication Design program worked with Route Eight Studios to learn about the real-world challenges artists face in creating comic books. "Flash Fiction" is the result - an anthology of stories written and illustrated by students creators.
