UT Masters Degree Program in Social and Emerging Media Honor Students at Inaugural Project Exhibit

A panel of community judges recognized outstanding projects by two graduate students in The University of Tampa Master of Arts in Social and Emerging Media (MASEM) program last week at the inaugural MASEM Student Exhibition and Awards Ceremony.

Brittany Reed capstone exhibit Brittany Reed was awarded $1,000 and named “Best of Show” for the social media strategy she created for a local business.

Judges awarded the “Best of Show” award and $1,000 to Brittany Reed for the social media strategy she created for Bloom Garden Shop, a local business. They awarded an honorable mention and $500 to Gregory Bowdler for a “gamified” media project that allows users to choose their own paths through a recorded oral history of his parents, Jane and Tom.

The awards ceremony opened an exhibition of capstone projects of 19 MASEM students, which remains open in the Ferman Center for the Arts second-floor gallery through Aug. 19. The exhibition allows students to show their capstone projects to the UT community, preparing them for future presentations in creative media settings.

Gregory Bowdler capstone exhibit Gregory Bowdler was awarded $500 and an honorable mention for a “gamified” media project through a recorded oral history of his parents.

Serving as judges were Jill Witecki, vice president and director of marketing and community relations at Tampa Theatre; Tyler Martinolich, director and film commissioner at Film Tampa Bay; and Josh Carrasco, multimedia specialist at AAA Auto Club Group. The judges praised the overall quality of the work exhibited, noting that many projects exceeded the research and production values they routinely encountered among practicing professionals in the community.

Stephanie Tripp, program director for MASEM, said that the exhibition showcases the creative passion and professionalism of the students, and allows them to “celebrate their achievements in a final collaborative production.”

The students exhibiting their work are the first cohort to earn their degrees from the MASEM program, which launched at UT in Fall 2021. The intensive 32-credit program allows students to earn their degrees in as little as one year.

For more information about UT’s Master of Arts in Social and Emerging Media, see www.ut.edu/graduate-degrees/ma-in-social-and-emerging-media.