Ryan Hunnewell and Shannon Scobey

Camarillo, CA - Two CSU Channel Islands students won top honors at the 2011 CSU Media Arts Festival held Nov. 13 at CSU Fullerton. It is the ninth consecutive year that CI students have earned top honors.

Shannon Scobey, a 2011 graduate in art from Thousand Oaks, and Ryan Hunnewell, a senior art major from Simi Valley, were awarded the Rosebud (first place) award for their video game “Storybook Adventure.” Scobey and Hunnewell will each also receive a $500 cash prize.

Hunnewell also received a 3rd place award in the Interactive Media category for his website: “Cortex Clothing,” and 3rd place for his video “Excuses” in the Experimental Video category.

The annual event allows CSU students to present their film, video, and interactive media work for critical review. A total of 131 student entries from the CSU system were received and judged by a panel of faculty as well as industry experts who chose 39 finalists for award competition within nine categories: animation, documentary, experimental, interactive, music video, narrative, television, feature screenplay, short screenplay, and the newest category, video game.

The festival, the largest of its kind in California, showcases student work that is chosen as best in the state. The festival also featured seminars with leading industry experts and events to prepare students to pursue careers in the entertainment and media industries. The finalist projects were screened at the Festival and Rosebud award (first place) winners were announced.

Liz King, Associate Professor of Art at CI, who teaches interactive media and web design, stated “CI’s ongoing successes at the statewide Festival has become a source of pride at the University and among students. Both winners—Ryan and Shannon—are art majors who are minoring in computer gaming. This very popular minor gives students a foundation in the artistic, mathematical, psychological, and computer programming tools and techniques relevant to the computer game design and development fields.”

Scobey stated, “I’m very happy that we won at the Media Arts Festival. Majoring in art and computer game design at CI was one of the best decisions I ever made. Combining art and computer programming in video games is fun and creative while also requiring logic, physics and math. After graduating, I now have a great job as a web graphic designer and for that I can credit CSU Channel Islands and all my great professors.”

Hunnewell added, “Being able to take projects that I completed in my classes, whether they are animation or design classes, and enter them into competitions like these has really been a great experience. The work you do in class extends beyond the campus, it becomes your portfolio, and becomes work you will one day show your future employer or client. CI has done a great job of preparing me to enter the workforce and I am confident in my abilities and experiences.”

The Media Arts Festival allows students in the California State University system the opportunity to be judged in professional competition. This gives students the skills necessary for transitioning to professional careers producing films, video, games and interactive media.

Visit http://www.mediaartsfestival.org for a full listing of all award winners, plus videos of the Rosebud Award-winning films. MAF operates under the umbrella of CSU Summer Arts, http://www.csusummerarts.org.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.