Click here to see a web copy of this email

COMMAND PERFORMANCES

From TV productions to movies to broadway to documentaries, creatives from MICA are not just excelling in the entertainment industry, they’re working behind the scenes – and in front of the camera – on some of today’s most talked about productions. And whether they’re collaborating with some of the biggest names in the business or launching smaller, independent projects, these artists and designers have one big thing in common – they’re using their creative skills to turn ideas into reality, and bringing the results to a screen or stage near you.

SWING FOR THE STARS

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

ABBI JACOBSON'S NEW AMAZON PRIME SERIES

Throughout her career, Abbi Jacobson ’06 (General Fine Arts BFA) has showcased an exceptional capacity to create work across genres – as an artist, producer, actor, comedian, illustrator, podcaster, and best-selling author. The newest addition to her already impressive resume – an eight episode series based on the beloved film A League of Their Own – premiered August 12 on Amazon Prime.

Jacobson co-created and stars in the dramady, which puts a new spin on the 1992 film. Set in the same time period as the original movie, it focuses on a different team in the WWII All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – with all new characters inspired by some of the real-life players in the historic 10 team professional league.

Abbi Jacobson, co-creator and star of A League of Their Own.

The MICA alum consistently blends her visual and performing skills with social commentary – and A League of Their Own is no different, exploring issues such as sexuality and race through the lens of baseball. That focus is evident in her past work. From Broad City, the Comedy Central sitcom she co-created with Ilana Glazer, to her bestselling book, I Might Regret This, to her voice work as Princess Bean in the Matt Groening Netflix series Disenchanted, Jacobson raises issues related to ingrained stereotypes, highlighting their flaws in often enlightened, hilarious ways.

Watch the trailer:

Read more on:

I AM GROOT

**KIRSTEN LEPORE SPINS NEW TALES FOR BELOVED GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY CHARACTER**

I Am Groot, a new series of five photorealistic CG shorts streaming on Disney+, was written and directed by MICA alum Kirsten Lepore ’05 (Experimental Animation).

The series follows Baby Groot in all new stories that follow the character during his childhood traveling across the galaxy, and stars Vin Diesel as Groot, who voices the character for the Marvel films featuring the Guardians team. Disney was pleased with the results, renewing the show for five additional episodes even before the first set of shorts premiered.

Lepore, who is also executive producer of the Disney series, previously worked as animation director of the hit 2021 indie movie, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

Watch the trailer:

VISUAL
EFFECTS

LONGTIME FILM & VIDEO FACULTY ALLEN MOORE LOOKS BACK AT SOME OF THE REAL-WORLD PROJECTS HE’S LED AT MICA

MICA faculty member Allen Moore, seated in conversation with photographer Ken Burns.

Renowned cinematographer and MICA faculty member Allen Moore has led students on an array of real-world projects over the course of his 17 year career at the College. He recently took a look back at some of that work – in Baltimore, and around Maryland and the world.

As a cinematographer, Moore has captured a national audience by serving as a director of photography for several of Ken Burns historical films shown on PBS, including the multi-part series The Civil War and Baseball, the two-part series, Thomas Jefferson, as well as Lewis and Clark and Mark Twain. He is also an active independent filmmaker – producing, directing, photographing, and editing 16mm documentary work.

NOPE?
YUP!

HILARY AMENT HELPS BRING SOME OF HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST FILMS TO LIFE

The work of Hilary Ament ’15 (Graphic Design BFA) can be seen in some of today’s biggest movies, including Jordan Peele’s sci-fi spectacle, Nope, which opened in theaters around the world in July.

Ament specializes in visualizing any graphic pieces outlined in a script, and for Nope, she was responsible for the graphical elements seen in the film’s gold rush theme park, Jupiter’s Claim, including the set’s hand lettered fonts and illustrations. The set is now a permanent part of Universal Studios Hollywood’s studio tour, a nearly hour-long tram ride that takes visitors on a journey through all types of filming locations.

More recently, Ament worked as lead graphic designer for director Christopher Nolan’s next movie, Oppenheimer, scheduled for release in 2023. She previously worked on Walt Disney’s Jungle Cruise, and the Oscar-nominated films Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and First Man.

Read more on:

STAGE
RIGHT

JAVIER AMEIJEIRAS’ WORK FEATURED IN MUSEUM OF BROADWAY, OPENING THIS FALL

A sketch of the set design for the Broadway production of HAMILTON, by Javier Ameijeiras ’05 (Illustration BFA)

The work of Javier Ameijeiras ’05 (Illustration BFA) an award-winning concept illustrator and scenic designer specializing in film, TV, and theatre, will be featured in the new Museum of Broadway, opening in November.

The museum teamed up with renowned artists, designers, and historians to present visitors with an interactive experience that highlights groundbreaking moments in Broadway’s history. Ameijeiras has contributed to the designs of several Broadway shows, most notably as the art director for the Tony-award winning HAMILTON.

Ameijeiras, who became a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2017, has also worked on major film productions, including The Greatest Showman, the live-action versions of Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, and Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. His work in television includes a slew of shows that have garnered Emmy’s for production design, among them Grease Live!, Rent Live!, the 92nd and 93rd Academy Awards, Boardwalk Empire, and Bored to Death.

Read more on:

STORYTELLING SUPERPOWER

KEHINDE BADEMOSI WIELDS THE POWER OF PERSONAL NARRATIVES TO HIGHLIGHT THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS

As a child growing up in Nigeria, Kehinde Bademosi ’15 (Social Design MA) didn’t have a television, because his family simply couldn’t afford one. To fill in what he calls the "mythic and knowledge gap" in his life, he turned to storytelling. The skill to weave narratives became an essential part of his being and is evident in his work today.

One of Bademosi’s most recent storytelling ventures is Sun and Petals, a 12-minute documentary. Directed by Bademosi and commissioned by the Penta Foundation, the film is told from the perspective of a painter and explores how early interventions in the HIV/AIDS crisis left mothers and children behind.

In the past, Bademosi used his storytelling skills in Baltimore, where he worked at Johns Hopkins University to reach out to Baltimore City men, encouraging them to share their personal stories as a means of improving access to HIV prevention and care. He later became director of social innovation at the Baltimore City Health Department, where he created a proprietary storytelling framework to address complex social problems. This framework was adopted for a multidisciplinary project at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and health departments across the country to create more holistic health interventions.

Watch Sun and Petal on: