The people associated with the Digital Media Program are what make it one of the most dynamic and interesting programs on campus.
These people include:
- Our talented and dedicated faculty
- Nearly 500 students from a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and experiences
- Our helpful and competent staff members who assist students and faculty and keep the program running smoothly
- An active and dynamic group of alumni in the Technology Alumni Association (TAA) who keep the traditions of the college alive and provide scholarships and guidance to current students in the college
- Generous leaders in the community who freely give their time and talents to serve on the program’s Advisory Board
Digital Media Faculty Invent New Marketing Strategy
Digital Media Professor Phil Snyder is an acknowledged expert in the field of transmedia storytelling. Transmedia storytelling, within the entertainment industry, is the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies. An example would be the Star Wars universe in which separate yet connected stories are told across multiple channels including motion pictures, graphic novels, television programs, live events, and action figures. There’s even a Producer’s Guild Award for Transmedia Storytelling.
Houston, however, is not an entertainment center. So, Phil set out to apply the Transmedia Storytelling concept to marketing...which is a big factor in Houston’s economy. Spirited discussions led to this definition: “Transmedia Marketing® is the practice of motivating people to action by producing and distributing an integrated and consistent brand experience across at least three media channels—each carrying different content—to accomplish a unified goal. Techniques employed include storytelling, world-building, and cultivating audience participation and feedback over multiple platforms.”
Once the idea was solidified, the faculty realized that this was a new idea...something not used elsewhere. So, we applied for—and received—a registered trademark for the idea Transmedia Marketing® from the United States Patent Office.
Eager to share this new idea with others, DIGM faculty members Phil Snyder, Monika Alters, and Mark Hargrove created an online certification program for established professionals who want to learn this new technique. In addition, a senior-level undergraduate course in Transmedia Marketing® was created and became part of the Digital Media Core program.