Full Sail University

Highlights From the Sixth Annual Hall of Fame

Over the course of three packed days, industry leaders offered advice and insight to students in the form of panels, lectures, workshops, and interactive critiques.

Highlights From the Sixth Annual Hall of Fame - Hero image

Last week’s Sixth Annual Hall of Fame celebration was a huge success, transforming campus into a bustling hub of activity that included live music, a Career & Technology Expo, Meet & Greets, and more. Over the course of three packed days, industry leaders offered advice and insight to students in the form of panels, lectures, workshops, and interactive critiques. Both campus and online students kept the digital party going on Twitter and YouTube by asking great questions of our guests. We welcomed six new grads into the Hall of Fame, and everywhere we looked, people were connecting over shared interests. It was arguably the best Hall of Fame Week to date.

There were too many amazing moments to list in full, but a few of the highlights included:

  • The Career & Technology Expo connected nearly 2,000 students with dozens of industry representatives offering recruiting opportunities and product demonstrations.
  • Music fans had the chance to experience Full Sail’s newest on-campus venue by attending the Treehouse Music Festival. The three-day event featured performances by members of the Full Sail community, as well as local musicians.
  • Toward the end of the Success in Horror panel, a member of the audience described being teased in middle school for her love of horror, and cited Darren Lynn Bousman’s cult musical Repo as her inspiration to continue writing despite adversity. It was a great moment, and one that really highlighted how our grads continue to inspire the next generation of students. “You can do whatever you want,” said Darren. “Anyone that [says] you can’t do it is scared that you will.”
  • HBO’s Director of Development Aaron Nonis just happened to be in town during Hall of Fame, and he joined guests Stephen Beres (VP of Media and Production Operations-West Coast, HBO; 2004 Film graduate) and Ryan Wilkerson (Director of Design, HBO) for a couple of fascinating Full Sail On Air Studio Sessions. It was a nice surprise that allowed students to get a sense of how HBO tackles production, products, and development logistics through creative collaboration.
  • Panels addressing the topic of technology were some of the most popular of the week. The Orlando’s Digital Culture panel offered an exciting look at how the city’s tech scene is evolving to include a wider array of industries. Students looking to create better cross-platform content picked up tips from the 5 Things You Need to Do in 2015 to Improve Your Social Media Presence panel. And a group of project engineers and managers from Bohemia Interactive discussed the intersection between the simulation and video game industries in Inside the Simulation & Visualization Industry.
  • The festivities culminated with the induction of six new alumni into the Hall of Fame. Students enjoyed a block party-style viewing of the induction ceremony complete with food, contests, and special guests. During his acceptance speech at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Ric Viers debuted a brand new tattoo commemorating his induction into the Hall of Fame. He’s essentially thrown down the gauntlet for all future inductees, and we can’t wait to see how next year’s group steps up the game.

Head over to our YouTube channel for a full archive of panels, and check out some photos from the event in the gallery below.