June 5, 2025 Will Leitch (BS ’98, journalism), author, sportswriter, contributing editor for New York magazine, and podcast co-host, will serve as an executive producer of the movie adaptation of his latest novel Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride. Lionsgate purchased the rights to the novel, published by Harper in May, which focuses on Lloyd McNeil, a beat cop in […]
May 21, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood For his outstanding career accomplishments and generous monetary support of advertising students, Murray Kalis (BS ’61) was recognized by the College of Media with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. Kalis, whose work has taken him across the world and back, heading his own agency, and serving as chair of […]
May 21, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood Stephanie Lulay’s (BS ’08, journalism) start-up venture, Block Club Chicago—whose mission is to deliver reliable, nonpartisan, and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods—has become a news staple for readers throughout the city since its founding in 2018. Lulay serves as executive editor and co-founder of the award-winning newsroom, which […]
April 11, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood Netflix director Emma Miller (BS ’08, media studies) says returning to campus to speak at the 2025 College of Media Convocation ceremony feels like a full-circle moment for her. As a Media student at Illinois, she remembers renting DVDs through Netflix’s mail subscription service for her film classes. “I […]
March 19, 2025 Helen Katz (MS ’86, advertising; PhD ’88, ICR), EVP of Research at Publicis Media, has been named the recipient of the prestigious 2025 Erwin Ephron Demystification Award. This lifetime achievement award honors industry leaders who are exceptional communicators and excel in making complex subjects accessible, embodying the spirit of legendary advertising research guru Erwin Ephron. […]
March 19, 2025 Armando Sanchez-Monsivais (BS ’19, advertising), integrated marketing manager at Discord, received the American Advertising Federation’s Most Promising Rising Star Award for 2025. The Most Promising Rising Star Award recognizes alumni who have made notable contributions to the advertising industry within five to eight years of graduating from the Most Promising program. This accolade […]
March 14, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood From her standing desk at her home office in Northern California, Marilynn Preston (BS ’67, journalism)—journalist, healthy lifestyle expert, and Emmy-winning TV producer—spoke with zeal about the role health and wellness has played in her life and why she’s inspired to share her passion with students in the College […]
January 22, 2025 Jay Rosenstein (BS ’82, Grainger Engineering; MS ’98, journalism; MFA ’17, FAA), professor emeritus of media and cinema studies, recorded and released a new album with his band the Woke Mountain Boys titled Afraid of Leaving Home.The album was recently selected for two top ten Best Albums of 2024 lists from Illinois Entertainer. Rosenstein […]
Nicole Anderson Cobb (MS ’16, journalism) shared her experience with historical research and theater-making in the newly released edited volume Dramaturgy & History: Staging The Archive. Dramaturgy and History provides a practical account of an aspect of dramaturgical practice that is often taken for granted: dramaturgs’ engagements with history and historiography. Anderson Cobb’s chapter centers on her […]
Stuart Lieberman (BS ’10, journalism; BA ’10, LAS) was named head of communications at SailGP, overseeing media, public relations, and communications in North and South America. SailGP is an international sailing competition that features high-performance F50 foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world. Before Lieberman joined SailGP, […]