Recently, NO Studios partnered with Marquette University to create the Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship program. The program will host two professional fellows who will each be given $2,500 to finish their project within one year of the fellows’ start date in April. Fellows will be required to take one Marquette student as an intern, but the program encourages fellows to take two student interns.
John Ridley, a screenwriter and Academy Award Winner for his adaptation of the film “12 Years a Slave,” founded Milwaukee based organization NO Studios, which opened in October.
This fellowship program will offer more, exciting opportunities for digital media majors and will help provide an additional focus on filmmaking for students. It adds upon the opportunities provided to students in the College of Communication and beyond who are passionate about filmmaking.
Establishing this program reinforces the College of Communication’s interdisciplinary commitment to the fine arts. Other partnerships, such as Marquette’s fine arts minor through Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, give students an opportunity to expand their academic options. The NO Studios partnership will allow students to work with individuals with knowledge and expertise in their desired career fields.
This fellowship will provide mentors within the filmmaking field that will share valuable lessons with students. With this program, students will hopefully form lasting connections that will aid them in future endeavors. Mentorships can play a large role in launching students’ careers after graduation.
The O’Brien Fellowship is an existing program at Marquette where students are paired with a professional journalist to work on a larger project. The LA Experience is another existing program that provides opportunities for majors in the College of Communication, which consists of students traveling to Los Angeles to forge meaningful career-related connections.
The NO Studios partnership further shows the college’s positive commitment to opportunities for students interested in digital media and fine arts. The fellowship provides local connections for students in the field. While the LA Experience and other similar programs provide far-reaching connections, students will undoubtedly benefit from networking with talented filmmakers in the Milwaukee area.
The fellowship’s more intimate approach to education focuses on individual development and improvement. Programs and fellowships provide an experience that compliments lessons learned in the classroom. The NO Studios partnership will allow fellows to pass on their talents and professional knowledge to a new generation of visionary filmmakers. Marquette should continue investing in the future of media through positive partnerships to benefit students.
