Who We Are
Founded in 2018, the Center for Entertainment & Media Industries (CEMI) was created to bridge industry and university, theory and practice. CEMI enables strong networks across the University and beyond, connecting faculty, students, and professionals in the media industries. CEMI is invested in fostering the relationships, research, and workforce that allow the Texas media landscape to thrive. CEMI believes that bringing the best of Texas to film, television, music, digital media, and gaming not only benefits the next generation of media creators learning here at UT, but also enhances the cultural and economic opportunities available to all Texans.
The Center for Entertainment & Media Industries aims to become the premier site for media industry research, teaching, and professional development in the United States. As such, CEMI supports students of all levels interested in researching and working in the media industries, conducts and presents research on the state of Texas media, and creates engagement opportunities for leaders in Austin’s media sectors.
Each year, CEMI introduces members of the UT-Austin community to media researchers and industry professionals.
Research
As part of its research arm, the center is focused on investigating issues of access, convergence, and location in the media and tech industries. It is strategically researching and mapping the state’s media landscape to help cultivate stronger ties between The University of Texas at Austin and Texas-based organizations. CEMI aims to forge connections both within and across the rich diversity of media organizations that thrive right here in Texas, fostering this unique network by better understanding its structure. Currently, CEMI is initiating a project focused on mapping the Austin media ecosystem, with plans to expand the study’s scope to all of Texas in future iterations; outcomes of this project will include white papers, annual reports, and symposia. CEMI also supports the dissemination of media industries research, subsidizing academic work and publication in the field, publishing MIC sessions as podcasts, and connecting students at all levels with researchers through speaker sessions and colloquia.
Professionalization
Since fall 2015, in conjunction with the Department of Radio-Television-Film, CEMI has organized the Media Industry Conversations (MIC) speaker series. This series has hosted more than 180 speaker sessions, featuring 135 professionals from LA, NYC, Austin, and everywhere in between. These speakers have shared their experiences and knowledge with countless students, enhancing their understanding of a broad range of career paths and companies. The insights provided in these sessions are widely available as podcast episodes. CEMI also regularly hosts both meet and greet opportunities as well as networking events with media professionals and scholars. Current and previous CEMI faculty, staff, and affiliates are presently working on a textbook supplement, Navigating Work in the Contemporary Media Industries, that draws from the insights guests have offered through these Media Industry Conversations.
Education
In addition to our ongoing speaker series, we expand students’ understanding of how the media and technology industries operate through our popular minor. The fastest-growing minor in the Moody College of Communication—serving 150+ students and counting—offers deep-dive courses on specific industries and technologies as well as survey courses that showcase the breadth and diversity of work and workers in the media industries. Moving forward, CEMI aims to provide additional one day to one-week workshops and master classes that can provide both crash courses in particular industry sectors as well as professionalization opportunities.
Through our speaker series, CEMI has connected UT Austin students with more than 200 renowned media professionals and scholars from around the world.
What We’re Fundraising For
Student Support: Whether undergraduates or graduates, students are always in need of financial support. With donor contributions, we would like to create scholarships for students working towards careers in media; internships and fellowships for students whose work supports our mission; and funding opportunities for graduate research assistants, who can assist with our Texas Media Industry Mapping Project.
Texas Media Industry Initiative: In September 2024, CEMI will present its first day-long symposium that brings together leaders across the media industries in Texas, from television to music to video games. CEMI aims for this inaugural event to foster increased collaboration across Austin’s —and Texas’s —distinctive media ecosystem and to provide opportunities for both students and community members to learn more about the breadth of media opportunities available in the state. This inaugural event is designed to enable media industry professionals to engage in a productive dialogue with students, members of the Austin media community, and with each other. Additionally, this event will support CEMI’s wider research initiative focused on mapping Texas’s media landscape. This event will support both students and industry professionals, allowing in-person collaboration and supporting the publication of white papers and studies of the Texas media economy that will grant media professionals insight into the local ecosystems in which they are embedded.
Staffing Needs: Our growth is directly tied to the personnel hired to help manage and develop initiatives like research projects, speaker series, and mentorship opportunities. With more funding for staffing, we can focus on developing programs like workshops and master classes as well as producing white papers on the state of media in Texas. In addition to allowing CEMI to increase its scale and scope of activities, these efforts would expand the resources and opportunities available to students and partners around the world.
CEMI is bringing Texas media together at events that put leaders in the state's film, television, music, video game, and digital media sectors in conversation.
Your Impact
External support in the form of your generous contributions will secure our investment in Texas media and in the next generation of media creators, professionals, and leaders. We believe the best way to foster their aspirations and share their successes is to understand, nurture, and champion the infrastructures that allow their careers to thrive right here in Texas. CEMI’s work thus engages not only with the education and professionalization of students of all backgrounds, but also in the industry in which they are training to succeed.
Investing in CEMI is investing in the future, theirs, and ours.
