Paul Castro, the screenwriter of August Rush, visited the University of Montana Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, 2009. Castro, a member of the Writers Guild of America for almost ten years, has extensive professional experience in film, television, and digital media. After the showing of August Rush on Friday, Castro spoke about the script and production, and Saturday he conducted an all-day screenwriting seminar.

Friday, October 23, 2009, acclaimed author and producer David Simon, the creator of such television series as The Wire, Generation Kill, The Corner, and the upcoming Treme, gave a question-and-answer session based on his extensive career.

On Thursday, October 22, 2009, Dale Sherrard’s sound design class was graced with the presence of Christopher Delaurenti, a Seattle-based composer and field recording artist. Delaurenti hosts an eclectic radio program from Seattle's KBCS called "Flotation Device" every Sunday night from 10 p.m. to midnight (11 p.m. Missoula Time). You can find out about his upcoming performances, projects, and reviews by visiting his website at http://www.delaurenti.net/index.html.

Amber Bushnell has been working with Joe Bigley of Tommi Media from New York City to develop skins for a variety of video chat interfaces. Their collaboration is international, with Amber here at the University of Montana, Joe in New York City, and three other developers in the Ukraine interacting live to complete this project.

This month Rick Hughes, the Director of the School of Media Arts, is the subject of Extended Learning Services (XLS) faculty profile. His thoughts on online courses and their benefits can be read—and heard—on the XLS website at http://umt.edu/xls/idd/default.aspx.

Media Arts continues its expansion of online offerings in several classes, including those working with Photoshop, web design, and film history.

Professor Greg Twigg and Media Arts Alum Barry Thompson have joined together for a first-time long distance collaboration teaching the senior Integrated Digital Media class. Thompson, a professional motion graphics designer, works from Minnesota with the class in the 126 lab through video conferencing while Twigg teaches physically in the classroom. Thompson has access to each student’s computer, as well as the ability to screen-share and share files with each individual.