Photos by Ralph Freso
Can’t make it to the next film showcase? That’s OK, Canyon Creative has got you covered.
You have another commitment and will miss the final dance concert of the semester? Canyon Creative still has you covered.
The award-winning student creative agency has launched a new, free streaming platform for the Grand Canyon University community called CAM PLAY. Designed like Netflix and Hulu with a GCU twist, CAM PLAY features creative work produced by College of Arts and Media’s film, music, dance, theatre and esports programs that audiences, near and far, can access at any point.
“As a faculty member, I was wondering about all these films the film students end up making. Where do they go?” Associate professor of design Chris Murphy said. “Sometimes you make something and you forget how much of it goes into creating that item and product. We have to start doing a better job of documenting our students’ work.”
After being asked by a student where they can access films presented at the GCU Film Festival that they missed, Murphy realized there needs to be an outlet where students can put their work on display and share with their friends and family after the events have passed.
He introduced the idea to Canyon Creative, the recent winner of five American Advertising Federation gold medals, and the student designers didn’t think twice before saying yes.
“It’s been exciting to work on this project,” junior web designer Bryn Miller said. “If I was a freshman and had this website, I would be very motivated to have my projects featured on this website. It would be a goal to work toward.”
From short films, documentaries and promotional interviews to plays, music videos and guest speakers, CAM PLAY features projects students produce and participate in throughout the academic year. The audience can navigate through the website by selecting specific departments, programs and clubs to access desired projects.
The streaming platform serves as an invitation and introduction to future students and families to get a glimpse of the creative culture on campus.
Prospective students can find out more about thriving programs and clubs they are interested in by watching interactive videos made by current and past Lopes. Meanwhile, out-of-state families can watch the plays, dance shows and film screenings their students starred in that they couldn’t attend.
“It’s great seeing it go from an idea we weren’t sure would work to it is now a live website,” sophomore multimedia designer Haley Hughes said. “I think this is going to open up a lot of creativity, and it would almost be a crime not to do it.”
With no time to waste, CAM PLAY will jump into its first big project tonight when it livestreams the College of Arts and Media’s new “Thursday Night Live.”
Orchestrated by audio engineering professor Andy Zulla, the event will be a reimagination of the popular TV show, “Saturday Night Live,” featuring each of college's programs, clubs and student performers.
From comedy and film to music and dance, the evening will be an interconnected string of segments bringing together all creative forces in the college.
At the front of it all will be junior Sam Jerrell, who will document every minute as one of the event’s videographers.
“One day, me and a few other students just got this text saying one of the professors wants to do a live show in the CAM building and had no details as to what we were getting involved with,” Jerrell said. “I was in right away because I have always had an interest in cameras and videography, and I love live event production.”
Murphy’s hope is to utilize CAM PLAY to emphasize the interconnectedness of the university’s creative departments, rather than each standing as a silent entity. Through collaboration, creativity is heightened and the passion and excitement behind producing new talent becomes infectious, Murphy said.
“The long arms of GCU creativity are so extensive that we didn’t have a place to gather it all,” College of Arts and Media Dean Dr. Craig Detweiler said. “In a sense, CAM PLAY is like getting all of these amazing Easter eggs in one basket, in a platform that everybody can discover.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at Izabela.Fogarasi@gcu.edu
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