The Digital Media League has hosted a Day of Art for the last two years. The event takes place the first week of the Fall and Spring semester and is hosted by the Digital Communication gallery at HCC’s West Loop campus. They have members volunteer to set up a table with rolled out drawing paper. Anyone who passes by is welcomed to doodle or paste artwork.

“Our mission is to welcome students, parents, and faculties to the new semester while recruiting members for our organization,” said club Vice President Sopheap Kuy. “We usually hand out a flyer with a calendar of events. I really enjoy putting this event on each semester. People enjoy doodling, even though some may not be the best artists. On the other hand, I’m surprise by some of the talented artwork I’ve seen coming from students who are not in the fine arts or digital communication programs. This gives me an opportunity to talk about the DigiCom program and our club. Sort of foster them into another direction that they weren’t aware of. We’ve actually had more than a couple of students change their major.”

The Digital Media League is a student organization with a dedicated interest in film, graphic design, animation, and other fields of digital communication. They have created workshops to educate students beyond what they learn in the classroom. Such workshops have included 2D Animation, Pen Tool, and portfolio practices. These workshops have either been taught by professionals in the industry or seasoned students. “Not only do we host workshops on campus, we also attend workshops off premise hosted by professional companies like Prime Camera.” said Kuy. “They generally provide a lot more resources. Most of the trainings are hands on. It’s a great way for students to networks because many of the attendees are all professionals in the industry, some have even offered mentorships.”

“Besides workshops, we have hosted fun events. We held an animation film night at West Loop’s auditorium. Some of the members went to the mixer at the MFAH and others photographed the Turell’s Skyscape installation at Rice University. Our organization has attended conferences and festivals pertaining to digital media, film, and design such as SXSW, the NAB Show, and Houston Worldfest.”

Sopheap Kuy heard about the organization from her professor, Marcelo Gonzales, who is also the advisor for the club. “I have known Marcelo for several years when he taught the Broadcast Technology program. Back then I was a member of the Broadcast Technology Student Association,” said Kuy. “I was looking to get involved with a similar club while I took courses at West Loop. I have a strong interest in film-making. This was one of the areas that drew me to join the club. The club was originally known as the Graphic Design Organization, when Mario Rivera was the president. When Marcelo took over the club, he decided to merge the graphic design club with the film club he was running and incorporate animation as well. I joined as a prospective member but later became the Secretary for an academic year. As our Presidents and Vice Presidents eventually graduated over time. I moved up as Vice President. I have been Vice President for 2 terms now.”

President Juan Nino joined because he wanted to network with other students. “In the club I have met people, shared knowledge and learned new skills that I’m sure will help me when I start working.”

DML holds bi monthly meetings. One is an officer’s planning meeting, which is open for any members to attend. The second is a club meeting. Club meetings are typically an hour and a half long. The first 15 minutes are dedicated for ice breaker activities. They create team building exercises or show short videos. From there announcements of upcoming events and news are made.

“We are hoping to bring in a professional each month to come speak to students. In October, we have planned for a representative from AIGA (The Professional Association for Design) to come speak to members on how they can become affiliated with the professional graphic design organization. It’s a great opportunity for members to participate in workshops, show their work, find job listings, and apply for mentorship.”

“Also on our calendar, we are hoping to go on a studio tour at one of the local broadcasting stations.”

Some of the DML members will be attending the Adobe Max conference in Las Vegas in October. The Adobe Max conference is a big design conference where attendees sit in on keynote sessions, labs, and workshops related to graphic design, video, photography, web development, and other topics in the creative industry.

The club will also be hosting another film night in late October, which might be a small fundraising event. They plan to extend the invite to everyone in the nearby community.

“I’m also putting together a chance for some of our members to attend the Houston Cinema Art Film festival in November.” Said Kuy. “We were given a scholarship for 10 students to attend Houston’s WorldFest last Spring and that was very successful. Students were able to attend screenings, go to different workshops, speak to directors and actors.”

“DML is a great place to gain extra skills and knowledge that will help when you are in the workforce,” said club President Juan Nino. “Also the club needs a lot of promotional material like posters and videos that can be in your portfolio. However, the most valuable thing about the Digital Media League is that members can suggest any activity, workshop, or topic they want to happen. This is an organization made for the students by the students.”

The Digital Media League is open to all HCC students, regardless of what program they are in.