Cold Coast

 

Produced by Joey Bina.

Cold Coast is the story of Great Lakes Surfer, Ryan Gerard.


Joey Bina is a storyteller, photographer and actor from Los Angeles, CA. He has been behind and in front of the camera since 2011. He is very fortunate to be able to pursue this type of career and hopes to continue for years to come.

WHAT THE YAK!?

Produced by Leopold Stuebner

“What the Yak!?” is a BEA-winning, digital documentary exploring the ethics behind the anonymous social network Yik Yak. Leopold Stuebner explores how Yik Yak can be used in times of tragedy and how college-aged students communicate on the app.


Leopold Stuebner is a graduate of the Digital Media Storytelling program at Loyola University Chicago. His project “What the Yak!?” won first place in the Interactive Multimedia Category. Leopold is a business intelligence analyst at Apple and he is based in Ireland.

SHE ART

“She Art” is a three-part documentary series produced by Megan McKinley. The series, which includes “impart,” “curate” and “present,” features women in the arts from the Chicago area. View the full series on McKinley’s Vimeo page.


Megan McKinley is a 2018 graduate of Loyola’s Digital Media and Storytelling master’s program. In addition to her “She Art” series, Megan produced an award-winning video titled “Dress for Success.” Megan received the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Award of Excellence for her documentary series..

The Chicago 51

Produced by Jacob Pieieczynski.

Have you heard of the possibility of a serial killer in Chicago? Dating back to 2001, 51 strangulations of women on Chicago’s South, Far South, and West sides have gone unsolved with the lowest clearance rate in the country — leading many to believe there’s a serial killer on the loose in Chicago. Tune in to this six part digital series exploring how these women’s stories have gone largely unheard and what is being done about it.

Visit the full website

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Jacob Pieieczynski is a Chicago-based editor, producer, and writer with a passion for meaningful and intentional storytelling.

He has experience working with non-profit organizations in Milwaukee and Chicago. Most recently, he worked on The Chicago Public Education Fund’s #PrincipalPrideChi campaign, creating three profile videos that garnered an organic reach of over 50k people, supervising the design of campaign collateral, coordinating newspaper advertisement placement in all major Chicago newspapers, and assisting in a social media campaign that compiled a total reach of over 3 million people across Chicagoland.

He attended Marquette University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Media and a Bachelor’s degree in Writing Intensive English. He graduated with Master’s of Communication in Digital Storytelling from Loyola University in 2020 and now works as a Marketing Manager for One Hope United.

 

 

SANTA CALATA

Produced by Tom Arnison

Tom Arnison created an award-winning television spot for Santa Calata, a Chicago-based clothing brand that creates upcycled clothing. Thrifted materials and clothing donations are turned into modern apparel, showcased in Tom’s video.


Tom Arnison is a Chicago-based videographer, cinematographer and storyteller with a passion for soccer. Several of Tom’s projects have been shared by national media outlets, including Sports Illustrated and hosts of NPR and ESPN programs.

The Urban Explorer

Photographed by Javed Hydaralli

Since moving to Chicago in 2021, Javed Hydaralli has fallen in love with the vibrant city. The Urban Explorer is an homage to the Chicago and its people.


Javed Hydaralli is a second-year student in the Digital Media and Storytelling Graduate Program. Javed is a photographer and videographer from Toronto, Canada and shoots mainly street photography and event videography. He is currently working on several new projects, including as an intern alongside author, public speaker and creater Rich Hebron on a documentary about the Chicago band, Bonelang. Javed is also editing Rich Hebron’s podcast. Other recent work includes shooting and editing a music video for Toronto band, Atom and the Volumes; and shooting and editing video content for Bartlett House, a Toronto-based artist collective that hosts monthly events.

The last 30 seconds

Produced by Ying Fu.


Ying Fu smiling on a sunny day.Ying has worked in the digital media industry as a journalist and content director since 2010 in mainland China. She came to Chicago in 2019 to study at Loyola. Ying’s 2020 election video went viral with average page views of 1 million+. She is also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Art of Maya varadaraj

Tanvi Soans produced the “Art of Maya Varadaraj,” a documentary about the titular artist. In the documentary, Varadaraj discusses her exhibition in Soho New York, as well as her work.


Tanvi Soans is a 2022 graduate of the Digital Media and Storytelling program.

Icons ONLY

Designed by Keagan Hynes

In his introduction of his multimedia project, “Icons Only,” Keagan Hynes writes, “This body of work is first and foremost a love letter to pop music and the women who make it.” Keagan has created unique portraits of female music icons, women who have achieved critical and commercial success in the U.S. from 1958, when the Billboard Hot 100 launched, until April 2022.


Keagan Hynes is an eternal poptimist, multimedia collage artist, Bravo scholar and advertising professional in Chicago.

BLACK BOY

Created by James Smartt Jr.

James Smartt Jr.’s “Black Boy” is a personal project that shares James’ experiences through his multimedia work. James was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. “Black Boy” is just one of the many projects James uses to tell his story.


James Smartt Jr. is a second-year graduate student at Loyola University Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Being a native of Atlanta, he expresses his art through experiences and culture. James is currently interning for the Walt Disney Company as a digital content producer. He aspires to inspire others and tell his story as a vessel for all creatives.

THAT’S DINNERTAINMENT!


“That’s Dinnertainment!” is a documentary short by second-year Digital Media Storytelling student Marina Hart Donahue exploring the phenomenon that is dinner theatre. After being pronounced dead multiple times, the “dinner and a show” business model continues to prove that it is alive and well. But how does it function? Why does it work? Is the food really that good? To learn more about the dinner theatre experience, including its history, visit the website.


Marina Hart Donahue is a second-year Digital Media and Storytelling student at Loyola University Chicago. She moved to Chicago to pursue a career in storytelling and is thrilled to be a part of the graduate program. Marina’s documentary short “That’s Dinnertainment!” was officially selected for The Chicago International Indie Film Festival. She hopes to continue to tell stories that are meaningful, entertaining and all that jazz.

STREETWISE

“StreetWise,” produced by Digital Media and Storytelling master’s program graduate Jeffrey Chow, is a documentary series that follows the people behind StreetWise, an organization that assists marginalized individuals and gives them an opportunity to earn income. “One Magazine at a Time,: which features magazine vendor Steven Riggs, received the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Award of Excellence within the student documentary section. View the full “StreetWise” series on Jeffrey’s YouTube page.


Jeffrey Chow is a 2018 graduate of Loyola’s Digital Media and Storytelling graduate program and award-winning storyteller. He is a videographer, editor and producer based in Chicago.

ON THE RECORD

Asia Singleton’s “On the Record” is a three-part video series (collected in this video) about how vinyl records are made and sold, and how record players are repaired.


Asia Singleton is a 2022 graduate of Loyola University Chicago’s Digital Media and Storytelling master’s program. She has interned at WBEZ and was a Southern Exposure Film fellow in summer 2022. She is currently an editor and producer at One Tree Forest Films.

THE LIGHT WITHIN A HUNDRED SQUARE FEET

While we live in an increasingly digital world, there are many benefits to shooting and developing film the old-fashioned way. But, film photography is a fading industry, and there is only one film developer/printer left in all of Chicago. Soon photographers may not be able to find someone to develop their film. This is a story about the last Chicago film developer/printer: Oson Chin.

Produced by Yucheng Jiang.


Yucheng has been studying abroad since 2013. He graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin with a major in Business Communication and is a Digital Media and Storytelling alumnus. Four of his works have been nominated for the BEA film festival and one was nominated for a student Emmy. 

A Guide to the California Corridor

Designed by Rebecca Seiler

Curious about what sights to see in Chicago, but want to go off the beaten path? Rebecca Seiler can help. She created, “A Guide To: The California Corridor,” a book featuring the hot spots in Chicago’s East Humboldt Park neighborhood. Explore shops, restaurants, bars and more with this helpful guide. Rebecca is also the creator of the Instagram account, @goodtimechi, which features even more things to do in the Windy City.


Rebecca Seiler is a second-year Digital Media and Storytelling student and full-time marketing professional in the Chicago area. She is currently expanding her knowledge of visual content creation and hopes to combine her studies with her work experience to become an expert storyteller. Her short documentary, “Home,” has been submitted for a student Emmy. 

A multimedia portfolio from graduate students of Loyola University Chicago's Digital Media & Storytelling program