Here’s the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.
Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment and Department of Media Arts celebrated a milestone recently with the premiere of “All One,” the first original film from MT Imagine Animation Studios.
MT Imagine Animation Studios, stylized as MT IMAGINE, serves clients by creating animated content for MTSU and organizations outside the university. The studio offers paid internships, giving students in MTSU’s animation program valuable experience working on real projects. In addition to client work, the studio focuses on developing original productions, such as “All One.”
The fall semester film’s premiere in the Student Union Ballroom featured an ultrawide 48-by-12-foot LED screen assembled the day before by student volunteers under the guidance and supervision of Mike Forbes, media arts director of technical systems.
Produced by a team of over 100 students and faculty, “All One” was led by four student directors — Skye Baxter, Stacey Marie Joan Teves, Cooper Rogers and Seth Savage — the production united students across all academic levels.
“Our goal was to bring animation students closer to the live performance industry and to foster a sense of unity and collaboration across the program,” said media arts professor Rodrigo Gómez, the film’s producer. “The mix of students — from freshmen to seniors — created an incredible sense of collegiality and gave everyone valuable real-world experience.”
The premiere was part of the animation program’s traditional Animation Showcase, which drew hundreds of attendees to the event.
The production spanned months of meticulous planning and weekend animation sessions. Beginning with brainstorming sessions in last spring, the creative process continued through the summer with scriptwriting, concept design and animatic development. By fall, 80 animation students formed 16 teams, collaborating under the leadership of faculty and senior students.
“All One” follows an astronaut who experiences his separation from life and others while pealing through layers of delirium and darkness only to discover the light in the middle of a never-ending nightmare.
“Humans tend to detach from others in the face of challenges; when we meet hardship, we create layers within our drama and find it difficult to realize what life is all about. With our film, we want to express the hardship and joy, the highs and lows, the dark and the light; with our movie, we want to say: We All Are One—Together, We Are Stronger,” said Gómez.
As “All One” begins its journey to the animation festival circuit, it sets the stage for future collaborations and innovations at MT Imagine Animation Studios.
“We’ve awakened the creativity monster at MTSU,” Gómez said. “There is no stopping now.”
Rutherford County mayor touts MTSU alumni impact per study
Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr recently underscored the conclusions of a recent study of MTSU alumni’s economic impact, pointing out that his county alone recorded over $4.1 billion in annual business revenue.
“I’m not surprised at the data enumerated in the report,” Carr said in a county news release. The report showed MTSU also generated over $15.2 billion in statewide business revenue each year.
The positive financial impact of MTSU’s graduates throughout Tennessee was detailed in the 2024 MTSU Alumni Impact Report by the Business and Economic Research Center in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. The report also reflected how MTSU, located in Murfreesboro, particularly bolsters the economies of its home and surrounding counties.
MTSU released the full report to local and state officials based on numbers from 2022, the base statistical year of the study.
“I can’t imagine a Rutherford County without an MTSU,” said Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce President Paul Latture. “One of the things we do in economic development, when we recruit every single day, we have a leg up because we have a great university in MTSU here.”
Added Carr, a university alumnus himself, “MTSU provides students with an exceptional education experience and the opportunity to become an integral part of the fastest-growing county in Tennessee,” he said.
MTSU alumni in Nashville and Davidson County, including alumni-owned businesses, recorded the second-highest total in business revenue among Tennessee counties (after Rutherford), generating $2.9 billion.
The Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga metropolitan statistical areas had totals of $11.3 billion, $509 million, and $504 million, respectively, in total business revenue impact by MTSU alumni and their businesses.
In 2022, Rutherford County had the largest number of MTSU alumni residents at 32,500. Davidson follows behind with more than 19,300. Williamson, Wilson, and Maury counties are next with approximately 10,000, 6,000, and 4,400, respectively.
MTSU’s Alumni Association has more than 160,000 members worldwide.
MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.
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