A 兔子先生 student connected the and the (WCE) from the to create a pilot program that will brand and launch products on Amazon.com. Solida Chem, a digital media major who also is pursuing a certificate in entrepreneurship, saw an opportunity while working with her business classmates.
鈥淒uring Wolffest (a three-day fundraising event and food festival), we worked with public relations students from the UH Valenti School of Communication,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a great help, and I thought that digital media students could provide similar expertise in creative marketing and design.鈥�
Chem brought together her professors from both programs鈥擠ave Cook, director of the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, and Jerry Waite, director of Digital Media program鈥攖o discuss the possibility. The result is this pilot program.
鈥淭his is a perfect example of the energy that makes collaboration on a university campus so valuable,鈥� said Cook. 鈥淣ot only did our WCE students have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the digital media-marketing world, they also got to experience what it鈥檚 like working with a consultant. This is exactly the sort of simulation that really reinforces classroom learning.鈥�
This semester, WCE students will work on a project through . Teams will select a product, obtain samples, order inventory, then brand and launch on Amazon. Each team will 鈥渉ire鈥� two digital media students to create and promote a product brand through use of graphic design, video, printed materials and logos, among other tactics.
鈥淭his may mean creating packaging, creating a website or creating a social media persona in order to market a product,鈥� Waite said. 鈥淭his transmedia part, the story that extends across all digital platforms, is an important addition to the Bauer class.鈥�
Digital media students participate as part of the Senior Project class. All had to apply to the class, submit a portfolio and undergo interviews. Chem will serve as an executive search firm representative. She鈥檒l review all the portfolios, interview all the participants, and then connect each entrepreneur team to the digital media students.
鈥淒igital media and entrepreneurship go hand in hand,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 have entrepreneurship without strong marketing and branding, nor can digital media professionals grow without working alongside business.鈥�
The Digital Media program is part of the College of Technology and housed at the University of Houston at Sugar Land.
鈥淲hat a wonderful opportunity for our students,鈥� Waite said. 鈥淲e are preparing them to market in a transmedia way. What better way than to partner with the Wolff Center students.鈥�
Chem, who鈥檚 professional goal is to own an independent video production company, hopes this collaboration encourages other colleges to find ways to work together.
鈥淲hen you put passionate people in a room together, this creative hub forms and bursts with energy,鈥� she said.