November 5, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

SMC’s Center for Media and Design Opens with a Bang

Santa Monica College (SMC) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 2, marking the grand opening of SMC’s Center for Media and Design (CMD).

SMC President Jeffery welcomes the crowd.

“We are over the moon,” proclaimed SMC President Kathryn Jeffery in her introductory remarks.

The Center for Media and Design (CMD), located on 1600 Stewart Street in Santa Monica (a block north of Olympic), boasts a student radio station, video production facilities, a student newspaper office (The Corsair), computer labs, an art studio, music studios and a 180-seat auditorium.

KCRW’s new building — no longer below ground. Photo credit: Gina Clyne Photography.

Every square inch of the campus is brand spanking new.  Student ambassadors, armed with huge and equally shiny smiles, proudly led visitors on tours.

Kathy Pho, student ambassador. Pho is studying politics, economics and public policy.

SMC now offers a four-year college major, a B.S. in Interaction Design (IxD), which pulls together graphic arts, computer programming, video and animation into a coherent whole that will always be evolving as the nature of modern-day digital media advances.
AR/VR, mobile apps, self-driving cars, wearable technology – anything is fair game when it comes to IxD.  A brochure for the new degree describes the major as “designing the future.”

Frank Dawson, who heads up the career center at the Center for Media and Design.

The campus offers a “wonderful setting for ideation and collaboration,” said Frank Dawson, Interim Dean of Career Education.  The first IxD degrees will be awarded in June of 2018, he added.

It was noted by several speakers that SMC’s new campus is right in the heart of Silicon Beach – and that the Center for Media and Design was the right idea at the right time in the right place.

Student editors at work.

The new campus was made possible by a bond passed by Santa Monica and Malibu voters and 5,800 private donations, including some very big ones.  Cinny Kennard, executive director of the Annenberg Foundation, said NPR’s Los Angeles operation helped establish the West Coast as an important media center.

Jennifer Ferro, president of KCRW.

Ever-popular public radio station KCRW – which used to operate out of a “dungeon” below SMC’s main campus – is now located at this $115 million, state-of-the-art campus.  KCRW is an NPR station (89.9 FM).

KCRW’s Madeleine Brand (PressPlay), Jason Bentley (Morning Becomes Eclectic), President Jennifer Ferro, Warren Olney (host for many years of Which Way LA and now who now hosts the podcast To the Point), early KCRW pioneer and visionary Ruth Seymour, news producer Jennifer Wolfe and several KCRW DJs were on hand to welcome the crowd.

KCRW President Jennifer Ferro, who was widely credited by several speakers as being a driving force behind the new KCRW building, said “people here take action.”

Jeff Hall, editor and publisher of the Brentwood News, recalls being interviewed on-air by KCRW’s Warren Olney years ago. Olney, right, now hosts a podcast called To the Point.

Warren Olney, who spent several years in television and radio news before joining KCRW, said nothing was as satisfying as his years at KCRW, where people blend “integrity, public service — and having a good time.”

KCRW also hosts Left, Right & Center, which features Josh Barro (center), Katrina venden Heuvel (left) and Rich Lowry (right).

Left, Right & Center, heard coast to coast, is a political talk show that employs intelligence and civility, forcing listeners to get out of their “self-contained thought bubbles.”

Sarah Spitz, former radio producer at KCRW, and Mariana De La Garza, outreach and recruitment counselor at SMC.

Sarah Spitz, long-time producer at Left, Right & Center, was at Saturday’s opening.

AppleOne, a hiring agency, has an office on the CMD campus.  SMC is a big proponent of making its students job-ready.  AppleOne helps place SMC graduates into jobs in entertainment and digital media.

IxD (Interaction Design) student Kaitlin Jetviroj, with professor of design technology Nicole Chan.

The CMD campus, designed by architect Clive Wilkinson, is built in a ring that encircles a fountain and an open-air performance center.  The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held outdoors under a hot but very welcoming sun.

After all, this IS Silicon Beach we’re talking about, right?

These are exciting times in Silicon Beach, home to Snapchat, SpaceX, Hyper Loop One and Tom’s Shoes.  Microsoft, Google, Facebook, YouTube and Buzzfeed all have outposts here.

See more photos, below.

Volunteers staffing the SMC Foundation booth: Spring Aspers of Sony Music and Mark Ivener, local immigration attorney.
California State Senator Ben Allen, Genevieve Riutort of the Westside Food Bank and Gary Avrech of GoGraphics.us.
SMC cheerleader sets the tone.
Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer.
A student works on her video editing project.
Ruth Seymour led KCRW for years and laid the foundation for today’s new station center.
KCRW DJs look like they enjoy their work. Anne Litt is on the right.
Gil Garcetti of Brentwood.
Ethan Lauren of the student newspaper, the Corsair.
Related Posts

Election Day Freebies and Discounts: Where to Eat, Drink, and Watch Election Results

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

From Free Doughnuts To Watch Parties, How To Unwind With Election Night Deals With this election day being one of...

Early Morning Call From Community Leads to Burglary Arrest in Culver City

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Police Respond To Suspicious Activity Call, Arrest Suspect With Pickaxe Culver City police arrested a man early Friday morning in...

Culver City Police Department is Prepared to Ensure Community Safety During Election Week

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Enhanced Patrols, Activated Emergency Center Ready, Culver City Voting Center is Open The Culver City Police Department has announced an...

Legendary Music Icon Quincy Jones Dies at 91 in Bel Air

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Celebrated Musician, Producer Leaves an Indelible Legacy By Dolores Quintana Legendary musician, music producer, film and television producer, composer of...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Lays Off Longtime Archive and Library Staff

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Downsizing and Restructuring Continue, Affecting Employees with Decades of Service By Dolores Quintana Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture...

LA County Opens 526 New Vote Centers for Early Voting, Announces Conditional Voting for Unregistered Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro LA Offers Free Rides on Election Day to Help Residents Get to the Polls Los Angeles County opened an...

New Aviation/Century Station Opens, Linking Metro’s C and K Lines

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro’s Newest Station Paves the Way for Future LAX Transit Center The new Aviation/Century Station officially opened this week, marking...

H5N1 Detected in LA County Wastewater, Health Officials Urge Precautions for Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Los Angeles County Investigates Low-Level H5 Avian Flu Detected in Wastewater The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is...

Two Events in Culver City This Weekend: Bike Registration and Dance Performance

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Put the Brakes on Bicycle Theft and Enjoy an Evening of Dance and Interactive Art The Culver City Police Department...

All You Need to Know to Attend the Dodgers Victory Parade Tomorrow in DTLA

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

World Champions and LA’s Team to Greet Angelenos After Win of NY Yankees The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their...

Beverly Hills City Government Agrees to a Stipulated Judgment After Blocking Abortion Clinic Opening

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

City to Implement Training, Oversight on Reproductive Rights Following Legal Settlement  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a legal agreement...

Dia De Los Muertos 2024: Here’s Where To Celebrate The Holiday Tradition This Weekend

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Los Angeles Has a Variety of Ways to Explore Latino Culture and Honor Ancestors Starting just after Halloween, Dia de...

(Video) Downtown L.A. Reacts to World Series Victory

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Dodgers Are World Series Champs For The Eighth Time https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFtyDDKn/

Halloween Pre-Game Party Brings Chills and Spooky Thrills to The Rose Venice

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Enjoy Halloween With Festive Cocktails, Appetizers, and a Costume Contest The Rose Venice in Venice is set to host a...

(Video) Something About Her’s First Tea Time Was a Big Hit

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Next Date is November Third. Beautiful vibes, deciduous food and drink. Don’t miss it. @Something About Her @culvercitywlanews Something...