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Published with the October 1, 2013 Baton Rouge Business Report. Copyright © 2013 Louisiana Business Inc. Special Advertising Section.
Louisiana is becoming an important player in the digital media industry, which is creating more high-tech jobs. In August 2013, with LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology, or CCT, relocating to the brand-new Louisiana Digital Media Center, Baton Rouge’s foray into this exciting industry moved forward.
Located near the John M. Parker Coliseum, the three-story structure co-hosts CCT, an interdisciplinary research center, and EA Sports, a major player in the worldwide video game industry headquartered in Redwood City, California.
Construction was a joint effort among LSU, the state, the city, EA and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
Speaking at the building’s ground-breaking ceremony in July 2011, Gov. Bobby Jindal said the unique partnership between LSU and EA sends the message that “Louisiana is the place for cutting-edge companies.”
“Digital media and software development will be one of Louisiana’s top growth industries for the next two decades and possibly beyond,” said Louisiana Economic Development, or LED, Secretary Stephen Moret at the ground-breaking ceremony. “The future growth of this industry in Louisiana will depend to a great extent on the ability of our higher education institutions to produce the specialized talent that this industry requires,” he said.
Expanding the local technology workforce is one of LSU’s objectives. Pointing to the university’s recent partnership with IBM, Brygg Ullmer, CCT’s Cultural Computing focus area lead and an associate professor of computer science and engineering at LSU, said IBM and other technology companies “will be recruiting heavily from here.”
CCT’s Cultural Computing group includes 13 faculty engaged in the digital media space, from LSU units including computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and ISDS/business, to music, art, and mass communication.
To prepare students for successful careers in this growing industry, in 2010, the CCT’s Cultural Computing group initiated a digital media minor program at LSU to emphasize the link between arts and technology.
Since then, the digital media minor’s popularity has prompted the center to develop a Digital Media Arts and Engineering (DMAE) master’s degree. Marc Aubanel, hired in July 2013 as its founding director, headed the 500-plus student media arts program at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Among many other accomplishments, he has 16 years of executive-level experience with EA Sports and as founding partner in the original Sanctuary webisodic series.
“The DMAE curriculum will be a boon to businesses in the fields of entertainment, visual effects, video games, television and animation,” Aubanel says.
“One of the key things companies look for when deciding where to establish a business is a talented workforce, and the new digital media master’s program will definitely help fulfill the educational component for that industry,” explains CCT Director Joel Tohline. “We are proud to be contributing to Louisiana’s economic development and are looking into the future with confidence.”
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