June 04, 2003::No.256

Titan Students Lead Hollywood Reporter Competition With Most Nominations

Repeating last year’s success, Cal State Fullerton took the lead in the second annual Key Art Awards Student Competition with four out of 12 nominations. The contest is part of the Hollywood Reporter’s 32nd annual Key Art Awards, which honor achievements in motion picture marketing and advertising.

Chino resident and 2003 B.F.A. in art graduate Jose A. “Joe” Casillas was nominated in the one-sheet (movie poster) category. In the trailer (movie preview) category, three CSUF students were nominated: junior art major Brian Lee Growe of Placentia, junior radio-TV-film major Ian J. Lamb of Chino Hills; and Fullerton resident and 2003 B.F.A. in art graduate Stacy Swane. The competition received more than 300 submissions — up from a little more than 100 last year — from 28 college and design schools in California and New York, including American Film Institute (three nominations) and Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandise (two nominations).

Entries were based on the 2002 Golden Globe best picture winners “A Beautiful Mind” (drama) and “Moulin Rouge” (comedy/musical). All schools received the films, in addition to such collateral materials as production stills, logos and images from each.

“The Fullerton art students are amazing,” says Christian Hill, CSUF teaching associate in art and instructor to three of the nominees. “Since the first Key Art Awards student competition, I have kept challenging them, always raising the bar. Every time, their work surpasses my expectations. It’s such a delightful treat that their hard work, passion and winning attitude receive this kind of recognition.”

“The student competition is a great ‘give back’ from the movie advertising community to its future stars,” says Fullerton alumnus Jeff Bacon, Key Art Awards student competition chairman and an executive vice president at entertainment advertising company Creative Domain.

Six cash prizes totaling $22,000 will be awarded to the top three winners and their schools in each category June 20 during the Key Art Awards at the Scottish Rite International Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

The Key Art Awards were launched in 1972 to honor the accomplishments of art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers and copywriters responsible for developing the art used in motion picture marketing and promotion.