By: Abby Stassen
Full Sail University’s annual Hall of Fame Week is a vibrant campus event that honors distinguished alumni and gives current students the chance to professionally network, connect at fun events, and learn from panels, presentations, and workshops.
The History of Hall of Fame
Full Sail’s first Hall of Fame launched during the university’s 30th anniversary in 2009. Hall of Fame inductees must meet certain criteria to be offered a spot: They must have graduated at least 10 years prior to the ceremony, made significant contributions in their industry, and continued to participate in the Full Sail community.
Past inductees include:
Leslie Brathwaite (Recording Arts, 1992): Grammy-winning Mix Engineer. Credits include Pharrell Williams, TLC, Outkast, Ludacris, and Madonna.
Marcella Araica (Recording Arts, 2009): ASCAP-winning Audio Engineer. Credits include Snoop Dogg, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, and P!nk.
Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young (Recording Arts, 2005): Producer, Songwriter, and Mix Engineer. Credits include Beyoncé, BTS, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, and Lil Nas X.
Sebastian Krys (Recording Arts, 1991): Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Producer and Engineer whose credits include Elvis Costello, Juanes, Shakira, Carlos Vives, Luis Fonsi, and Jennifer Lopez.
Steven C. Miller (Film, 2004): Film Editor, Writer, and Director. Credits include Werewolves, Escape Plan 2, Line of Duty, and Marauders.
Gary Rizzo (Recording Arts, 1993): Oscar-winning Sound Re-Recording Mixer. Credits include Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight, and The Incredibles.
Hall of Fame 15 Inductees
The following graduates were inducted into Full Sail’s 15th Hall of Fame:
Martina Bozic (Entertainment Business, 2014): Vice President of Football Partnerships at SPORTFIVE
Jason Citron (Game Development, 2004): CEO/Co-Founder, Discord
Alejandro García-Tuñón (Game Development, 2005): Senior Director/Head of Co-Development, Side (formerly PTW)
Aaron B. Koontz (Film, 2002): Writer/Producer/Director; CEO/Founder, Paper Street Pictures
Jonathan Mayer (Recording Arts, 2000): Founder/CEO/Music Director, SpiderFarm Productions
Katrina Mena Rick (Entertainment Business, 2011): Senior Creative Producer with Disney Live Entertainment’s Visual Media Production team
The inductees were awarded their Sailees at the Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday, March 13. Each grad gave a speech, expressing pride at their accomplishments and thanking the family and friends who helped them along the way.
Student Involvement at Hall of Fame
During Hall of Fame Week, current Full Sail students connected with industry professionals, successful alumni, and each other during a host of memorable events.
Hall of Game: Homecoming: The week kicked off with this esports event featuring Full Sail’s esports team, Armada, in the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress. A team of Armada alumni competed against current Armada varsity students in Apex Legends, League of Legends, and Halo: Infinite; the student Armada team walked away with the win. Orlando Health also awarded three Armada players and three Full Sail students $5,000 each to put toward their education.
Armada HQ Grand Opening: Full Sail’s new campus gaming and esports center, Armada HQ, was unveiled during Hall of Fame week. The collaborative space – which has casting facilities, production studio space, a gameplay lounge, and more – is open to all Full Sail students.
Career Fair & Tech Expo: Alumni and soon-to-be-grads networked and spoke with potential employers, including Apple and Walt Disney World, at the Hall of Fame 15 Career Fair in the Full Sail Live venue. At the Tech Expo, held in the Fortress, representatives from companies like Canon, Sony, Apple, and more showed off equipment used in industries like audio recording, virtual reality, and filmmaking.
Panels & Presentations: During Hall of Fame week, more than 150 educational panels, presentations, and workshops were offered to attendees. The session topics included insight into the game industry, crisis management in media, a fireside chat with Hall of Fame 15 inductee and Discord CEO Jason Citron, and the future of smart cities, among others. Presenters included past and present Hall of Fame inductees, Full Sail faculty and staff, and other industry experts.
Creative Experience & Student Events: Students exercised their creative muscles in the dedicated Creative Experience area in Full Sail’s Backlot. They performed karaoke, worked on crafts, and contributed to a giant Hall of Fame-themed paint-by-numbers mural. An array of food trucks gave them tasty lunch options throughout the week.
In addition, faculty members put on D20 Deathmatch, a live Dungeons & Dragons actual play, which pitted two challengers against each other in an arena spectacle. Students also participated in a cosplay contest, competing in categories like Best in Show, Anime, and Television & Film.
Block Party: The week wrapped up with a block party on the Backlot, where students kicked back and enjoyed free pizza and drinks, a hula hoop contest, and the chance to connect with their peers. EA Sports also awarded six more Full Sail students $5,000 each in scholarship funds during the block party.
