University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition members now belong to a stronger organization with more support and visibility!

The Alumni Association of University of Michigan board of directors approved a request from UMEC to charter us as an officially sanctioned alumni organization. This affiliation gives UMEC a wide range of benefits including:
-- AAUM's financial status, which can allow us to finally become a not-for-profit
-- AAUM's outreach capability, such as its e-TrueBlue emails and its Web site. http://alumni.umich.edu/
-- AAUM's infrastructure, including liability insurance and other items a small independent club like UMEC might struggle to afford

UMEC owes a great deal to Dominic Cianciolo, former president of UMEC's Los Angeles chapter, for advocating for our official recognition for the past several years. He recognized the importance of the club's formal status to ensure our ongoing health and survival.

You can now find UMEC listed on the Alumni Association's Web site in its affiliate groups section: http://alumni.umich.edu/affiliates/index.php

If you don't receive the Alumni Association's emails, which include updates on what's happening back in Ann Arbor as well as information on benefits to AAUM members, you can sign up at http://alumni.umich.edu/publications/e-trueblue.php

Founded in 1996, the non-profit University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition (UMEC) was intended to bring together University of Michigan alumni working in the entertainment industry for the career enhancement of its members. The original UMEC was disbanded in 2000 as its founding members, largely due to their professional successes, found themselves without sufficient available time to dedicate to the organization.

Now a new group of alumni have built on the original UMEC foundation to develop a revitalized UMEC.

University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition welcomes all former Michigan students working in any discipline in the entertainment industry. UMEC defines the term "entertainment industry" broadly. It includes film, television, music, game software, new media, radio, sports, theatre and publishing. Any former students working as artists, content creators, content distributors, or in the professional services in support of those activities are eligible for membership.

The University of Michigan Entertainment Coalition's mission is:
* To create a worldwide network of Michigan alumni working in the entertainment industry so that all alumni may have the benefit of our combined experience, expertise, and knowledge.
* To make University of Michigan alumni a force in the entertainment industry so that our graduates are recognized and respected as key players in the business.
* To provide counseling, advice, and an open door for future Michigan alumni who seek to enter the entertainment industry.
* To bring together Michigan alumni from both the "creative" and "business" sides of the industry to foster a mutual understanding of issues and concerns.

Colleen Newvine Tebeau, MBA 2005, serves as president in New York. Colleen earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Central Michigan University and worked as a reporter and editor at daily, weekly and monthly publications. She worked briefly for a technology consulting firm before the dot-com bust in 2001, then took a job doing public relations at the University of Michigan News Service. She is now deputy director of U.S. Newspaper Markets at the Associated Press, a not-for-profit news cooperative that is the world's oldest and largest news organization.

Ted Houser, LSA 2005, serves as president in Los Angeles. Ted earned his BA in Film at Michigan before moving to California, where he works as an independant producer.  He is currently producing a number of Web video projects for streaming channels such as PlayAStream.com and TravelMole.tv