Television producer, writer, transmedia consultant to give talk
KALAMAZOO—A giant in the world of television, the entertainment industry and transmedia consulting will visit the Western Michigan University campus to talk about future trends in the media as part of the Communication and Community Distinguished Lecture Series.
Kate McCallum, a producer, writer and consultant for some of the most well-known shows on television and founder of c3—the Center for Conscious Creativity—will speak at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Rhodes Auditorium (Room 2028) of Brown Hall. McCallum will present a talk titled "Transmedia, Transformation and the Future of Content," in which she will explore the concept of storytelling from the past and how technology has given us the ability to evolve storytelling capabilities. She also will define and offer examples of transmedia and give some examples of the future of storytelling and content. Her presentation is free and open to the public.
Kate McCallum
McCallum's studio experience includes 10 years at Universal Studios in television and feature production, apprenticing with some of the top content creators in the business, working in development and production of such prime time series as "Equalizer," "Miami Vice" and "Law and Order" as well as such sitcoms as "Charles in Charge" and "Gimme a Break." Chair of the Global Arts and Media Node for The Millennium Project, McCallum optioned a life rights story and produced the subsequent NBC TV Movie of the Week "What Kind of Mother Are You?"
She was promoted to vice president of creative for Western Sandblast Productions during that company's deal at Paramount Television and developed long-form series and off-net series television for eight years. She sold movies to Showtime and UPN and optioned series concepts to Paramount. In 2005 McCallum was hired as vice president of programming to launch The Harmony Channel, an innovative visual music channel for Comcast On Demand. Her next stint took her back to her early roots in classical music when she was hired to serve as board liaison and executive administrator to Placido Domingo and the L.A. Opera. After returning to school and obtaining a degree from the University of Philosophical Research, she created c3, a nonprofit arts and education organization producing events dedicated to "creating a better future through arts and media," including workshops, screenings, classes, concerts, a writers' conference and an annual symposium.
McCallum's commitment to bridging the worlds of corporate media and entertainment with transformational projects was the impetus for her to create her own transmedia company, Bridge Arts Media LLC, resulting in the creation of the boutique music and arts label, The Art of Sound. She has provided transmedia consulting services to a number of media companies and is a frequent speaker on the transformational power of media and the arts.