Media Arts Alumni Successes

A degree in Media Arts from Butler means you're ready to forge ahead with your career. Whether you're interested in radio, motion graphics, television journalism or anything in between, our alumni step into the professional arena with ease. Working with state-of-the-art equipment and developing contacts with local industry leaders prepare our alumni for professional success.

Dave A. Calabro '85

Sports director, anchor and host of 13 SportsJam for WTHR-TV in Indianapolis
Provided play-by-play for nine IRL races for Fox Sports
Received five Emmy Awards for Best Sportscaster in the past six years
Recognized as the best local sportscaster for 2003 by the readers of Indianapolis Monthly and received a 2003 NUVO Best of Indy Reader's Choice award
Previously worked as a sports anchor for WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio where he covered Bengals football and Reds baseball

Kevin P. Calabro '78

Televison and radio play-by-play broadcaster of the Seattle Sonics since 1987
Past assignments include NBA broadcasts on TNT/TBS, NBATV and ESPN radio
Broadcast the 2000 United States men's basketball Olympic Games for a worldwide audience on Westwood One Radio Network
Recognized by his peers as Washington State "Sports Broadcaster of the Year" in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2002
A local Emmy Award winner, Calabro was acknowledged along with the late Chick Hearn as one of the top five NBA announcers in 1998 by Sports Illustrated

Richard (Rick) Cummings '73

President, Radio Division, Emmis Communications, Encino, Calif.
Previously at Emmis he served as executive vice president for programming for a national 11-station group and national program director for Emmis, overseeing WENS Indianapolis, WLOL Minneapolis, KSHE St. Louis and Magic 106 Los Angeles, and was the first program director for WENS, Indianapolis

Rob L. Dauber '84

Supervising producer for Living It Up! with Ali & Jack, CBS/King World Productions Inc. in New York
Supervising producer of The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which won four Daytime Emmy Awards for "Best Talk Show"
Production consultant for Mark Burnett's reality show The Restaurant and producer of Survivor Marquesas -Reunion Show hosted by Rosie O'Donnell
Creative consultant for Lighten Up!, BBGraceline Productions for The Food Network
Previous producing credits include The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, The Maury Povich Show, The Ricki Lake Show, The Jane Whitney Show, The Carnie Wilson Show and In Person with Maureen O'Boyle

Thomas R. Elrod '70

President, Inspirations, Inc. in Florida
Previously was president of worldwide marketing and entertainment for Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts
Received the Travel Hall of Fame ATLAS Award, Tour and Travel News Top 25 Most Influential Tourism Executives, Sales & Marketing Executives International Excellence in Marketing Award and many others
Was public relations director for the Amateur Athletic Union in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Serves as chairman of the Butler University board of trustees and is a board member of the International Museum of Cartoon Art

William C. Evans '85

Chief news photographer for WLOS-TV ABC affiliate in Asheville, N.C.
Worked as photographer for WGNO-TV and WWL-TV in New Orleans and as chief photographer at WEAR-TV in Pensacola, Fla.
Received two Suncoast Regional Emmy awards while at WGNO-TV: 1995 Individual Achievement in Photography and 1997 Spot News

Brian L. Hammons '83

Anchor of The Golf Channel's nightly news show Golf Central, a CableACE Award winner as Best Sports News Series
Began career at WRTV-6 ABC in Indianapolis while a freshman at Butler
Also worked at WXIN-TV FOX in Indianapolis, where he was sports anchor and host of the Indiana Pacers telecasts
Worked for ABC, ESPN, Prime and NBC sports and appeared as himself in the feature film Tin Cup

Anqunette Jamison '95

Morning news anchor, WFXT-FOX in Boston
Began broadcasting career in South Bend, Ind., as a general assignment reporter for KNDU, then as weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for KVBC-TV in Las Vegas

Lawrence P. Mago '79

Senior vice president of marketing for the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis
Joined the Pacers in 1985 as general manager of the Pacers' Network Indiana, a 50-station statewide radio network, before being promoted to vice president of sports and entertainment for the Pacers
Experience with the Pacers includes live Pacers coverage of the 1996 preseason in Germany and Spain, directing the 1992 NBA Finals world feed and executive producer of the Host Broadcast for the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship held in Indianapolis
Charter member of the NBA Broadcast advisory board
Began career as on-air broadcaster for several radio stations, including the Pacers' Flagship station WIBC in Indianapolis

Corey B. McPherrin '77

Sportscaster, WFLD-TV FOX station in Chicago
Previously worked for WABC-TV in New York where he contributed to ABC Sports' college football and to Wide World of Sports
Five-time Emmy Award winner, received the 2002 Robert Todd Duncan Alumni Achievement Award at Butler and the Significant Sig award from Sigma Chi Fraternity for outstanding achievement
Serves on the Butler University board of trustees

Jack Newman '79

Director of part-time studies at the School for Film and Television in New York
Member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Since 1984, has acted in more than 100 television commercials including recent spots for Sears and MasterCard

Dw Phineas Perkins '87

Senior project technical administrator, Walt Disney World Entertainment
Previously was a project producer and technical director of live shows at Walt Disney World in Orlando
Served on the production staff of the 1991 and 2000 Super Bowl Half-time Spectacular
Serves as a volunteer pilot for the Angel Flight program for the Southeast District, an organization that flies individuals in need of medical care to the person's assigned health care facility

Howard L. Schrott '83

Chief financial officer for The Liberty Corp. in Greenville, S.C., a company that owns 15 network-affiliated television stations and other media-related operations in cable, broadcast equipment distribution and cable sales
Previously was CFO for Wink Interactive and for Emmis Communications Corp.
Spent two years in law, specializing in matters before the Federal Communications Commission

Brian Smith (aka Charlie Morgan) '83

Vice president and general manager, WGLD, WGRL and WFMS radio stations in Indianapolis
Member of the Country Radio Broadcaster's board of directors and the Indiana Broadcasters Association board of directors
Under his leadership, WFMS-Radio has received numerous national awards including the 2002 Marconi Award for a Medium Market Station of the Year, Country Station of the Year, and the 2000 and 2001 Country Music Association Station of the Year

Kristin L. Smith '94

Senior attorney, Qwest Communications in Denver, providing regulatory support for operations in 36 states
Previously worked as an associate for Blumenfeld & Cohen in Washington, D.C.
As a law student, interned in the Policy and Rules Division for the Federal Communications Commission and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union
While at Butler, co-created and produced the WTBU children's quiz show Think Big and worked as an intern at WZPL-FM in Indianapolis
Member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and Women in Cable and Telecommunications

William A. Weber '79

Sports commentator and analyst, NBC Sports in North Carolina
2003 commentator for Senior PGA Tour on CNBC
Commentator for the Instinet Classic and the BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland
Served as pre-race host and pit reporter for NASCAR on NBC and as an auto racing commentator for ESPN and ESPN2
Began career as a sports reporter for WISH-TV in Indianapolis. Was assistant sports director at WTHI-TV in Terre Haute and WTVW-TV in Evansville and became sports anchor for WIKY-FM in Evansville, Ind.

Norm Wilkens '57

President/CEO of Ambient Communications in Indianapolis
Named a "legend" by the Indiana Federation of Advertising Agencies and received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from the State of Indiana for his contributions to the world of advertising
Conducts seminars nationally on health care marketing
Elder with Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, where he serves on the planning committee and directs its weekly radio program