Katie Landis ’12, “Rinn” Siegrist ’89 and Justin Roth ’12 work in the Office of University Communications and Marketing at James Madison University, doing photography, graphic design and videography (respectively).
From brochures to advertisements, from emails to exhibit displays, and mobile apps to video tours, five EMU alumni help promote the James Madison University brand through graphic design, photography, videography, and web design. Four of them – Katie Landis ’12, Justin Roth ’12, Lorinda "Rinn" Siegrist ’89 and Frank Ameka ’07 – came to their various positions with degrees in visual arts and communications and internships in EMU’s small, but multifaceted marketing department. The fifth alumnus is something of an anomaly: Web developer Jamie Johnson was already a minted Duke who had earned his bachelor’s in computer information systems before completing an MA in counseling in 1999 at EMU. We’ll save his unusual story for last. Katie Landis, an assistant photographer in the marketing department, started her position at JMU the day after graduation. She shoots, edits, archives and delivers photos for the alumni magazine, orientation guides, the Madison Family Handbook, and other projects. Landis also manages four student photographers, emphasizing the “art of visual storytelling” that she learned from her 24 | crossroads | spring 2014
EMU professors. cy. Ameka is assistant director of technolSince February 2013, Justin Roth has ogy and design, and his job is to oversee worked at JMU as an assistant video pro- what he jokingly calls his self-created ducer. One of his first tasks was to pro“behemoth.” Hired the year he graduated, duce video of newly appointed President Ameka consolidated client services into a Jonathan Alger during his get-acquainted student-staffed and team-oriented martour of alumni around the country. keting agency specializing in integrated Rinn Siegrist, who holds a master’s graphic design, web development, video, from Syracuse, is the marketing design writing, and photography. His staff has manager in JMU’s Office of Univerexploded from four to 27 employees sity Communications and Marketing. serving six major clients at the university, Siegrist first gained experience as a including Madison Union, the Office of student graphic designer in the EMU Student Activities and Involvement, the athletics department, and then worked Festival Conference Center, Fraternity full-time for seven years in the marketand Sorority Life, Kijiji Leadership, and ing department, designing EMU’s first the University Program Board. At any website and a wide variety of marketing given time, his student-employees could materials. be developing digital signs and web Since 1996, Siegrist has spent all but promotions, filming a leadership video, three years at JMU, “in various roles over designing a webpage, or working on the years, but they all amount to graphic advertisements for upcoming Madison design work,” she says. She currently Union gallery showings. designs and oversees graphic design and “At EMU, I took advantage of every visual brands, including those relating to opportunity to practice my craft,” he the JMU alumni magazine, the Forbes said, whether single-handedly creating Performing Arts Center, and College of the yearbook, photographing campus Visual and Performing Arts, development events, or filming the Mennonite Youth and student recruitment. Conference. “We offer that same opporAcross campus in the depths of Warren tunity here.” Hall, Frank Ameka runs what amounts Web developer Jamie Johnson graduto a small, but very busy marketing agen- ated from JMU with a degree in com-
photo by Mike Miriello, JMU Marketing Photography Department
SELLING JMU WITH THE HELP OF EMU GRADS