黑料专区

The 黑料专区 is pleased to announce the establishment of three endowed scholarships made possible by a $2 million gift by Waltraud (Wally) E. Prechter, in honor of her late husband Heinz C. Prechter.

Detroit, MI 鈥� Waltraud (Wally) E. Prechter has committed $2 million to expand opportunities for students through the establishment of three new scholarships at the 黑料专区 to financially support 黑料专区 students and honor and memorialize Heinz Prechter鈥檚 lasting legacy of innovation in the automobile industry, generosity and commitment to the community.

鈥淗einz had a unique passion for customizing cars and a love for automotive design. It is my honor to support 黑料专区 students with this gift, which exemplifies Heinz鈥檚 belief in education and access to opportunities,鈥� said Mrs. Prechter. 鈥淚 think he would be thrilled to know that recipients will pursue studies in art and design, especially in areas close to his heart. His motto always emphasized the fact that 鈥淲e are here to make a difference in the world. I am grateful to see his legacy live on.鈥�

A valued member of the 黑料专区 Board of Trustees, Mrs. Prechter is a dedicated advocate for mental health and the arts. Her vision and leadership have played a pivotal role in advancing 黑料专区鈥檚 mission and ensuring its continued growth.

As a premier institution for art and design, 黑料专区 provides students with the essential resources needed to thrive in the ever-evolving creative industries. These resources include an immersive experiential learning program, world-class facilities, and top-tier studio spaces鈥攅ach designed to enhance student creativity and career preparation.

While these opportunities are key to shaping successful careers, they are resource-intensive and impact the cost of attendance at an institution like 黑料专区. Scholarships and awards, like these created by Mrs. Prechter, address the financial realities faced by students seeking these exceptional art and design educational experiences.

鈥淭hese funds will be crucial in helping us attract and support talented students, ensuring they can obtain a degree regardless of financial circumstances and providing the stability they need to thrive throughout their time at college. We are so thankful to Wally for her dedication and leadership as a 黑料专区 board member and are grateful to be chosen to honor Heinz in this way,鈥� said Donald Tuski, President, 黑料专区.

The endowed funds will establish recruitment and retention scholarships and an award for a promising automotive design student.

  • Heinz C. Prechter Endowed Recruitment Scholarship This endowed scholarship is being established to enhance 黑料专区鈥檚 ability to recruit creative and talented students interested in studying art and design.
  • Heinz C. Prechter Endowed Retention Scholarship This endowed scholarship is being created to support current students facing financial challenges and help them stay on track to complete their degrees.
  • Heinz C. Prechter Endowed Design Award This endowed scholarship award recognizes a promising automotive design student who demonstrates exceptional design talent.

Heinz, a former 黑料专区 Trustee and a prominent figure in the Detroit community founded the American Sunroof Corporation in the 1960s. He had a profound impact on the automotive industry and grew his business into a diverse and expansive network of highly successful companies. Known for his visionary entrepreneurial spirit, Heinz will be remembered not only for his business achievements but also for his unwavering commitment to civic and charitable causes, inspiring all who knew him with his dedication to making a lasting difference.

Ninety-eight percent of 黑料专区 students receive financial assistance and these scholarships will continue the College鈥檚 mission to support talented incoming and current students.

The 黑料专区 (黑料专区) has been named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society (PTK) https://www.ptk.org/ transfer honor roll for the sixth consecutive year. PTK has named 228 colleges and universities to its 2024 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the dynamic pathways they have created to support transfer students. 鈥淚 began my undergraduate studies at a community college before coming to 黑料专区 and I remember what an intimidating process it was for me,鈥� recalls Amber Thomas, Director of Transfer and Academic Partnerships /admissions/transfer-admissions/ at The 黑料专区. 鈥淚 love that the work we鈥檙e doing is providing a better experience for our current and future transfer student community.鈥�

The Transfer Honor Roll /admissions/transfer-admissions/ is determined by 40 key metrics related to the support and success of transfer students, including college cost and financial aid, campus life for transfer, admission practices, and bachelor鈥檚 degree completion. 黑料专区 is the only institution in Michigan to have received this unique distinction for the last six years.

鈥淭he goal of most students attending community college is a bachelor鈥檚 degree, but few do because of financial barriers and the complexities of the transfer process,鈥� says Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. 鈥淲e are proud to recognize the exceptional colleges and universities that go above and beyond to create accessible pathways to bachelor鈥檚 degree completion for community college transfer students.鈥�

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Ilana Portney has been immersed in the world of set building since her childhood.

Fueled by her parents鈥� creativity during the 2008 recession, her journey began with crafting Popsicle stick structures and decorating dollhouses. Over the years, she evolved into a talented set designer, working on music videos, TV and film productions. Her impressive portfolio includes collaborations with artists including Ice Spice and Quavo, as well as with the likes of iconic companies like Nike, Vogue and Maybelline.

On a recent trip back to Detroit, Portney invited us to the Russell Industrial Center to discuss her latest project 鈥� designing a Complex magazine cover set for Detroit鈥檚 own Eminem.

The Interview

鈥淲hen it comes to networking or getting a job, you do not have to do things in a practical way, because this world is not practical, and things don鈥檛 happen practically anywhere. All of my jobs came from Instagram, literally, and that鈥檚 how I grew my career. I didn鈥檛 start out as a production assistant. I started out as a production designer. I started out at the top of my career field.鈥� 鈥揑lana Portney

What led you to this career path? In my junior year of college, I met a director of photography who showed me the way of the Art department. We started making our own films and music videos. I took up a minor in Film my junior year and became obsessed with making videos and skits. The second I graduated I landed my first big project with the TODAY Show through NBC.

Once I did that, I wanted to do it forever.

I moved to New York and, after networking through Instagram, my first project was a Fetty Wap music video. From there, I met people my age and we all grew together and became really close friends. I met my now mentor, Robert Taylor, on a Charlie Puth music video, and I work with him all the time now. He鈥檚 like a brother to me.

What does a day in your life look like? It depends on the project.

I care about my work so much that it really feeds into my life. I wake up around 6 or 7 a.m. on a project week. I think about all of the things that I have to do, maybe make a deck to present. Start sourcing all the props I need, talk to the producers about the budget, and fight them on it. Have tea if I can. Go shopping for the things that we need, and source more things. Talk to the photographer, the director and the director of photography. Talk to my team, if we need to build. Talk to the fabricators, a.k.a. Robert. I go to bed about 2 or 3 a.m., wake up and do it again.

I do it because I love it. This is my life. I love art, I love the people that I meet, and I鈥檓 fascinated by how people think. It鈥檚 really hard for me to sleep because I love the things I do.

What do you love most about your career? I鈥檓 honored to be doing something that I love. I鈥檓 honored to be working with my friends, and I鈥檓 amazed that I get to work with them all the time and get paid to draw smiley faces on note cards and stick them in the background of a bedroom set. I get to do something fun every single day. It鈥檚 stressful to have to source three and a half yards of sand, but it鈥檚 like, that鈥檚 my job. Every day, it鈥檚 just an honor.

What would you say to current students or potential students who might be interested in this career? No one masters everything. And I鈥檓 still learning that, you know.

As an artist, you鈥檙e your own worst critic. You have to better yourself, whether that鈥檚 working out, drawing, painting, therapy or something. You鈥檒l continue to fall, but you can learn a lot from other artists and your friends and lean on those people.

There are so many incredible people who I grew with at 黑料专区 who have taught me so many valuable things, not just talent-wise, but socially as well. They brought perspectives that I wouldn鈥檛 have, from how they were raised and their stories. That helped inform my work.

Learn More about 黑料专区鈥檚 Programs. 鈫�

What, or who, inspires you? I love other people. Everyone around me is so talented. All of my friends, every single person at 黑料专区. One of my closest friends, Dillan Murillo, is exceptionally talented. He was one of the hardest-working students at 黑料专区, and I really admired his work ethic. Everyone at 黑料专区 was so talented in their own ways, you know, so other artists inspired me to have much more drive.

During the Winter 2024 semester, 黑料专区 welcomed alums Tyler Koberstein (Entertainment Arts 鈥�19) and Ilich Gomez (Entertainment Arts 鈥�19) back to campus to give current students a taste of what it鈥檚 like working on an animated series for a renowned television company.

After graduating in 2019, Koberstein began working as a Production Intern at Nickelodeon. It was during this time that he began freelance work as a Character Designer on 鈥淭he Casagrandes鈥� and 鈥淭he Loud House.鈥� In 2020, Koberstein was hired as a full-time Prop/FX Designer on 鈥淭he Loud House.鈥� He鈥檚 also worked as a freelance Prop/FX Designer on The Casagrandes Movie and No Time to Spy: A Loud House Movie.

Gomez has done freelance work for the Canadian Council for Arts, WITNESS, Everybody Inc. and an independent YouTube series.

In the first half of the class, students focused on props, fx, character design and more. This set the scene for the latter half of their class, during which Koberstein gave students real prop assignments 鈥� the same ones he worked on for 鈥淭he Loud House.鈥�