Introduction
Spring 2026 was a busy semester with a lot of various initiatives. From workshops to conferences to performances and personal projects, the Creative Media Lab stayed brewing all semester. Our temporary basement lab was fully operational this semester with students producing podcasts, doing gaming research and producing audio and video projects. We also utilized the basement classrooms for our workshops and talk series.
Presentations/Talks
We are super proud to have collaborated with PVFA to host 3 Game Studies Talks this semester that covered a range of themes and topics. We cannot thank those who led the events enough. If you have a topic you would like to present on, please reach out to us!
2026 Game Studies Talk Series – Bryan Weispian, What Remains of Edith Finch
This Spring, we hosted a great play through of Edith Finch with an introduction by Bryan Weispain, an amazing CML member who has helped us keep the game studies and game play momentum going. We would also like to thank professor Jake Beck Ph.D. for his further insight into the game and for meeting with Bryan to help flesh out the event.
2026 Retro Game Night, Glasscock Center Video Game Studies Working Group Event – Anna Holman Ph.D., Platformers
Curated by joey lopez and Matthew Campbell Ph.D., the platformers event focused around climbing games with a presentation by Anna Holman Ph.D. that took the audience from climbing board games to some of the latest climbing games like Carin.
2026, April, Game Studies Talk Series – Ricky Miller, Rhythm Video Games
Ricky Miller, a student whose passion for music in gaming has driven his studies, presented about Rhythm games and helped curate a series of Rhythm games for students to experience. A good time was had by all.
You Belong Here
In conjunction with Syracuse University’s Code^Shift Lab and the Data Justice Lab of Texas A&M we collaborated on a “You Belong Here” art workshop where students in NYU and CS created works of art exuding their belonging to their communities. The works were documented and will be presented by a panel at NCA 2026.
Workshops:
Audio Production Workshops
We hosted multiple Audio Production Workshops where faculty and students engaged with hands-on experiences and discussions about audio production. We discussed microphones, DAWs, audio production techniques and more. Then we did some recording and production work around joey’s eurorack acrylic synthesizer.
Conferences:
Afrofuturism Explored! 2026 –
The third annual Afrofuturism Explored! event occurred on Saturday February 28th, 2026 in the LAAH conference room followed by a dance performance, Celestial Bodies, in the Black Box Theatre downstairs. It hosted a theme of community and featured a keynote talk from Yale Afrofuturist scholar Dr. Tavia Nyong’o. Read the full write up here:
Synthposium 2.0 Spring 2026 –
Synthposium was a huge success, so much so that we did a full write up about it, check it out below:
Circuit Bending Workshop –
We had a circuit bending workshop hosted by Will and Campbell where participants took greeting cards apart and tried to find various bending opportunities. A good time was had by all. We look forward to many more in the coming semesters!
Course Excursions:
Climbing – Music Research & Writing – Anna Holmen Guest
Professor Campbell’s Public Scholarship & Performance and Visual Studies course took a trip to the A&M recreational center where they learned about indoor bouldering from professor Anna Holmen Ph.D. and were able to experience the sport and gain insight into bouldering as a form of climbing. Professor joey was able to capture some photos of the activity with the students in action.
Public Scholarship and Performance & Visual Studies
In addition to the above trip to the bouldering facility, Johnny & Joey presented about podcasting and public scholarship in Campbell’s class. Will also presented as well about prominent art experiences and how they affect the experience of the art and the walk/journey.
Austin Convenience Store Trip
A motley crew of Creative Media Lab members made a trip to Austin to check out a show at the Rio convenience store by performer, Brandon, aka Blackmagic Cyborg. The performer Brandon, aka Blackmagic Cyborg. A good time was had by all and we also made it by Operator to check out some cool audio projects.
Trip to Johnson Elementary –
Will, Jeff and Kyle Brisco attended Johnson Elementary’s STEM night and gave music and instrument demos along with interactive fun.
Aggies Robotics Production –
This year the Aggie Robotics team hosted a 46+ middle/high school robotics team tournament at the Texas A&M recreational center. It was amazing to see students put together such an event to build community and share their enthusiasm for robotic competitions. We are proud to work with their media team, who some are also part of the CML, to supply them with the equipment needed to document their events.
End of year BBQ
Our end of the year BBQ was one for the books, we had PVFA, CMJR, CML and TAMU Skaters all coming together and hanging out. These BBQ’s are more than just meals or parties, they are times for us to reflect on individual and group efforts from the semester and talk about the future. Catch up with our friends and loved ones and relax after a long semester, which is a big part of the Creative Media Lab’s MO, as well as that of the Convergent Media Collective.
CML Personal Achievements & Projects
Kali Johnson J.D.-
“To start, I am truly grateful for the time I’ve spent at Texas A&M law. The community at the law school is just as welcoming and convivial as the undergraduate community. As in undergrad, the extent to which the professors care about students and their learning is evident in the way they teach and talk about their respective subjects.
My favorite experience in law school was participating in the trademark and copyright clinic. Participating in this clinic in the fall and spring semesters of my last year provided invaluable firsthand experience on what it means to actually practice law. I learned about the multitude of legalities involved in music, film, and other entertainment areas and solidified my desire to incorporate this area into my future practice. In the clinic, I had the opportunity to help musicians, artists, and other creatives with their legal needs, and, as a musician myself, I found this experience to be immensely fulfilling. I came to law school to help real creatives with real issues and plan to continue doing so throughout my legal career.
Post-law school, I plan to sit for the July bar exam, so I can become a licensed attorney. I will also be moving to Austin later this year, as I’ve accepted an offer to work in either the corporate or venture growth group at a law firm in the city.”
A big congrats to Kali for obtaining her J.D.! She is someone who put some serious time into the CML in our early days and helped us develop who we are today with projects as script-writing workshops and development of our initial Music and Moviemaking Conference! Thank you Kali!
Rick Pulos –
Dr. Rick Plus defended his dissertation this semester and we are so proud of him and his accomplishments that we wrote a whole article about it, check it out!
Jonathan Guajardo –
Professor Guajardo is now Dr. Guajardo! Check out his full write up here!
Bomi (Doc and Marathon, Graduation!)
“I ran my last marathon (Houston Marathon) as a student on January 11 to start the spring semester. It would be my third one as a student. It was supposed to be the marathon that I finally put it all together, the one where it all clicked. It wasn’t the one I hoped for but it began my true understanding of what I actually signed up for when I started this journey in the fall of 2024. The Houston marathon marked the end of the documentary I’ve been working on with Joey. I set out with the documentary to show what was possible when you set a goal and decide you want to achieve it and although I fell short of mine I hope when it’s done it reflects what’s possible when you show up for yourself. We are currently working through the logistics of editing and what the story is.
I spent the rest of the semester focusing on school, taking a break from major racing. I helped friends with their goals, coached my friend for her marathon( she ran a 15 minute personal best) , tagged along as a long run buddy, and participated in my last Texas Independence relay as a student( it was a dream team), and ran my fastest mile yet. I did this all while trying to be present in moments I wasn’t sure would happen again and at the same time trying to figure out what was next for me. Where do I go from here? I got through what I wouldn’t call my hardest semester but was definitely filled with a lot of anxiety, doubt, fear. It took a lot of baby steps and leaps of faith to get to the end. In the end, I made it, I crossed the stage. It was anti-climactic and I’m not entirely sure what happened while I walked but I could only focus on Johnny’s face, hugged him and told him thank you. In that moment, he represented part of the things (creative media lab) that got me through college. Thank you Joey, Johnny, Will , Campbell, and every other person I ever interacted with through the lab.
As for what’s next for me, I’ll be in college station working at the college of architecture, making videos for at least the next year. I’m trying to figure out freelance photography and filmmaking so this is a next step to that hopefully. Early mornings and evenings I’ll be training, weekends I’ll be creating as much as I can. It’s been an honor to be part of a special group of people and hoping to still stay connected in some way as I move onto whatever’s next.”
We are so proud of Bomi and all his accomplishments, he is someone many students collaborated with, learned from and helped. Bomi is a CML member who brings such a positive energy to every meeting and activity he attends. Thank you Bomi for being awesome!
Arden Duffield
Congratulations to Arden Duffield, while not an A&M student, kudos to Arden for graduating from NYU!!! Arden spent two summers with us in the CML working on various projects, guest lecturing and adding positive energy to the lab. Arden, thank you for everything you have contributed to and congratulations!
