Arts & Entertainment
Video games are artistic at their core — and rapidly evolving as a medium. Northwestern alums have been in the industry since its very early days, creating new, immersive experiences that tell stories in innovative ways.
As executive producer of ‘Ted Lasso,’ Liza Katzer ’08 is involved in nearly every aspect of making the hit AppleTV+ series. And while the success of 'Ted Lasso' has led to a lot of other opportunities, the senior vice president of Doozer Productions remains keenly aware of the challenges she faced in her early-career years and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
After watching the footage of George Floyd’s murder, digital artist Lo Harris drew a digital art piece to express her frustration with police killings of Black people. Her artwork took Instagram by storm — and now she’s encouraging others to raise their voices too.
Musician Charlie Williams, aka Larkhall, is a U.K.-based new media artist whose piano compositions are brought to life with musically reactive visual displays. These dancing algorithms are coded by Williams himself, a Bienen School of Music alum and self-taught coder who has found unique ways to combine his creative and technical talents.
In 1982, Northwestern students crowded into Norris University Center for a black-tie gala and retrospective exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rubber Teeth, a student-run humor magazine. Attendees strolled through a gallery of glass cases containing relics of Rubber Teeth’s past, admired how the magazine’s vintage covers had evolved over the decades and read the publication’s comedic takes on the events of the past half-century.
At Northwestern, Eric Huang was finally surrounded by people with whom he had mutual respect and genuine camaraderie — good people who wouldn’t let him quit.
After honing his acting and vocal skills at Northwestern, Lukas Arnold ’17 went viral on TikTok for his spot-on celebrity impressions. Now he’s pursuing a career in stand-up comedy — and leaving his 2.4 million TikTok followers in stitches.
Undergraduates have taken on an expanded role at the Block Museum. The student associates now lead public and private tours, facilitate art discussions and even add acquisitions to the museum’s collection.
Northwestern alumni are applying their journalism training to podcasting. Whether they’re transporting us to faraway places, helping us understand all sides of a complex situation or digging into a single story to shed light on broader social issues, these alumni are delivering diverse, compelling experiences straight to your earbuds.
Jenny Hagel ’09 MFA has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards for her work as a comedy writer for Late Night With Seth Meyers. She has also written for the Golden Globe Awards and shows like truTV’s long-running hit Impractical Jokers.
