Full Sail University is proud to have numerous industry connections that make a significant impact on its educational offerings and, in turn, what students take away from their academic studies. Through their involvement as Program Advisory Committee (PAC) members, industry professionals offer their input on the courses students take to ensure they continue to be relevant based on industry changes and demands.

When studying Creative Writing at Full Sail, students learn how to effectively tell stories, develop interesting characters, and incorporate visual elements into these stories by using design tools.

“When they can blend those technical skills with writing skills, hopefully students are more poised to enter the job market,” says Noelani Cornell, Full Sail’s Program Director for creative writing. “Our goal for you is to get a job. Go to Indeed and input ‘writer’ and find positions as a writer. Look at the requirements in those job ads. [Employers] want people who are proficient in a number of software programs… You can't find, ‘Wanted: novelist’ or, ‘Wanted: creative critical thinker.’”

Creative Writing PAC members review course descriptions and learning outcomes, examine the hardware, software, and text materials students are using, and look at campus facilities. They meet with faculty and students both virtually and on campus through curriculum meetings, panel events, and meet-and-greets.

“For any changes we make, we have to have PAC involvement and approval because they’re working industry experts,” Noelani explains. “It's really A to Z in terms of the breadth that they do review things. They are the boots on the ground. It's also just a good opportunity to have sounding boards who have been around the block a couple of times.”

She recalls a PAC meeting where the faculty shared a project created by a student who was interested in writing for video games.

“At the end of the meeting, one of the PAC members said, ‘This is a good job, but this is not quite how you enter the games industry. You have to have some basic knowledge of coding.’ We later had several conversations based on this one piece of feedback, and we made some changes to the curriculum.”

PAC members who are currently active include:

• David Nye, Managing Editor, Fisher House Foundation
• Dianne Richardson, Marketing Specialist, Wright-Pierce, Inc.
• Ally Nichols, Marketing Director, Digital Brew
• Wes Locher, Senior Game Writer, Magic Tavern
• Kevin Meehan, English Professor, Musician, and Music & Media Producer, University of Central Florida, and Sugar City Studios/Sugar City Music Label
• Sidney Williams, Novelist, Comic Script Writer, and Educator, Southern New Hampshire University

Another longtime member, Dave Drabik, has served on the PAC since it was formed. The veteran television writer who wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman, Politically Incorrect, and Cartoon Network now operates Fine Line Productions. Founded in 2005, the video production company has written and developed projects for Adult Swim, ESPN, NASCAR, the NHL, The Home Depot, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and UPS, among others.

In the late 2000s, Dave met Full Sail Co-Chairman and CEO Bill Heavener at the ESPYs, an annual sports awards show produced by ESPN. Bill invited Dave to be part of the Creative Writing PAC when this area of study first launched.

“I really liked what they were putting together there – what was relevant, less relevant, and what would become relevant,” Dave recalls. “I was impressed by the school itself and building a genuine curriculum that would help writers [leave] Full Sail and get work in the field.”

He praises Full Sail for assembling a group with wide-ranging backgrounds, something that exemplifies how broad the writing profession actually is.

“The PAC is diverse and [spans] a wide variety of fields, which makes the program very, very valuable,” he says. “I got introduced to a bunch of people on the committee who were doing comic books or working in different genres that I was not a part of. So, it was interesting to see what they brought to the table, and the input, and how diverse the field of writing can be.”

Dave says a short stint with the WWE as a writer coincidentally helped benefit one creative writing student and the perspectives of the faculty.

“Jon Craig, the leader of the creative writing [curriculum] at the time, mentioned that he had a student who loved WWE, and he wanted to write for WWE,” Dave shares. “You don’t think of [this] as a real career choice, but it truly is. And if you are passionate about it, there is a way to make a living. To be a writer, you have to have passion, discipline, perseverance, and you have to write every day, even if nobody’s buying it yet.”

From his vantage point, the hands-on approach to learning is what separates Full Sail from the rest of the pack.

“They treat entertainment education like an entertainment job,” he says. “You’re not just studying because you find it interesting – you’re gaining real-world experience, and you’re going to be as ready or more [prepared] than anyone with whom you’re competing for jobs.”

When all is said and done, Dave and his fellow PAC members are confident that the group adds significant value to the coursework for creative writing students.

“They're constantly utilizing sources like myself or other PAC members to show what's coming down the road, what's next, what else are they not covering that they could be covering? The industry changes every day, and Full Sail is right there in lockstep with that.”