FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Brie Turek (407) 246-3106

UCF to Celebrate Grand Opening of FIEA, Announce Microsoft Agreement

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and FIEA Executive Director Ben Noel will be available to media for interviews and tours from 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 2.

ORLANDO, Oct. 31, 2005 – Leaders from the state of Florida, the University of Central Florida and the City of Orlando will gather from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 2 to celebrate the grand opening of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA). Part of the School of Film & Digital Media, the graduate gaming program was formed from a partnership between video-game maker Electronic Arts, the state of Florida, the City of Orlando and UCF.

UCF representatives will also announce a unique agreement with Microsoft that will allow FIEA students to use exclusive Microsoft equipment as part of their educational training. This is the first time Microsoft has entered into this kind of agreement with an academic institution.

On Aug. 22, FIEA welcomed its inaugural class into a refurbished, state-of-the-art building in downtown Orlando. The program is housed in the former Expo Centre, which has been redesigned to mimic the production environments of successful gaming and film studios. The building also houses UCF’s School of Film & Digital Media, which includes more than 1,200 undergraduate students. This significant digital media and educational presence is considered a key component in the city’s plan to revitalize downtown and diversify Central Florida’s economy.

UCF President John Hitt; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; State Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs; State Rep. David Simmons, R-Longwood; and Metro Economic Development Commission President Ray Gilley are scheduled to speak on the formation of FIEA, its role in the economic development of Central Florida and the value of partnerships between industry and UCF.

Students and staff from FIEA and the School of Film and Digital Media will give tours of the building following the presentation. Learn more at www.fiea.ucf.edu.

Contacts:

Todd Deery, FIEA, 407-235-3582, tdeery@fiea.ucf.edu
Tom Evelyn, UCF News & Information, 407-823-5988, tevelyn@mail.ucf.edu
Brie Turek, City of Orlando, 407-246-3106, Brie.Turek@cityoforlando.net

Directions and parking:
FIEA is located in the new UCF School of Film & Digital Media building across from the TD Waterhouse Centre. It is the former home of the Orlando Expo Centre. Head west on Livingston St. and go past the Marriott Hotel and Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. The School of Film & Digital Media building is next to the Marriott on the south side of the street. Park in the large TD Waterhouse Centre parking lot across from FIEA. Enter into the series of glass doors on the east side of the building.
 

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