Transmedia Projects Students Begin Partnership with the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center

This semester, students enrolled in Beverly Peterson’s Transmedia Projects course are working directly with the Hackensack University Medical Center to use transmedia to create more effective storytelling for the medical facility’s John Theurer Cancer Center. The center, which according to US News, is consistently ranked among the top 50 cancer centers in the nation and recognized as the best in New Jersey, uses state-of-the-art diagnostics, treatment protocols, and a world class nursing staff to provide patients with the best possible experience and outcomes while receiving treatment. SCM students are thrilled to work side-by-side with a national healthcare leader.

Transmedia Projects unites students from every SCM major — public relations, television, film, journalism — to approach professional storytelling from a collaborative, mediated standpoint. Currently, students are working together to create an interactive, online tour of the center, as well as creating patient-centered social media and experiential initiatives. In working with a real establishment for a real cause, students are exposed to a level of professionalism typically reserved for post-graduate endeavors. Transmedia Projects offers students a practical skill application experience before graduation.

The use of transmedia in feature film, television and digital for fictionalized storytelling has become an integral part of large studio marketing.  It is also used in nonfiction, documentary, and education and tends to fulfill different objectives, such as increased story background material or greater audience immersion.