Two Miami University students in the Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD) program used their experience in the Cincinnati Digital Innovation program to develop their music brand. The program traditionally requires students to participate in an internship, but they took the initiative to develop a prospectus outlining their brand and strategic goals for the semester. 

Josh Tarr (ETBD + Entrepreneurship majors) and Nick Gereg (ETBD major + Computer Science minor) developed their brand amiawake, an anti-pop duo. Their brand focuses on authenticity through their raw vocals, compelling visuals, and experimental sound. Over the semester, they worked on creating music, brand identity, artwork, music videos, and more under the guidance of ETBD faculty Artie Kuhn and Ben Nicholson. "The amiawake project illustrates the way students in the College of Creative Arts apply the skills they learn here to their personal artistic success," said Liz Mullenix, Dean of the College of Creative Arts. "Students like Josh and Nick exemplify the reason we call our students #thrivingartists."

A video introducing the brand and summarizing their experience, produced for the Cincinnati Digital Innovation (CDI) cohort, can be found at http://amiawke.com/. They can also be found on all social media @amiawke

About the Cincinnati Digital Innovation program:

In 2010 the Department of Emerging Technology in Business and Design (ETBD) opened its San Francisco Digital Innovation Center to provide experiences more valuable and rewarding than typical internships. Success led to support from the Ohio Means Internships & Co-Ops Program and the Cincinnati Digital Innovation Center's creation in 2014. 

A student at any of the Innovation Centers spends four days a week in a co-op role; this can occur with an established tech firm or with one of the most dynamic startups in the world. One day per week, students go behind the scenes for private sessions with principals from startups, accelerators, and the world of venture funding. Students contribute to the thriving startup cultures in their respective locales, even as they build professional networks that can persist throughout their careers.

Click here for more information on the ETBD program at Miami University.