Media alumni at ‘Chicago Tribune’ win 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting

June 4, 2026 Five College of Media alumni have won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting for their contributions to a Chicago Tribune piece on immigration. Angie Leventis Lourgos (BS ’03, journalism), Dan Petrella (BS ’06, journalism; BA ’06, LAS; MS ’10, journalism), Marianne Mather (BS ’96, media studies), Bob McCoppin (BS ’85, journalism), and […]

Media studies alum Stephen Feder named 2026 College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award winner

May 21, 2026 | Kelly Youngblood Feder’s impressive career achievements, along with his continued engagement with the college, have earned him the 2026 College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award. “Stephen Feder has had an illustrative career and has been closely connected to the College of Media, from sharing advice with students at Media Career Night […]

Journalism alum Karina Anglada selected as winner of 2026 College of Media Emerging Leader Award

May 21, 2026 | Kelly Youngblood After transitioning from sports to the tech industry, Anglada now helps others shape their narratives as a senior strategic development manager for video at Adobe. “I made the jump to the tech world and that’s been an incredible career opportunity for me,” she said. “Now I get to meet […]

Super Bowl commercial expert Pat Burke to be alumni speaker at Media Convocation

March 23, 2026 | Kelly Youngblood Now the executive creative director at the Los Angeles–based ad agency Special U.S., Burke most recently oversaw the 2026 Uber Eats Super Bowl campaign, bringing his total number of Super Bowl commercials created to 18. Although Burke didn’t originally set out to become a leader in Super Bowl advertising, […]

‘Hot Ones’ host and Illinois alumnus Sean Evans named 2026 Commencement speaker

March 12, 2026 | Thomas Bruch, University of Illinois News Bureau Evans is the co-creator and host of the popular YouTube show Hot Ones, where musicians, professional athletes, and television and movie stars join Evans in eating chicken wings doused in progressively spicier hot sauces within the format of a talk-show interview. He notched a […]

Take 5 with Media Alumni: Alex Studer

February 6, 2026 1. What is your current role at Peacock? Currently, I’m the director of web strategy on the growth go-to-market team here at Peacock. I’ve been at the company for six years now and have been one of the key acquisition and experimentation leaders who have helped launch and grow the business. Put […]

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