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Missouri State alumni Carter Breaux and Taylor Hoos produce feature-length film

January 29, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Two young men on movie set looking at camera

Missouri State University alumni Carter Breaux and Taylor Hoos will premiere their new feature-length film, “Kings,” at the Alamo Drafthouse in Springfield, Missouri, Feb. 6-8.

Breaux and Hoos co-produced “Kings.” They both graduated from Missouri State’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film in 2019, earning degrees in media and film production. Breaux also earned a certificate in screenwriting.

In addition to his co-producer role, Breaux is the film’s director, editor and screenwriter. Hoos is the film’s director of photography and colorist as well as co-producer. The film stars Jachin Like as Mark and Ethan O’Neal as Dylan.

“Alamo Drafthouse has been a phenomenal partner in getting this film shown,” Breaux said. “They’ve gone out of their way to add new theaters, promote the film and connect us with other theaters that may also want to show ‘Kings.’”

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Chess, poker and a box of money

Four young men sitting on set of film
On the set of “Kings.” L-R: Taylor Hoos, Jachin Like, Carter Breaux and Ethan O’Neal. Photo credit: Karson Knudsen.

According to Breaux, the story follows a meticulous chess champion and a scheming poker hustler who find themselves in a battle of wits after discovering a box of money in a dumpster.

“I first explored the idea for this story in 2018, putting pen to paper in early 2023,” Breaux said. “After sharing the script at a local table read event, we decided we wanted to move forward.”

“Carter approached me in early 2024,” Hoos remembered. “He mentioned he had a script he wanted to make. I read [it] and, like I always do with Carter’s writing, was like ‘this is awesome, yes I want to be a part of it.’”

With Hoos on board as director of photography, he and Breaux began outlining scenes, color palettes and grades. They also discussed how they wanted to tell the story.

“Carter is a very involved director,” Hoos said. “He sees everything in his mind already and has specific shots he wants. It’s just up to me to make that into reality.”

[Read more…] about Missouri State alumni Carter Breaux and Taylor Hoos produce feature-length film

Filed Under: Alumni, Alumni Accomplishments, Community Engagement, Cultural Competence, Event News, Public Affairs, RCASH Highlights, Shows Tagged With: Department of Communication Media Journalism and Film, Richard Amberg, School of Communication, screenwriting

Missouri State Debate Team logs solid wins at Oklahoma and Wake Forest

December 9, 2025 by Lynn Lansdown

Two young men in a convenience store smiling for camera

Evan Siever and Nico Neal, two Missouri State University Debate Bears, reached the quarterfinals at the University of Oklahoma Debate Tournament in Norman, Oklahoma, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

The pair entered the tournament as the top seed with a 6-0 record.

“Oklahoma is the largest tournament on our regional schedule this fall, and this is our best showing so far,” said Dr. Eric Morris, director of forensics in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film.

Six other Debate Bears also competed in the Oklahoma tournament. They were Avery Bates, Levi DeAngelis, James Granger, Quentin Cooper, Shelby Hahn and Asher Neal. Undergraduate observers Gabe Diaz and Connor Burns also attended and helped the teams prepare for the competition. Morris, graduate assistant Aaraf Azad, Matthew Wilkinson and Peyton Reeves also accompanied the students.

[Read more…] about Missouri State Debate Team logs solid wins at Oklahoma and Wake Forest

Filed Under: Competitions, Cultural Competence, Ethical Leadership, Public Affairs, RCASH Highlights, Student Accomplishments Tagged With: debate, Department of Communication Media Journalism and Film, Eric Morris, Nathan Rothenbaum, School of Communication

Cristina Pippa wins Austin Film Festival screenwriting award

November 18, 2025 by Lynn Lansdown

Group of people at award ceremony

Missouri State University’s Cristina Pippa won the Josephson Entertainment Teleplay Award at the Austin Film Festival (AFF) Oct. 25 in Austin, Texas.

“Lady Em,” is a 60-page, hour-long drama created as a television series pilot,” said Pippa, associate professor and director of the MFA in Dramatic Writing program at Missouri State.

Pippa’s script was a finalist in two categories — Drama Teleplay Pilot and Josephson Entertainment Teleplay Award — and reached the semi-finals (the top 2%) in the AMC Pilot Award category.

Approximately 11,500 scripts were submitted to the festival.

So far, this is the only competition to which Pippa has submitted “Lady Em.” “It’s the one that means the most to me,” she noted. “It is ‘the writer’s festival,’ and they value a great story above all else.”

[Read more…] about Cristina Pippa wins Austin Film Festival screenwriting award

Filed Under: Community Engagement, Cultural Competence, Faculty Accomplishments, Public Affairs, RCASH Highlights Tagged With: Cristina Pippa, Department of Communication Media Journalism and Film, dramatic writing, School of Communication

Mason Harris wins 2025 Holle Award for Excellence in Public Speaking

October 23, 2025 by Lynn Lansdown

Young man standing on stage giving a speech

Missouri State University’s Mason Harris, sophomore music education major, has won the 2025 Holle Award for Excellence in Public Speaking.

His winning speech, “Advocating for the Rights of Immigrants and International Students,” was selected from a pool of submissions and evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.

Competition winners were announced in September 2025. Harris received a trophy and a $10,000 monetary prize.

The Holle Awards are an annual national speaking competition based at the University of Alabama’s Tuscaloosa campus. The awards honor the legacy of Brigadier General Everett Hughes Holle.

Undergraduate students from any field or discipline who are currently enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States are eligible.

“When I got an email notification on my phone from the Holle Awards, my heart skipped a beat,” Harris said. “I opened it immediately, clicked the pdf attachment, read congratulations and its subsequent words and started to tear up in the parking lot.”

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunities and doors that this may open for me in the near future due to this win,” he added.

[Read more…] about Mason Harris wins 2025 Holle Award for Excellence in Public Speaking

Filed Under: Community Engagement, Cultural Competence, Ethical Leadership, RCASH Highlights, Student Accomplishments Tagged With: Department of Communication Media Journalism and Film, Department of Music, School of Communication, Vicki Stanton Public Speaking Showcase

Nancy Allen Writing II award winners announced

October 3, 2025 by Lynn Lansdown

Woman standing between two young persons

Missouri State University’s Department of English has announced the winners and finalists of the first annual Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition.

Winning entries represented a variety of writings, according to Lori Rogers, Writing II coordinator. Paper topics included discipline-specific, source-informed arguments as well as source-informed texts for digital platforms, the workplace and creative audiences.

Currently, the competition features two categories, “Entering the Conversation” and “Expanding the Conversation.” The selection committee, comprised of Writing II faculty members, chose three winners for each category along with several finalists.

Submission quality reveals student effort

Rogers said the quality of student writing reminded the committee “how hard our students work to excel at one of the most difficult tasks we have as human beings: conveying our ideas, questions and conclusions on paper or on screen. That’s a challenging endeavor for any of us.”

The committee was also impressed with the level of faculty engagement, Rogers noted. Writing II instructors nominated student entries through an anonymous submission and awards selection process.

“Given this was our first year offering the awards, we were all very surprised and happy to discover we had faculty submissions for 28 students,” she said. “That number really indicates how many of our teachers were willing to make the effort to give their students a chance at recognition for their hard work.”

The competition recognizes exemplary student research and writing from any Writing II course. Eligible courses include AGR 320; ENG 210, 221, 310, and 321; GLG 358; and HST 210.

Winners featured on department website

The English Department is featuring the selected entries on its website, Rogers said. She hopes this heightened online presence will allow future Writing II students to learn from their peers.

“Most texts that students read are written by highly qualified and established writers, so we are so grateful to have a way to demonstrate student writing that’s coming from a closer level of possibility and inspiration,” she noted.

[Read more…] about Nancy Allen Writing II award winners announced

Filed Under: Announcements, Community Engagement, Competitions, Cultural Competence, Ethical Leadership, Event News, RCASH Highlights, Research, Student Accomplishments, Student Research Tagged With: Department of English, Lori Rogers, Nancy Allen, Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards, School of Communication

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