About Us
The BMPD Storytellers project was created to provide a platform for students to use their growing digital storytelling skillset to express the core values of the Bachelor of Media Production and Design (BMPD) program.
Students of the BMPD program learn how to use emerging digital technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, immersive media, computer programming, digital and 360 photography, and social media to express fact-based stories in compelling, interactive, and engaging ways. The program focuses on how using the tools can help increase public knowledge and civic engagement on matters that affect the community.
Students who are part of the BMPD Storytellers team create a series of stories using their preferred method of storytelling to critically examine how digital technology is or can be incorporated into the every day – from communication, media, work, and research. The storytellers choose what story to tell and how they will tell it.
Please, follow along as we share the stories of the BMPD Storytellers.
The Storytellers
Ariel Aarenau
Ariel Aarenau is in his final year of the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program at Carleton University where he is also minoring in Business. The fusion of digital media, design thinking, and innovative business technologies combines both his strengths and passions. He currently works at Deloitte as a Business Analyst focusing on digital strategy, innovation, and transformation advisory projects. Prior to joining Deloitte, Ariel held roles in Multimedia Services at the House of Commons of Canada, Marketing and Business Development for Deloitte Israel, and the Digitally Assisted Storytelling division of Carleton Immersive Media Studio.
Xinpeng Liu
Xinpeng Liu is a third-year Media Production and Design student at Carleton University. He has a wide range of interests which include: digital marketing, UI/UX design, and 3D environment/assets design. He joined an advertising agency and a real-time 3D engine company during his undergraduate studies as an intern. He is committed to an interactive approach to exploring the boundaries of storytelling.
Jada Rodgers
Jada Rodgers is a 4th-year undergraduate student in the Media Production and Design program, focusing on interactive media. Her interests include gaming, art, and media. She hopes to combine her interests and expertise with Interactive Media in the future. She has collaborated on numerous projects and studies throughout her undergraduate experience, including Augmented Reality-based learning and a Virtual Reality storytelling project about COVID-19.
Max Peacock
Max Peacock is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program minoring in Entrepreneurship. He is a digital architect, aspiring philosopher, and optimistic futurist. Max uses digital storytelling to express his entrepreneurial worldview and incite critical reflection about the role of technology in society. He dreams of a future where technology augments the pursuit of a meaningful human life. In his podcast, Our Connected Future, Max explores tech innovation’s ethical implications and role in human progress.
Faculty Superviser
Katie Graham
As an instructor in Bachelor of Media Production and Design, Katie Graham teaches the Visual Communications and Writing for Media courses. She is associate faculty at the research lab, Carleton Immersive Media Studio, and recently appointed the Digital initiatives Advisor for the Canadian Centre for Mindful Habitats, which engages in thoughtful conversations in storytelling and digital technology, among other areas. Katie began the BMPD Storytellers program to give a platform for BMPD students to share their stories through ingenuity and creativity.
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