At the Highland Campus Creative Digital Media Center, the Story Innovation Lab is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary program collection of classes and projects exploring the possibilities of new and evolving forms of digital storytelling. Student-centered classes within this ecosystem have a particular innovation focus, whether it’s a general education or projects class, which can range from interactive filmmaking to industry leadership training (sometimes with collaborators, like on-site Austin PBS). With an eye towards the future, students regularly create media which speaks to community impact, ranging from unearthed local profiles to “cli-fi” stories.

Nested under the Creative Co-Labs program along with lab/project-based classes from ten Arts &  Digital Media Division Departments (ranging from Art to Game Design & Animation) to leverage the power of co-creative projects and wide-ranging perspectives, students strive to develop their authentic voices in relationship with one another, utilizing emerging technologies and applied storytelling approaches to prepare for the accelerating complexities of industry and the world we live in. 

Example Class/Project Profiles:

Through the Interactive Filmmaking class, students create “choose your own adventure” style projects, like Kippercool (the first Doodle), an exploration of the creative process itself.

Through a specialized Introduction to Cinema class, students explore social issues, applying learned cinematic techniques to the develop “Protopian” (instead of “dystopian” or “utopian”) film pitch decks, imagining pathways from their perspectives towards better futures.

Spring 2026 Class Profile:                                                                 

The screenwriting For Features, Shorts & Documentaries class is collaborating with Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division, engaging with restoration work as part of project research at a local nature preserve. Students will develop/produce “micro-documentaries” and write wildlife short film scripts, the later to be shared via the Creative Co-Labs with an advanced animation class for potential thesis film projects.