Morehouse’s new multimedia center faces funding headwinds after initial Jordan investment ends

Morehouse College this month opened a new multimedia center funded initially by a $1 million gift from Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand that paid for scholarships, equipment and build-out — but officials say that investment has ended and the center now faces funding headwinds as leaders seek sustained support and an endowment. The center, launched with 32 scholarships awarded from the Jordan Brand gift, offers high-quality cameras, a production studio, editing bays and virtual reality and animation capabilities intended to advance storytelling, journalism and creative entrepreneurship for Morehouse students.

“We awarded 32 scholarships to students,” said Mikki Harris, chair of the Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice department and an associate professor at Morehouse. “The other money was dedicated to purchasing equipment, designing the space, building out the space, and figuring out who could do that work.”

The Morehouse Multimedia Center was co-designed and is being run by alum Emani Saucier, the center’s inaugural director and co-founder. Saucier said she created the 3D design and oversaw construction, and described the facility as a multipurpose hub that supports documentary filmmaking, animation, virtual reality design, podcasting and sports broadcasting. “It’s everything, it all those things. Jack of all trades, if you will. You can do pretty much anything with the equipment that we have in this space,” Saucier said. “What really makes this special is where it’s seated and the fact that these stories that come out of this space are gonna be for us and by us.”

Since a soft launch last year, the center has been renting equipment to students and logging substantial usage: “Over 65 to 70 reservations, we saved students over $25,000,” Saucier said, noting that figure represents savings compared with local rental-house rates. She added the content produced using the center’s equipment and training “in August alone generated over a million views on social media.” Students involved with the Maroon Tiger, Morehouse’s student news organization, earned an Emmy along with additional nominations for the interview “State of the House: An Inside Look With Dr. F. DuBois Bowman.”

Facilities and programming

• Cameras and gear cage available to students and AUC media services
• Production studio and 4K web camera with speaker-tracking for remote interviews
• Editing bays and support for documentary, animation and VR work
• Creative entrepreneurship programming and mentorship for student-run production companies

Morehouse officials say the center offers free equipment rentals to students, faculty and media services across the Atlanta University Center unless items are returned damaged. Demand is increasing from students across disciplines, and programming includes mentorship on business basics such as contracts, W‑9s and when to form an LLC. “Entrepreneurship is a key component of what we are doing here,” Harris said. Co-founder Saucier pointed to her own experience building an Atlanta-based production company, Saucier Films, and described plans to mentor student founders.

On funding, Saucier was blunt: the Jordan Brand money “was to get this started, right? To have it continue, we’re looking for endowment funds, right. And I won’t say a number; I’m still learning, but I’m definitely looking to ensure this space continues by raising millions to endow our programs.” Harris emphasized the need to fund faculty, advisors and equipment upgrades. Officials hope that the visibility of student-produced media and the center’s output will attract donors and corporate partners to secure long-term operations and, eventually, scholarship support distributed from a sustainable endowment.