KU MCD launches departmental digital magazine

The Department of Mass Communication of the University of Karachi launched its print and digital magazine called ‘Mediaverse’ as well as the magazine’s website on Thursday. The launching event was held at the KU Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium to bring student’s creative projects into the digital age.

The KU Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Professor Shaista Tabassum said that students should adopt the approach of responsible journalism. She advised that content should help in bringing positive change in society and helpful for others to learn something from it.

She said that stepping into a digital world is a good sign as the department has recently launched a new degree program ‘digital media marketing’ and observed that such initiatives will help departmental students to connect with the digital world.

Speaking at the event the KU Chairperson MCD Professor Dr Asmat Ara shared that this is a project of second-year students and added that they along with their teacher had a dream of launching a print as well as digital magazine and its dedicated website. She mentioned that they worked hard for seven months to achieve it. Dr Asmat Ara expressed that it shows the dedication and teamwork of faculty members and students of the department.

During the ceremony, students shared their personal experiences and recounted the journey from conceptualizing the magazine to turning it into reality, their collective effort was applauded by the audience.

Later, a panel discussion titled “Contentpreneurship in the Age of Digital Media and AI” was held and the panelists shared their diverse experiences in the fields of digital content creation and entrepreneurship, offering students valuable insights into the rapidly evolving digital media landscape.

Usman Riaz, the creator, and brainchild behind Pakistan’s first even hand-drawn animated movie The Glassworker, talked about how finding a financer for a film is one of the biggest challenges in Pakistan but he also mentioned that he has been pretty privileged in this regard yet the journey wasn’t smooth. It took him a decade to create this masterpiece.

Asad Memon, the face behind one of the biggest Pakistani YouTube channels Food Fusion shares his journey with his wife. He and his wife Saima quit their corporate careers to pursue their passion for content creation, alongside food fusion, they have also launched their venture of “proudly made in Pakistan” products. Memon shared about expanding this venture too to contribute to Pakistan’s economy.

Amtul Baweja, a comedian at an all-women Pakistani comedy troupe Khawatoons, and a content creator at Patangeer also shared her struggles of the early days of comedy and content creation and how she struggled to make money out of her passion.

Hassan Daudpota, CEO of KEYS Production mentioned the highs and lows of his journey, he also mentioned the event management industry is not limited but it has a wide range of streams to pursue.

During an interactive question and answer session, students engaged with the panel and talked about internet censorship, content moderation, and the challenges of navigating the modern media environment. The discussion emphasized the importance of adaptability, creativity, and ethical responsibility in content creation today. The session ended with a guest appearance of Babar Mangi who, with his energetic performance, closed the show on an energized note.

The launch event was hosted with the collaboration and partnership of 19 esteemed Pakistani brands. On this occasion, a memorandum of understanding was signed with IO Digital to manage the magazine’s website.