BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two Illinois Wesleyan University graduates will be honored for their advances in entertainment, and one for his dedication to the University at the annual Alumni Awards Lunch on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m. in the Shirk Center (302 Emerson St., Bloomington). The event is part of Illinois Wesleyan’s 2011 Homecoming: Lights, Camera, Action from Oct. 21-23.
Honored this year will be Chief Creative Officer (CCO) for DreamWorks Animation Bill Damaschke ’86, Vice President of Direct to Fan Creative and Technology at Atlantic Records Eric Snowden ’00, and IWU Minority Alumni Network board member Deon Hornsby ’97.
Bill Damaschke will receive the 2011 Illinois Wesleyan Distinguished Alumni Award. As CCO of DreamWorks, he is responsible for leading the creative and artistic direction of the animation studios. Joining the company in 1995, Damaschke has been integrally involved in overseeing each of the company’s animated releases during his tenure at DreamWorks Animation, from the Academy Award®-winning blockbuster “Shrek” in 2001, through the Academy Award®-nominated “How to Train Your Dragon” and the upcoming “Puss in Boots,” which will have a special screening at Illinois Wesleyan’s Hansen Student Center on Friday, Oct. 21.