20 Years. 1,000+ Stories. One FIEA.
From our first cohort to today’s cutting-edge students, FIEA has been a launchpad for dreamers, creators, and innovators. Celebrate 20 years of friendships forged, milestones reached, and games that changed lives. Let’s honor the past and power up for the next level—together.
Saturday, October 18, 2025
5:30pm-9:30pm
UCF Downtown at Creative Village
Join us for a block party at UCF Downtown with your fellow FIEA alumni, faculty and staff, and industry friends. Enjoy live music, special swag exclusively for alumni, and more. Food trucks and beer/wine cash bar will be available. RSVP required to attend.
FIEA’s 20th Anniversary Schedule of Events
Creating space for meaningful conversations: reconnecting with classmates, sharing the paths we’ve taken, and imagining where we go next as storytellers, technologists, artists, and collaborators. More info to come. Schedule is subject to change.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16
The Tech in Tech Art: FIEA Alumni Guest Speaker Nikki Roth ’10MS
Cohort 6, Tech Art Manager at Reality Lab, Meta
12pm-1:30pm • DPAC 106 (UCF Downtown)
Open to current FIEA students, faculty and staff only
Join us for a talk with Nikki Roth, FIEA alum from Cohort 6! Nikki aims to transform content in innovative ways for innovative applications through real-time technology. Drawing from a background in gymnastics, diving, and climbing, she specializes in capturing creativity and translating movement into immersive experiences. With a career spanning Apple, EA, Lucasfilm, Google, and Meta, she has worked across games, film, VR, AR, Simulation and UX. Nikki actively pushes the boundaries of real-time technology and is dedicated to fostering collaborative, diverse teams through internal and external partnerships.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
State of Games & Alumni Panel Discussion feat. EA’s Daryl Holt
12pm-1:30pm • DPAC 106 (UCF Downtown)
Open to FIEA students, alumni, faculty/staff, and industry friends
Join us for a presentation by Electronic Arts’ Daryl Holt, SVP/Group GM (Tiburon Studios and American Football) on the state of the gaming industry, followed by an alumni panel discussion.
FIEA Executive Director Ben Noel will moderate a panel of experienced alumni:
- Ingrid Aguero (Cohort 4), Environment Director, Madden NFL Football, EA Tiburon
- Brian Rose (Cohort 8), Technical Director, Iron Galaxy Studios
- Christopher Jay Vance (Cohort 13), Senior Engineer, Undead Labs
- Brian DeSanti (Cohort 5), Senior Director of Product Management, Blizzard Entertainment
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
FIEA Alumni Mixer
3pm-6pm • Mathers Social Gathering
3 Phoenix Building, 30 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
Open to FIEA students, alumni, faculty/staff, and industry friends
Join your fellow FIEA alumni for a dapper evening of nostalgia and networking at a prohibition-inspired hideaway with tufted leather and velvet furnishing in a 140-year-old building in Downtown Orlando.
View dress code. No baseball hats. No flip flops.
Happy Hour: 50% off signature drinks until 7pm. Gratuity included in your total.
Getting there from UCF Downtown:
- One-mile walk from UCF Downtown
- Take the Lymmo Orange Line 60 (free bus service) from UCF Downtown to the Orange County Public Library stop (buddy system recommended)
- RideDTO for free or a small fare
- Rideshare (Uber/Lyft)
- Drive and park in a nearby garage/lot
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18
FIEA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration
5:30pm-9:30pm • Block Party • CMB Plaza at UCF Downtown
Open to FIEA students, faculty/staff, alumni, industry friends, and sponsors. RSVP required.
4:30pm-5:30pm VIP Pre-Reception for sponsors in the Soundstage
5:30pm Doors open for all attendees to check in. Enjoy live music by the Fly Guys (’90s), exclusive swag for FIEAns, and more. Cash bar and food trucks available.
9:30pm Event ends
Two Decades of Innovation and Collaboration
From cutting-edge VR research to award-winning capstone projects, FIEA has been a catalyst for creativity and experimentation.
In just two decades, FIEA has placed graduates at leading studios around the world, from Electronic Arts and Epic Games to Microsoft, Sony, and Ubisoft. Our alumni are credited on hundreds of major titles—and many now lead teams shaping the future of the industry.
FIEA was founded through a collaboration between UCF and the industry to meet the growing demand for skilled game developers. That spirit still drives us today, bridging the gap between academia and the fast-moving world of interactive media.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Become a Sponsor: Power the Future of Interactive Entertainment
This celebration isn’t just a party—it’s a powerful gathering of talent, leadership, and opportunity.
Reach hundreds of industry leaders, talented alumni, and rising stars when you become a sponsor of FIEA’s 20th Anniversary event. Sponsorship gives your brand premium visibility throughout the night, including a special VIP pre-reception for your guests, and access to tomorrow’s top talent. Make your mark on one of gaming’s most respected graduate programs.
$2,500 Sponsorship package includes:
- Company logo on stage banner
- Company logo on event web page
- Company logo on displays/TVs during the event
- 10 Tickets
- Verbal recognition on stage during the event
- VIP Pre-Reception for your guests before the start of the event
GET STARTED
UCF Downtown & Creative Village
An Innovation District in Downtown Orlando
Orlando’s Creative Village was born in 2005 when the doors opened for 12 students to the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, a unique graduate program established in partnership between the State of Florida, City of Orlando and University of Central Florida with a mission to create high-wage talent for the growing video game development industry.
Accommodations
Stay in Creative Village! Our neighbors at the Marriott Orlando Downtown (connected to Starbucks) have offered a discounted rate of $149 per night just for our event.
400 West Livingston Street Orlando, Florida, USA, 32801
Parking
Attendees can park directly on campus at UCF Downtown. There will be free parking available in the UCF Parramore Parking Garage (PG1).