MSC Aggie Cinema is known campus-wide for their regular screenings of a wide variety of movies as well as their online streaming service. This year, the MSC Aggie Cinema leadership team wanted to do something bigger. They wanted to bring a speaker to campus from the entertainment industry -  the first of its kind for MSC Aggie Cinema in recent years. 

This past April, MSC Aggie Cinema brought actor, writer, and stand-up comedian Jenny Slate to campus for a moderated discussion and Q&A. The program happened along with a screening of her Oscar-nominated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Jenny Slate is known for her work in Obvious Child, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Saturday Night Live, and Parks and Rec, as well as numerous voice acting roles in works such as Zootopia and Bob’s Burgers. The event was an incredible success, with more than 600 people in attendance. Jenny Slate touched on her acting career, her personal life and her thoughts on the media landscape. The discussion was expertly moderated Patrick Sullivan, lecturer and program director of the film studies minor in the Texas A&M School of Visual and Performing Arts.

“The event was an incredible undertaking for the entire executive team,” said Austin Baltes, outgoing vice chair. “Planning started all the way back in May of 2022. This program really challenged us. We had to negotiate contracts with Slate’s manager and work around her schedule. It was an incredible learning experience for all of us.”

Baltes is looking forward to the future as he’s the incoming chair for the committee. “My experience in Aggie Cinema has been incredible,” he said.”My time in MSC Aggie Cinema has allowed me to meet some of my best friends and be a part of some of the coolest events that I never would have thought possible. As the next Chair of MSC Aggie Cinema I hope to continue this legacy and help plan programs that will challenge us as an MSC Committee and provide students with unique experiences they can take with them long after their college days.”