During these early days Professor Martin Elton (who had led statistical research on new media for the British goverment) established academic credibility, Gary Schober provided technical expertise, Ken Philips of AT&T provided a grounding in telecommunications policy, Martin Nizenholtz advocated design-related issues and Cal Pava of the Wharton School provided insight on organizational systems.

A lighter moment, "Rapmaster Markie" Mark Siegeltuch leads a flock of ITP wannabes his stirring 1983 musical hommage to the struggling online industry: "We Wire the World". From left: New media celebrities David "Stingk" Fenicell, John "Little Stevie Blunder" Vaughan, Terry "Pat Been-a-there" Murphy, Anne "Madmomma" McKay.   Note: In foreground, audience member holds her head in stunned disbelief.

Most of us early ITP students had something of a pioneering profile. It was a dynamic mix: A delightfully disproportionate number of us came from the Bay Area and "the new media". A significant number were already employed in corporate or service telecommunications and were looking to enhance their careers by getting in on "the cutting edge" of this newfangled technology. Nobody knew what it was going to become, so we got to explore it all: form, function, gadgetry, behavior, social & organizational change, global implications ....

I came into the program experienced in video, with a nominal career in the then-marginal cable TV industry (which was still primarily local and niche programming at that point). I also had some talent as an animator - and my graduate degree in Educational Media gave me some credibility as a "serious" information packager. As one of the first 3 graduates of NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program in the spring of 1981, I was uniquely positioned to participate in what was soon to be known as "the Web".