Emmanuel Vozos (‘07) is the Director of Digital Media Production at Kean University and the founder and CEO of American Octopus LLC, a digital media company.
After graduating from Seton Hall in 2007, he started working in film and tv locations for New York City-based productions like Law & Order, The Good Wife and HBO’s Bored to Death.
In 2010, he transitioned to new media, becoming a freelance content producer, specializing in social media and new distribution models. His work on the Jay-Z “Decoded” book launch was part of a worldwide social media scavenger hunt that would win a Cannes Lion award for International Creativity.
He was soon hired by Kean University to contribute content and strategize for their social media retention campaign, Kean Expedition. His role has since expanded to include directing the university’s digital media production, including video and photography for advertising, web, print and other uses. He has produced work in three languages and on two continents. He is a co-chair of several major event committees including Gala, the annual Human Rights Institute Conference, and Commencement ceremonies in New Jersey and at Wenzhou Kean University in China. He is currently co-directing <em, a 360-degree virtual reality experience, in the historic Liberty Hall mansion in Union, NJ.
He launched his production company American Octopus LLC in 2016, which specializes in commercial content for clients across various industries, as well as producing independent film and television projects. Last year, he co-produced Death Lives (alongside SHU classmate Chris Aurilio and Erick Hellwig), a comedic television pilot about the Grim Reaper, which has played in festivals across the country, including a premiere screening at the North Fork TV Festival. Their second pilot, an untitled Sports Fan Culture show, is currently in post-production.
While at SHU, he held leadership positions on the Theater Council and Pirate TV and was a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the Communication Honor Society. He was thrilled to return to the basement of Fahy Hall recently to teach a semester of TV II. He is grateful for the education and experience of working with the tremendous staff and faculty at the College, especially Dean Yates, Professor Rondinella, Mr. Wicki, Professor Reader, Dr. Sharrett, and “Doc” McGlone.
Back in 2008, he co-founded the sketch comedy team The Foolhardy Manor with fellow Pirate alumni Matthew Allen, Chris Aurilio, Meghan Conda, Gary DeNoia, and Dan Keck, as well as Anik Sood and Phil Casale. Together they performed live shows in New York and New Jersey and produced sketch comedy videos.
He is active with Camp Fatima of New Jersey and the Pan-Karpathian Foundation (a Greek-American cultural group). As a tribute to his grandmother, he is committed to fighting Alzheimer’s disease. He produces the annual Shirt For Pants Comedy Fundraiser and is a team captain for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s with his sister, mother and friends. Their team, Yiayia’s Flyers, has raised over $10,000 for Alzheimer’s research and awareness.
Vozos is proud and honored to be recognized by his alma mater and he looks forward to staying involved and supporting the next generation of students in every way he can.
Hazard Zet Forward.