Draft:Donald Marinelli

Donald Marinelli
Born	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Tampa B.A '75, Duquesne University Master's '76 University of Pittsburgh PhD.'87
Known for	Co-founding the Entertainment Technology Center
Scientific career
Fields	Drama Human–computer interaction
Institutions	Arizona State University Florida Southern College Columbia University Carnegie Mellon University Carlow University Van Lang University Point Park University Robert Morris University

Donald Marinelli (/mɑrɪˈnɛli/; born June 9, 1952) is an American educator, director, and entrepreneur. He started the Entertainment Technology Center in 1997 with Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, combining the fields of drama and computer science. Under his leadership, the Entertainment Technology Center expanded globally to sister campuses in Australia, Japan, and affiliate university relationships in Korea, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Marinelli also created the dual degree Master of Fine Arts in Acting program between Carnegie Mellon and Russia's Moscow Art Theatre. Marinelli's interest in the burgeoning esports industry led to the establishment of Korean esports media company, Inven Korea, into North America, resulting in the establishment of its English language version, Inven Global. Upon retirement from Carnegie Mellon, Marinelli joined Arizona State University’s Arts, Media & Engineering program as a Visiting Professor of the Practice. Since then he has also held adjunct positions in technology management at Columbia University in the City of New York, Northeastern University in Boston, Florida Southern College, and served as consultant to Robert Morris University and Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Most recently, Marinelli joined Van Lang University in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Viet Nam, to serve as consultant for establishment of its new Center for Experiential Technologies.  In 2024, Donald Marinelli worked with Point Park University to create the Center of Experiential Narrative Technology (CENT).

Early life

Marinelli was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from high school, he completed his bachelor's degree at the University of Tampa in 1975 in psychology and speech & drama with a minor in philosophy, Master's in Clinical Psychology from Duquesne University in 1976, before returning to complete an associate's in Educational Administration and Methodology in the Community College of the Air Force in 1984. He later completed his PhD in Theatre History, Literature, and Criticism in 1987 at the University of Pittsburgh, writing his dissertation on the early life and career of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the founder of Italian Futurism.

Pictured: Donald Marinelli (left) and Randy Pasuch (right)

Publications

Marinelli’s years partnered with the late Professor Randy Pausch of “The Last Lecture” fame was detailed in his 2010 book, "The Comet and the Tornado," Barnes & Noble’s Book-of-the-Month for April, 2010. The memoir reflects on his time at Carnegie Mellon moving between the School of Drama and School of Computer Science and sharing an office with Randy Pasuch before co-founding the Entertainment Technology Center. The Comet is a reference to Randy Pausch's short but momentous legacy, while the Tornado is an attribution made by Pausch in his Last Lecture referring to the dynamism Marinelli brought into the mix. The book has an accompanying interactive DVD in which you can ask “virtual Don” questions and hear his answers. In 2010, Don also gave the keynote speech for ACM SIGGRAPH.