Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television and Ghetto Film School Launch College Residency Program

LOS ANGELES and SOUTH BRONX, N.Y., June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television (SFTV), one of the top films schools in the U.S., announces today a three-year partnership with the award winning, independent film organization Ghetto Film School (GFS) in Los Angeles to sponsor, organize and deliver the College Residency program, a unique instructional course in visual storytelling and production for the high school age GFS LA Fellows. The course will run during the summer session (July 6 - 31, 2015) on the LMU campus under the direction of SFTV and GFS faculty and staff, using SFTV's production resources and equipment. LMU film students will also be on hand to mentor the GFS Fellows.

During their time at LMU, Fellows will take classes from SFTV teaching faculty, while also completing a four-part web series as a team. Additionally, Fellows will receive instruction from industry experts, participate in site visits to studios and development offices, and meet with representatives of LMU's admissions office to learn about the college application process and tips for financing their college education.

"The College Residency program will offer the GFS LA Fellows and their families a first glimpse into the university experience," said Stephen Ujlaki, Dean of the School of Film and Television. "Our hope is that when the GFS LA Fellows complete the four-week course, they will not only be a step closer to mastering the craft of television and web-based storytelling, but that the opportunity of being on the LMU campus will help them aspire to attend college, many of them as the first in their families to do so."

"GFS LA is honored to partner with the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television," said Joe Hall, President and Founder of Ghetto Film School. "LMU SFTV is nationally recognized for its outstanding program which shares our approach to nurturing the next generation of great American storytellers: rigor, hands on real-world learning experiences with Hollywood leaders, and a focus on student-driven film collaborations."

Confirmed industry guests include Roberto Orci – Producer/Writer (Transformers, Star Trek); James Wong – Writer/Director/Producer (American Horror Story, Final Destination); Melissa Blake – Writer/Producer (Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Whisperer); Michael Daley – Writer/Script Supervisor (C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation, The Leftovers); Chris Hanada and Tanner Kling – founders of Retrofit Films; Janet Leahy – Producer/Writer (Mad Men); Malcolm Mays – Actor (Southpaw, Life of a King); Will Spjut – Executive Producer/Owner Shake Media, Inc; Pat Finn – Actor/ Improv Artist (The Middle, Anchorman); Jay Williams – Founder of Legion of Creatives Digital Media Company; Cristina Mancini – EVP Franchise Management 20th Century Fox.

About LMU SFTV

Movie industry moguls helped establish Loyola Marymount University's (LMU) current campus on the bluffs above west Los Angeles in the 1920s. By 1964, LMU was formally teaching film and television curriculum, and in 2001, the School of Film and Television (SFTV) was established as its own entity.  Today, SFTV offers students a comprehensive education where mastering technical skills and story is equally important to educating the whole person, including the formation of character and values, meaning and purpose. SFTV offers undergraduate degrees in animation, production, screenwriting, film and television studies and recording arts; and graduate degrees in production, screenwriting and writing and producing for television. The school is one of the few film programs providing students with a completely tapeless model of production and post-production, and SFTV's animation program is one of the few worldwide that teaches virtual cinematography. Selected alumni include John Bailey, Bob Beemer, Francie Calfo, Brian Helgeland, Francis Lawrence, Lauren Montgomery, Jack Orman, Van Partible and James Wong, among others. Get more information at sftv.lmu.edu or facebook.com/lmusftv.

About Ghetto Film School

The Ghetto Film School is an award-winning, independent film organization with a mission to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great American storytellers.  With operations in the South Bronx (NYC) and MacArthur Park (Los Angeles), the non-profit annually supports 650 diverse teen and young adult artists through high quality, pre-professional programs focused on the intersection of art, business and education.  GFS initiated and led a partnership with the NYC Department of Education to open The Cinema School in 2009 as the nation's first film high school, which has a 100% college acceptance rate.  Digital Bodega is an alumni-run, full-service production company providing creative solutions for brands such as Nike, General Mills, Atlantic Records, and Sony Pictures while generating income for free-of-charge GFS programming.  Student work has been produced and screened around the world, and 400,000+ global registered users access GFS curriculum and training via an online MasterClass series.  For more information on Ghetto Film School, please visit www.ghettofilm.org.

For more information, contact:

Julie Murray Porter
LMU School of Film and Television
[email protected] 
310-338-1697

Melissa Nathan
Ghetto Film School
[email protected] 
212-430-5059

Chloe Gatta
Ghetto Film School
[email protected]
212-430-5053

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University