UCLA Producers Program 2016-2017 Table of Contents ABOUT THE UCLA PRODUCERS PROGRAM ..................................................................... 3 The Students .......................................................................................................... 3 The Faculty ............................................................................................................ 4 The Mentors ........................................................................................................... 5 The Administration .................................................................................................. 5 Producers Marketplace ............................................................................................. 6 The Alumni ............................................................................................................ 7 Research ............................................................................................................... 8 PRODUCERS PROGRAM CURRICULUM ........................................................................... 9 The First Year ......................................................................................................... 9 The Second Year ..................................................................................................... 9 Thesis Requirements ............................................................................................. 10 Course Requirements ............................................................................................ 10 a) Core I ...................................................................................................... 10 b) Core II .................................................................................................... 11 c) Outside MFA Requirement .......................................................................... 12 d) Cinema and Media Studies Requirement ...................................................... 12 PRODUCERS PROGRAM FACULTY................................................................................ 14 Ladder Faculty ...................................................................................................... 14 Emeritus Faculty ................................................................................................... 14 Adjunct Faculty ..................................................................................................... 14 PRODUCERS PROGRAM COURSES .............................................................................. 18 Undergraduate Courses ......................................................................................... 18 Graduate Courses ................................................................................................. 18 ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS ..................................................................................... 23 Application Procedure ............................................................................................ 23 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 25 Applying .............................................................................................................. 25 The Program ........................................................................................................ 26 Cost and Funding .................................................................................................. 27 Contact ................................................................................................................... 27 2 ABOUT THE UCLA PRODUCERS PROGRAM The UCLA PRODUCERS PROGRAM is a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree program designed for creative people who wish to pursue careers as creative producers and executives in the entertainment industry. First established in 1984, the PRODUCERS PROGRAM is now ranked among the top graduate schools in creative producing in the United States. Conveniently located in the heart of Hollywood, the PRODUCERS PROGRAM features a world- class faculty of studio and network presidents, Oscar and Emmy-winning producers, top entertainment lawyers and agents, and internationally-renown scholars. Students learn from the best and the most cutting-edge in their respective fields. Storytelling lies at the heart of any piece of entertainment. Understanding how to tell a good story and to reach an audience are some of the most fundamental skills of any good producer – whether it is movies, television, Internet, mobile devices, video games, or sports entertainment. For this reason the entire curriculum is built around the dual focus of development and strategy. Because of its intimate size – only 15 students are admitted each year – the Program allows for a lot of personal attention and mentorship of each individual student. Every student is different and comes with her or his own unique set of ideas and interests. Giving each student a chance to grow personally and professionally is important to the faculty, mentors, and administration of the Program. What combines all these different personalities is a passion for storytelling, excellence, teamwork, and core humanistic values. The Students PRODUCERS PROGRAM students are passionate storytellers. They are driven to succeed and stand out given their creative passion and their business acumen. They are self-starters and understand that every good piece of entertainment starts with the script. The typical PRODUCERS PROGRAM student reflects the cultural diversity of the global filmmaking community and includes many women, minorities, and students from abroad. The typical student enters the PRODUCERS PROGRAM with the requisite entrepreneurial spirit of a producer. They typically have interned at studios, agencies or in production companies; 3 optioned material and are working with screenwriters; produced several shorts or low- budget features; or worked in some capacity in the entertainment industry such as development, marketing, talent representation, law, or production management. Most come to the Program in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the film and television industries from working professionals so they can apply these principles to their own projects. It is the expressed goal of the UCLA PRODUCERS PROGRAM to train both independent producers and studio or network executives. One of the distinct advantages of having producing students pursue separate career tracks is that young producers as “sellers” have immediate access to a group of peers who are working for “buyers.” The Faculty The UCLA PRODUCERS PROGRAM faculty is comprised of distinguished scholars and internationally recognized professionals in the fields of film, television, and new media. Denise Mann, Head of the PRODUCERS PROGRAM, and Barbara Boyle, Associate Dean of Entrepreneurial Programs and Special Initiatives, are the tenured faculty in the area. Howard Suber, the Founding Head of the PRODUCERS PROGRAM and now retired, is regularly recalled to teach his famous “Film Structure” course as Professor Emeritus. In addition, an impressive roster of top industry professionals who teach on a part-time basis rounds out the regular faculty. Industry leaders in their chosen fields, these visiting professors include studio and network presidents and senior executives, Oscar-winning and top-grossing producers, showrunners, and top agents and lawyers. Faculty who regularly teach courses include Eric Baum, Jeffrey Bell, Channing Dungey, Josh Feldman, Alex Franklin, Alan Friel, Peter Guber, Alex Hedlund, David Hoberman, Mali Kinberg, Maggie Murphy, Paul Nagle, Tom Nunan, Robin Pelleck, Terry Press, Michael Puopolo, Ken Suddleson, Michele Weiss, Glenn Williamson, and Amotz Zakai, among many others. Please visit http://www.tft.ucla.edu/programs/producers/faculty/ to see their impressive biographies. 4 The Mentors Mentors fulfill an essential role in helping students transition from the academic to the professional world. Assigned to students at the end of their first year, mentors are established producers and executives who advise and mentor producing students in one-on- one sessions on their thesis projects as well as career choices. Past mentors include: Caroline Baron, Betsy Beers, Albert Berger, Gail Berman, Roger Birnbaum, Tom Bliss, Effie T. Brown, Brian Burk, Colin Callender, Cotty Chubb, Robert Cooper, Stuart Cornfeld, Carlton Cuse, Tom DeSanto, Denise DiNovi, Lindsay Doran, Joe Drake, Cassian Elwes, Sean Finegan, Wendy Finerman, David Gale, Gary Gilbert, Steve Golin, Mark Gordon, Alan Greisman, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, David Hoberman, Bill Horberg, Gale Anne Hurd, Joan Hyler, Basil Iwanyk, Jim Jacks, J.J. Jamieson, Jon Landau, Yair Landau, David Linde, Jeff Loeb, Mark Johnson, Michael London, Laurie MacDonald, Marianna Maddalena, Doug Mankoff, Frank Marshall, Kevin McCormick, Bill Mechanic, Mike Medavoy, Barry Mendel, Schuyler Moore, Mark Ordesky, Marc Platt, Peter Rice, Sara Risher, Rena Ronson, Fred Roos, Charles Roven, Richard Sakai, Peter Samuelson, Lauren Schuler Donner, Cathy Schulman, Mike Stenson, Scott Stuber, Mark Trugman, Nancy Utely, Nick Wechsler, Matthew Weiner, Doug Wick, Ron Yerxa. The Administration Denise Mann is a Professor in the UCLA School of TFT and Co-Head of the UCLA Producers Program. Recent books include Wired TV: Laboring over an Interactive Future (2014) and Hollywood Independents — The Postwar Talent Takeover (2008). Mann serves on the editorial board