California State University, Los Angeles will officially open its new Television, Film and Media Center next week, offering new instructional opportunities and enhanced technological resources geared toward preparing undergraduate and graduate students for successful careers in the entertainment industry.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 14 at the new TVFM Center located on the northwest corner of the Cal State L.A. campus at 5181 Cavanagh Road, Los Angeles, 90032. The program will feature a dedication by Cal State L.A. President William Covino, acknowledgment of the Bauer architectural firm by Dean Peter McAllister of the University’s College of Arts and Letters, and the unveiling of a Hall of Fame showcase, recognizing industry contributions and achievements by Cal State L.A. alumni.
The grand opening will also include an open house from 1 to 4 p.m., featuring public tours of the new facilities, which include a 2,300 sq. ft. sound stage and 3-D motion capture studio, state-of-the-art digital audio recording and mixing rooms, projection and screening rooms, computer lab, conference and collaboration spaces and a two-level parking structure.
“For more than 50 years, Cal State L.A. has achieved significant success in placing graduates in entertainment industry positions throughout the greater Los Angeles area and beyond,” said McAllister. “This center demonstrates our continual commitment to investing in the best possible resources and curricula to help our students obtain the skill and knowledge to pursue successful careers upon graduation.”
Cal State L.A. has fostered relationships with major media and entertainment sponsors, such as the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Fox Entertainment Group, RED Digital Cinema, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. A rotating roster of Hollywood’s top producers, directors, screenwriters and actors are also regularly invited to campus as guest speakers and student mentors.
The center is home of the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs within Cal State L.A.’s Department of Television, Film and Media Studies and the University’s innovative Master of Fine Arts program in Television, Film and Theatre launched in 2008. The MFA in TVFT program—the only one of its kind in the United States—brings together as cohorts, the top three creative forces of the entertainment industry: directors, writers and actors.
“With the grand opening of this new center, I am proud to announce the establishment of an AVID Certificate Program for training in this cutting-edge media postproduction environment,” said Department Chair John Ramirez. “The new center provides a great opportunity to enhance ongoing partnerships and to develop new collaborations that will dramatically increase educational, training and employment opportunities for our students.”
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 230,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
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