Semester in L.A. program not just for film students any more
Guest speakers major highlight of weeks spent in bungalows
By Randy J. Klodz
Staff Writer

“In many ways, the five weeks in L.A. are like a finishing school,” said Don Smith, faculty coordinator for the Semester in L.A. program. “Students who have worked hard in Chicago have already started their careers. This program cuts a few years off their entry into the next phase of their careers.”

The Semester in L.A. program is a five-week program that gives Columbia students a taste of what it’s like to work in an entertainment-driven environment. The program runs during the regular school semesters, as well as during the summer.

The program has always been open to any student, regardless of major. But recently, the program—although still most popular with film students—is seeing an increase in enrollment of students from other disciplines.

Smith said that during the four years the program has been running, an estimated 300 students have attended the program. When the course began, only one section was offered: Producing. He said that there are now programs available for Screenwriting, Animation, TV Writing and Development, Adaptation, Entertainment Wardrobe Management and Fashion Design and Entertainment Public Relations and Marketing.

Though Smith said that enrollment numbers for the program have been increasing lately, he said the numbers for the upcoming spring semester “are slightly down for primarily two reasons: the acceptance requirements are more stringent and the economy [is poor].”

According to Smith, one of the added requirements is that students must meet the 80-credit-hour requirement, which is proved through a course audit.

Most students who have completed the program agree that the speakers—professionals from all types of media-related industries—are one of the best assets to the program. Students have an opportunity to see two or three of these speakers every day.

“I’d say about 95 percent of them were totally top-notch and just gave incredible advice and were willing to be contacted afterward,” said film student Elizabeth Stoops. She completed her coursework at Columbia following the completion of the fall term of the Semester in L.A. program, which ended Oct. 25.

Stoops said she followed up with one of the speakers, Michael Sugar, a prominent film producer. She later landed an internship through a contact he put her in touch with. However, the internship lasted only a short time, since Stoops gained employment quickly after graduation.

Stoops now works with literary agents for the Gersh Agency, a well known company that represents 15 to 20 writers and directors at one time. One key director Gersh represents is Brendan Hood, the creative force behind the recently released horror film They.

Although Stoops doesn’t currently work with actors, her agency represents big-name clients like David Schwimmer and Calista Flockhart.

Another Columbia student, Amy Rebecca Ford, 21, completed the program on Oct. 25, leaving the “sometimes sun-and-fun” climate of California for the cold climate of Chicago. The TV major and Chicago native is currently completing her courses at Columbia and plans to graduate in June.

The program is designed so that if a student completes the program and then finds a California-based internship, the student can remain in California to complete it. Ford earned an internship, but returned to Chicago to attend to her other internship, a position with “The Jenny Jones Show.”

The bungalows in which Columbia students attend their classes are located on the CBS Studio Center lot, which allows constant interaction with TV producers, and several other professionals in the entertainment industry.

“It’s like a complete melting pot of star power, and then after that you have your corporate power,” Ford said.

For more information on the program, students should visit www.filmatcolumbia.com/LA.html.