Want to Change Hollywood? Get Inside
Los Angeles, CA – Act One Inc., a non-profit organization in the heart of Tinseltown that prepares and mentors Christians for executive careers in mainstream film and television, has announced a partnership with Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management that will expand its 2006 Executive Program in Hollywood.
For 12 rigorous weeks this summer, 30 outstanding young Christians will pursue their dreams of executive careers in the entertainment industry. As part of their Act One training, each candidate is matched with a full-time internship at a Hollywood studio, agency, production company or law firm. The program includes a challenging after-hours curriculum taught by working professionals in the entertainment industry. Through a new partnership with the Graziadio School’s executive education office, students will be eligible for continuing education credits for the more than 100 hours of classroom instruction.
Act One Executive Director Barbara Nicolosi notes, “We are thrilled to have the Graziadio School of Business and Management join us in assisting these outstanding young men and women. Through talent, integrity and professional excellence, our alumni earn leadership positions to exert a positive influence on the content and character of the entire industry. Our goal isn’t to have our alumni produce explicitly religious entertainment, but mainstream movies and television that combine mastery of craft with great depth and meaning.”
“This partnership resonates strongly with the Graziadio School’s commitment to developing values-centered business leaders,” said Linda A. Livingstone, dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management. “We look forward to developing a stronger relationship with Act One and the entertainment industry executives that it serves.” The Graziadio School of Business and Management is one of the largest accredited graduate schools in the nation and offers executive education programs in addition to degree programs for working professionals, full-time students, and executives.
More than 50 Hollywood professionals volunteered as faculty for the 2005 Executive Program, including producers Steve McEveety (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart), Howard Kazanjian (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi), Dean Batali (That 70’s Show) and Karen Hall (Judging Amy, E-Ring) as well as many other top executives and high-level artists, agents, and attorneys.
As part of their Act One experience, students have interned at NBC Television, Paramount Studios, Kelsey Grammer’s Grammnet Productions, Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment, and many more. Thanks to the high caliber of the Act One students and their training, many of these internships have become full-time jobs after the program.
Alumnus Todd Burns, currently completing a joint MBA/JD degree at Pepperdine University, says of his Act One experience, “I have been a part of programs at UCLA, USC, and numerous other industry training seminars and by far, the Executive Program has the greatest breadth of inspired teachers, students, and guest lecturers. The Act One Program was one of the highlights of my life.”
Featured by Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Details Magazine, Act One has been hailed by industry veteran Terry Botwick as being, “the only program I know of where students can interact with proven executives in practical, hands-on learning situations and wrestle through the tough issues.”
Since it was established in 1999, Act One has trained more than 300 Christians to be writers for mainstream entertainment. In 2005 Act One launched the Executive Program with 15 students, most of whom are now working in strategic roles within the industry. Applications are now being accepted for the 2006 summer program to be held at Pepperdine University’s West LA Graduate Campus from June 10 to August 23.
For more information about the Executive Program, visit the Act One website at www.actoneprogram.com, or email executive@actoneprogram.com. To interview Act One founder Barbara Nicolosi, contact Pure Publicity at (818) 753-4056 or Purepublicity@aol.com.
