Alumni Stories

Doniger Donation
Peyton Place Director Donates Archives to USC
May 07, 2008
Golden Globe nominee Walter Doniger, a creative force behind television classics like Marcus Welby, M.D., Ellery Queen and Night Gallery, has donated his personal archives of film and television memorabilia to the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

CU: Jon M. Chu
Stepping Up from SCA to The Industry
May 05, 2008
In Motion sat down with Jon M. Chu, director of "Step Up 2: The Streets" to ask him about USC, making a dance extravaganza in five weeks and the power of Miley Cyrus.

The World In 2050
IBM Research and Cinematic Arts Envision the Future
May 05, 2008
On the evening of April 30, five of IBM’s top research scientists joined with School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) students, alumni, faculty and members of the entertainment industry to brainstorm about the art of the possible—circa 2050. The reception and discussion kicked off a collaboration between SCA and IBM to inspire a new generation of film, television and interactive artists, as well as suggest creative directions for researchers.

TV Turns 10
Trojan Vision Celebrates A Decade Of Service
May 05, 2008
When it started 10 years ago, Trojan Vision was short on facilities, personnel and equipment, but long on the dream of what could be. A decade later, the dream has become reality, with the station serving the university, winning national awards and providing hands-on experience that has enabled students to launch their careers.

Alex Grasshoff '53
Alumnus Passes Away
April 29, 2008
Alex Grasshoff, who earned his bachelor's in cinema from USC in 1953 and then went on to a decades-long career directing and producing in film and television, passed away April 5 at age 79. Grasshoff died from complications arising from bypass surgery on a leg, according to his wife Madilyn Clark Grasshoff.

First Pitch 2008
Alumnus Matthew Weiner (Mad Men, The Sopranos) Hosts
April 21, 2008
The freshest film and television writing talent from USC will go one-on-one with reps from leading agencies, management firms and production companies during First Pitch, hosted on Monday, May 5 by alumnus Matthew Weiner, Dean Elizabeth M. Daley announced.

The Big Production
SCA Grad’s Award-Winning Film Screens At First Look 2.0
March 30, 2008
Riding a wave of success that recently garnered him second place honors at the 29th Annual College Television Awards, Preston DeFrancis ’07 screens his award–winning thesis film, THE BIG PRODUCTION at First Look 2.0.

Hecho En LA
Alumni Produced MADE IN LA Doc Takes On Sweatshops
March 13, 2008
An award-winning documentary, produced by Stark alumnus Robert Bahar, about garment workers who take a stand against the retailer responsible for their low wages and sub-standard working conditions, made its SCA debut at the Taper Hall of Humanities on March 11, 2008.

Entertainment Partners
Gift Funds High-Tech Production Lab
March 13, 2008
Entertainment Partners, the largest provider of production management services in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years, will provide students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts with state-of-the-art production management training thanks to a new 10-year partnership agreement and a technical and financial gift to create a teaching facility and high-tech production lab in the new Cinematic Arts complex.

Oscar Win
Robert Elswit '75
February 25, 2008
The 80th Annual Academy Awards netted School of Cinematic Arts alumnus Robert Elswit ’75 his very first Oscar on February 24 for his outstanding work on THERE WILL BE BLOOD.

Academy Gift
AMPAS Donates $3 Million To The School of Cinematic Arts
February 22, 2008
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has donated $3 million to support the new complex construction at the USC School of Cinematic Arts marking the latest step in a relationship that began with the joint creation of the nation’s first university-based film program in 1929.

Winning Flow
USC Alumni Win A Game Developers Choice Award
February 21, 2008
Two USC alumni won a Game Developers Choice Award for Best Downloadable Game on Wednesday, February 20 for a game that involves no shooting, no earning points and no winner.

Tentacled Pirates
Oscar-Winning Alumnus John Knoll Shares Effects Techniques
February 15, 2008
Academy Award-winning alumnus John Knoll ’84 lent his visual effects mastery and creative advice to SCA students who filled Lucas 108 to capacity on February 13 for an engaging discussion of the groundbreaking work in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

Independent Woman
Polly Cohen '95 Makes Hollywood Power List
February 15, 2008
When Polly Cohen ’95 graduated from the Stark Producing Program, she readily admits the breadth of positions available in Hollywood were virtually unknown to her. Today, as her career with Warner Bros. has led her to the presidency of Warner Independent Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter has also recently recognized Cohen and named her among the ranks of the Power 100 of women entertainment executives.

First Look 2.0
Transforming SCA’s Premiere Festival
February 14, 2008
The hottest films to come out of the School of Cinematic Arts this year will hit the big screen during the First Look 2.0 festival, taking place at the Norris Theatre Complex from March 28 – 30. And for the first time ever in its history, the festival will present juried award winners at all of its screenings, including a Special Awards Ceremony at the Directors Guild of America on April 2.

Sundance Shines
SCA Lights Up Park City Festival Scene
February 12, 2008
A touch of Southern California sunshine warmed the snowy landscape of Park City, Utah as the School of Cinematic Arts celebrated its most successful year of screenings ever at the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals.

Front Line Lines
Oscar-Nominated Documentary Features Writing Alumnus
February 04, 2008
Deployed to Iraq with a detachment of the Army Reserves in mid 2004, writing M.F.A. Jack Lewis, Jr., ’94 has followed a circuitous creative route that’s led to his participation in one of this year’s Academy Award-nominated documentaries OPERATION HOMECOMING: WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE from first-time Oscar nominee Richard E. Robbins.

Marathon Run
A USC Collaborative Efforts Hits Theater Screens
January 24, 2008
Four years in the making, Spirit of the Marathon, the collaborative effort of three-time Academy Award winner Mark Jonathan Harris, Telly Award winner and marathon runner Jon Dunham ‘00 and producer/marathoner Gwendolen Twist premieres tonight.

Arthur Swerdloff '50
Alumnus Passes Away
January 15, 2008
Documentary filmmaker and USC alumnus Arthur Swerdloff passed away on January 14 in Los Angeles. He was 86.

Picture Perfect
Production Grads To Be Honored At ASC Film Awards
January 14, 2008
Production graduates Jesse Eisenhardt ’05 and Charlene Wang ’07 will join the roster of alumni from the USC School of Cinematic Arts who have garnered industry kudos for their creative camera work during the 22nd Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards on January 26.

Beatle Mania
USC Alum Rock The Latest Video From Ringo Starr
January 02, 2008
If anyone doubts whether the USC mafia is alive and well, they need look no further than a new video from music legend Ringo Starr. Liverpool 8, co-directed by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and Seth Dalton ‘06 features four USC production alums in key roles as well as 12 other Trojans in various crew positions.

Jack Gross '73
Writer Of Classic Television Shows Passes Away
December 17, 2007
Jack Gross '73, writer for many of the classic situation comedies of the 1960s and 1970s, passed away on December 14. He was 78.

Eyestorm Productions
Production Alums Make Some Noise With The Newest THX Trailer
December 04, 2007
Although Michael Klima ’03 and Kyle Ruddick ’04 say that their work at the School of Cinematic Arts was just as hard as any project created at their recently launched creative production company Eyestorm Productions, both admit the biggest hurdle before them is juggling multiple opportunities now that their latest collaboration—the next installment of the famous THX trailer gets ready to hit theaters nationwide.

Beowulf Reigns
Alumnus Robert Zemeckis Brings His Newest Feature To USC
November 15, 2007
Academy-Award winning director Robert Zemeckis ’73 delivered an early holiday present to the School of Cinematic Arts with a special screening of his adaptation of the classic Old English epic BEOWULF in Leonard Maltin’s 466 course on November 1 followed by a benefit premiere of the film on November 5.

Risk Taker
Richard Kelly ’97 Spins A New Story With Southland Tales
November 07, 2007
Though he arguably says that age 25 is too young for a first feature deal, Richard Kelly ’97 will be the first to admit he was crazy enough to make the risks somehow pay off for him. Today at 32, Kelly’s long journey for his latest film Southland Tales is set to culminate in the movie’s opening in New York and Los Angeles on November 14.

Serious Laughs
The Wonder Years Meets Homeland Security In Aliens In America
November 02, 2007
Striking a balance between story and message is a daunting task for any TV show, especially a sitcom, but the CW’s Aliens In America is taking that challenge head-on as it chronicles the trials and tribulations of a teenage boy and a nation coming of age in the post-9/11 world.

Most Active Alumni
USC Honors Herb Farmer ’42
October 17, 2007
USC’s Half-Century Club honored Emeritus Professor Herb Farmer ’42 with its Most Active Alumni Award at the club’s luncheon for the class of 1957 during Trojan Parents’ Weekend on Friday, October 12.

Global Picture
Thinking Outside The [U.S.] Box
October 03, 2007
For years Hollywood success meant topping the U.S. box office, but mastering today’s entertainment world means thinking about the entire world, said Ignacio Darnaude, executive vice president of International Creative Marketing at Sony Pictures Releasing International, during a recent on-the-lot session for Peter Stark Producing students.

Mad Men
Alumnus Matthew Weiner's Hit Show Probes Where The Truth Lies
October 03, 2007
1960s Madison Avenue advertising firms would be the last place you’d expect to look for the truth, but with his new hit Mad Men, Matthew Weiner ’90 has tapped an emotional current that transcends the decades and exposes the reality of life then and now.

Cagney & Lacey
New Book Tells The Tale Behind The Emmy-Winning Series
September 27, 2007
In a contemporary telescape filled with strong female leads, it’s hard to believe there was a time when a program about two women detectives would be considered groundbreaking. But as producer Barney Rosenzweig recounts in his new memoir, the 1982 launch of Cagney & Lacey turned programming, and the industry, on its head.

August Director
Veteran Writer John August Helms His First Feature
August 24, 2007
With some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters to his credit, Peter Stark Program alumnus John August ’94 has long enjoyed prominence in the upper echelons of Hollywood screenwriters. Now he's set for a whole new experience when his directorial debut THE NINES opens in Los Angeles and New York on August 31.

Complex Cam
A Bird's-Eye View Of The School's New Facilities
August 14, 2007
Over the course of the summer, visitors to the University Park campus have watched the construction on the new cinematic arts complex make great strides. Now, as construction heightens, any one can track its development thanks to a 24/7 camera.

Reel Talent
New DVD Compilation To Benefit The School of Cinematic Arts
August 08, 2007
On August 21, a new DVD from Fox Home Entertainment will treat film enthusiasts to a rare glimpse into the formative early works of nine directors who, in addition to having made unique and indelible impressions upon the industry and the movie-going public, can all trace their roots to the School of Cinematic Arts.

Festival Bests
Summer Screening Of Recent SCA Films Thrills Audiences
July 25, 2007
In a first of its kind event, the Office of Alumni Relations in cooperation with the Office of Student-Industry Relations brought students, alumni, faculty and other movie fans together for a summer screening of short and feature films by SCA alumni that have played at recent international film festivals during “Best of the Festivals” at the Frank Sinatra Hall in the Eileen Norris Cinema Theater Complex on July 22.

Big Dig
Complex Construction Heats Up
July 12, 2007
The confetti from last October’s formal groundbreaking for the new Cinematic Arts complex had barely been cleared before construction crews began burrowing down some 25 feet to excavate the footprint of the massive 137,000-square-foot edifice.

America’s Filmmaker
Two USC Alumni Compete For The Deal Of A Lifetime
June 21, 2007
When the votes are counted on the new Fox series On The Lot, one of two very fortunate 2005 M.F.A. production graduates could very well be signed to a $1-million development deal at DreamWorks.

Script Scouts
Three Alums Seek Out Emerging Film Talent.
May 11, 2007
When three Cinematic Arts majors started their film management and production company while undergraduates, their assets were beyond meager. Hollywood connections? Zero. Family money? Forget it.

Reel Talk
First-Ever Women of Cinematic Arts Conference
May 08, 2007
In their first major conference, the Women of Cinematic Arts brought current students, recent alumni, faculty, and other interested members face-to-face with successful professionals working in the industry who shared their experience, insight, and inspirational stories during the May 5 “Reel Talk” at the Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.

I Heart Stark
More Than Love In The Air For Two SCA Alumni
May 02, 2007
Each year the Peter Stark Producing Program exposes 25 students to the full spectrum of the entertainment business, enabling them to refine and define their individual career goals, but for a pair of 2003 graduates, it was the catalyst for more than just industry success.

Trio Trust
Why Three Stark Alumni Love Mandy Lane
April 30, 2007
For Keith Calder, Felipe Marino, and Joe Neurauter—three 2004 graduates of the Peter Stark Producing Program—attending the School of Cinematic Arts not only gave the trio an opportunity to discover all aspects of an industry they love, but it also resulted in the creation of one of the industry’s hottest new production companies.

Rollercoaster Ride
Eric Anderson '01 Charts The Ups And Downs To Success
April 16, 2007
Entertainment industry lore is filled with scores of “overnight sensations,” but in reality success is often the culmination of years of persistent effort, as Eric Anderson ’01 is discovering with his animated short Horses on Mars.

In Stride
Alumnus Russell Brown Hits His Pace With Race You To The Bottom
March 26, 2007
Writing about films and making movies, writer/director Russell Brown ’97 is living his dream. Now, 10 years after graduating from USC with a B.A. in critical studies, the creator and co-editor of the entertainment and political online critical magazine The Simon.com is getting ready for a whole new experience with the Los Angeles release of his first feature film Race You To The Bottom on March 30.

Collaborative Filmmaker
Ron Howard Shares His Viewpoint On Movie Making
March 05, 2007
Ron Howard returned to the School of Cinematic on Wednesday February 28 with a jovial request to refrain from asking about Fonzie’s hair or Aunt Bea’s apple pie, and shared his viewpoint on what it means to be a collaborative filmmaker with a group of graduate students from the school’s production and writing divisions.

USC MVP
NAACP Honors “Friday Night Lights” Writer Aaron Rahsaan Thomas
March 01, 2007
When Aaron Thomas’ name was among those nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series with the NBC drama, Friday Night Lights at the 38th annual NAACP Image Awards, Thomas had his own unique response.

Oscar Gold
Three Alums Win Academy Awards
March 01, 2007
The 79th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 25 were kind to three USC alums, who netted golden statuettes for best actor (Forest Whitaker, USC School of Theatre ’82), best live action short film (Ari Sandel, USC School of Cinematic Arts ’05) and best achievement in visual effects (John Knoll, USC School of Cinematic Arts ’84).

Film Family
USC Alumna Continues Legacy With “Jesus Camp” Oscar Nomination
February 14, 2007
Despite being surrounded by generations of cinematic artists throughout her childhood, Jenna Rosher had no intention of entering the entertainment industry when she graduated with a journalism degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication in 1995.

Super Secrets
Heroes Creative Team Gives Students Inside Scoop On Hit Series
February 08, 2007
In an era when network economics are skewing prime-time fare toward reality shows and infotainment programming, launching a big-budget, large-cast, theatrical-quality series would seem a super-heroic feat. But, like the individuals he’s created for NBC’s Heroes, Tim Kring draws his power from the basics: Great characters, solid stories and a clockwork production schedule.

Musical Mastery
West Bank Story Takes Ari Sandel From Sundance To Oscar Night
February 06, 2007
From the freezing temperatures of Sundance, to the multinational markets of Dubai, to the mountain scenery of Switzerland, director Ari Sandel ’05 has traveled the world showcasing his musical comedy West Bank Story. But on February 25, no place can compare to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood when the School of Cinematic Arts production graduate walks the red carpet as one of the five nominees for Best Live Action Short at the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

Scene at Sundance
SCA Films Screen at Prestigious Festival
January 30, 2007
Though Park City temps were sub-zero, School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) alumni, students, and faculty were in the glow as they celebrated the official USC screenings selected for this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Wave Reviews
Public Radio Host James C. Taylor Critiques Global Theatre
January 22, 2007
For some, attending film school is a chance to delve deeper into their cinematic passion, while for others, like alumnus James Taylor ’97, the discovery of what lies before them is a journey filled with experiences of operatic proportions. Now, 10 years after graduating from USC with a B.A. in production, Taylor is one of Southern California’s most provocative reviewers and commentators on the performing arts.

Cinematic Arts Women
SCA Alumnae Network Boosts Awareness and Access
January 17, 2007
From reporting the latest industry news to the hottest entertainment gossip, reporters have continually stirred a plethora of reactions and measures over what they’ve written amongst industry professionals. And in 2005, following the publication of a New York Times article entitled “Hollywood’s New Old Girl’s Network,” a group of USC women turned something potentially damaging and depressing into something exponentially rewarding by forming the Women of Cinematic Arts group.

Exporting Expertise
International Students Experience Global Success
January 12, 2007
As an entertainment epicenter, Los Angeles and USC have a long history of drawing artists from around the nation to learn about the cinematic arts. Now those lessons are carrying well beyond the U.S., as scores of undergraduates and graduates from abroad bring the lessons learned at the School of Cinematic Arts to an international audience.

Reality Road
One Cinematic Arts Alumnus’ Successful Survival In Television
January 03, 2007
For students at the School of Cinematic Arts, the informal school motto “Reality Ends Here,” is often tinged with the fact that what may seem to stop actually begins when they cross the stage at graduation. And though the future before these talented women and men can pose some daunting questions, for Executive Producer of Survivor Tom Shelly ’87, it was a genre of television ironically dubbed reality that was the perfect choice.