Welcome To the SFTV Office of External Affairs
The LMU School of Film and Television advantage is never more apparent than how we effectively prepare and connect our students to the industry through our signature programs and professional internships.
The first point of difference is the School of Film and Television Office of External Affairs/Student Industry Relations. This office acts as our students’ lifeline directly, proactively and with great immediacy to entertainment and emerging media industries locally, nationally and internationally.
The only office of its kind anywhere in the world, and under the expert guidance of our Director of External Affairs and Development, Peter Heller, a successful creative producer and former President of Propaganda Films and Hughes Entertainment, we actively manage student industry opportunities through a comprehensive set of programs, including:
- Career advisement and active connection to key internships
- Pairing students with highly regarded and celebrated industry mentors
- Connection to key SFTV alumni
- Assistance in developing professional portfolios, including DVDs, reels, scripts and other key materials
- Connections to agents, managers, guilds and associations, including DGA, WGA, PGA, SAG, FILM & TVACADEMY, IATSE and SIGGRAPH.
Additionally, internationally acclaimed festival programmer and director Kathleen McInnis, former Director of Slamdance and Director of Programming at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, lends her extraordinary experience full time to our office as our new Film Festival Specialist. Under her supervision, the office will provide comprehensive festival strategies, outreach and support, including management of a master festival/screening calendar, invitations for attendance, travel and entrance fund services, and in assisting students in their final preparation of submission materials.
As a result of the work done by the Office of External Affairs/Student Industry Relations, we are able to guarantee our students meaningful access to and interaction with today’s thought and creative leaders, from the entire landscape of the entertainment and emerging media industries.
Our goal is to first help you develop as a complete artist, and second, to enable you to step confidently into the industry, with significant, credible and relevant experience already under your belt.
What the Office of External Affairs Does:
The Office of External Affairs (OEA) will put into practice many opportunities for SFTV students to get the most out of their career and creative goals.
We will:
- Help students identify, achieve and manage their goal for working within the entertainment (mainstream and independent) and emerging media industries and communities.
- Help students maximize their opportunities, including:
- Making full use of the film festival circuit for highest possible profile exposure and reward
- Helping students create a working career roadmap over the course of their undergrad and graduate years,
- Offering industry networking opportunities in all five of our programs: film and television, animation, screenwriting and recording arts, and
- Creating real-experience outreach to the film and television industries by way of internships, mentorships, special lecture series, workshops and festival field trips.
- Strategizing screenplay and teleplay competitions for maximum benefit,
- Producing the LMU SFTV “Film Outside the Frame” annual student film festival,
- Establishing a global reach for SFTV students in both documentary and narrative filmmaking,
- Managing the Transition After Graduation Program (TAG™), offering film finishing funds, targeted access to key industry leaders and full support for selected top students as they transition into the entertainment and emerging media industries
How to use the Office of External Affairs:
The OEA team includes Peter Heller, Director of the Office of External Affairs and Development and Kathleen McInnis, Festival Specialist.
Who are we?
Peter Heller Director, Office of External Affairs and Development
Click here for bio
Office of External Affairs
Office location: St. Roberts Hall #201 (second-floor annex)
Office Phone: 310.258.7200
Office hours (hours are posted or by appointment):
Peter Heller: Monday 3:00-5:00 pm, Tuesday 8:30 -12:30 pm
Kathleen McInnis: Wednesday 3:00-5:00 pm, Thursday 8:30-12:30 pm
Students should bring with them:
- Key questions
- Samples of their work, including their latest project
What the Office of External Affairs Doesn’t Do:
- We are not a job placement service
- We do not provide coverage or critical analysis of your work
|