The UCLA Producers Program: Shaping Future Entertainment Leaders

The UCLA Producers Program stands as a prominent gateway for aspiring producers seeking to make their mark on the entertainment industry. Designed to equip students with the creative, entrepreneurial, and managerial skills necessary for success, the program offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers every stage of the creative process, from development to distribution. This article delves into the structure, curriculum, and opportunities offered by the UCLA Producers Program, highlighting its commitment to fostering the next generation of entertainment leaders.

Program Overview

The Peter Stark Producing Program at UCLA is an innovative, full-time graduate program spanning two years (four semesters). The program caters to a select group of highly motivated students aiming for careers as producers and executives in film, television, and new media. Uniquely, there are no electives; all students, often referred to as "Starkies," follow the same mandated sequence of classes. The program emphasizes practical knowledge of producing across various entertainment industry arenas, including features, television, and digital media.

Curriculum Structure

The first year of the program is intentionally designed as an immersive and detailed experience emphasizing the fundamentals of producing. The "Introduction to Producing I-III" series, exclusive to first-year producing students, forms the backbone of the program. Here, students learn what a producer does and get a detailed overview of how the industry operates. Students also learn the basics of producing: from inception of an idea through development, procuring talent and financing to planning and executing a production to marketing and distribution of the final product. In addition to the "Introduction to Producing" series, first-year students take lecture and seminar courses dealing with a variety of topics, including feature film and television development, studio and network management, production planning/budgeting, entertainment law and business negotiations, international financing and distribution, film festival strategies, and the new CMS Common Course taken by all MFA students in the school of Film, Television and Digital Media. Some of these courses are also open to graduate screenwriting, directing, animation, and cinema and media studies students, and in certain cases, to law and business students. Throughout their first year, Producers Program students are encouraged to develop and find their own creative projects. In the spring quarter of their first year, students pitch a slate of at least three projects to a panel of industry professionals.

In their second year, students apply the knowledge they have gained in the first year to a concrete project in the Thesis Workshop I-III series. Having optioned a screenplay or teleplay at the end of their first year, students further develop that project and design a financing strategy that is realistic in the contemporary marketplace. The Thesis Workshop series is exclusive to second-year producing students and continues their work from the Introduction to Producing courses. In the Thesis Workshop series, students workshop their thesis projects with their classmates, the instructor and frequent guests from the industry. This “real-world” feedback helps the students refine their strategies in light of the contemporary marketplace. Students also may take courses that take a comprehensive look into the independent film world, what it is like to be a showrunner for a television series, feature film marketing, how to develop television projects from IP, intellectual property and film festival strategies. In addition, students are required to take one course in any of the other areas within the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media; that is in screenwriting, directing, production, animation or digital media. Producing students usually elect to complete their Secondary Thesis Production Experience by producing an MFA directing student’s thesis film in their second year.

Core Coursework and Skill Development

The curriculum encompasses a wide array of topics essential for aspiring producers. Students delve into creating and developing stories, entertainment history, economics, studio management, budgeting, marketing, and independent producing. The program emphasizes practical application, particularly as it relates to each student’s specific career path. This includes internship experience and individual and group projects, ranging from short films to film and television show pitches.

Thesis Project

A cornerstone of the program is the individual thesis project. This project requires students to create a detailed plan for a film, documentary, television, or web series project. The plan includes a developed script with notes for improvement, a schedule, budget assumptions, and a marketing/distribution plan. Students defend their projects to a panel of industry professionals with expertise in the disciplines a thesis project encompasses. Producers Program students complete a two-part thesis that culminates their requirements in the program. A feature project consists of an optioned screenplay that the student will further develop with the screenwriter and a comprehensive strategy that discusses how to package, finance, budget, market and distribute the project. A thesis committee comprised of one faculty member and two industry professionals supervises the student. The second part is a production experience. Typically, the producing student will collaborate with an MFA directing student and produce their thesis film.

Industry Experience and Networking

Industry experience is an essential component of the Peter Stark Program academic experience. To facilitate as much industry experience as possible, the program endeavors to leave two free days in the students’ first year course schedule, and holds all second-year classes in the evening. The Peter Stark Program requires 2800 hours of entertainment industry internships or work experience over the 2-year program, including in the summer semester between the first and second year. Students look for internships, per their own interests. In addition, though the Stark Program cannot guarantee it can procure internships, it does ongoing semester-by-semester internship advocacy for the students at many companies including studios, networks, production companies, and agencies. The Stark Program grants exceptions to the internship/work experience requirement on a case-by-case basis for other equivalent forms of industry experience that may better fit a student’s individual career goals - producing projects for film, television or new media, writing or developing screenplays - as long as the student completes at least one internship. International students can work part-time (up to 20 hours per week) while enrolled in a full course load during their first year. They may work full-time (20+ hours per week) in the summer. They may also work full-time (20+ hours per week) during their second year, so long as they are full time enrolled.

The program also facilitates networking opportunities through guest lectures by industry experts, a Mentor Board of distinguished professionals who provide guidance to graduating students, and a Stark Alumni Directory to facilitate contact and networking. Each year, the program updates and publishes a Stark Alumni Directory to facilitate contact and networking. The Mentor Board consists of distinguished industry professionals who advise about curriculum and special projects. Board members serve on a rotating basis as individual one-on-one mentors for about-to-graduate students starting in January of the final semester and ending December of that same year. Mentors provide counsel and support as students plan and begin their careers post-graduation. Each year the Stark Program selects up to three short films to be produced by Stark students with access to SCA resources and facilities. First year (second-semester) Stark students originate these projects. Special Productions are selected on a competitive basis from the submissions. Decisions are made by the Program Chair along with industry professionals who then serve as advisors on the productions. The Stark producers can “hire” a writer or a director from the Stark Program or other SCA programs.

The Producer's Role and Entrepreneurial Spirit

The program emphasizes that producing is an entrepreneurial endeavor, as is most of the entertainment business. Students must expect to exert considerable ingenuity and persistence to secure employment. The curriculum is designed to lead would-be TV and film producers through the fundamentals of finding a script, developing it, constructing a business plan, and acquiring the money to make it.

Faculty and Advisory Board

The program benefits from a dedicated faculty, including industry veterans who volunteer their time to teach. The advisory board comprises an illustrious group of producers and studio heads who provide guidance and support. Peter Stark faculty invite guest lecturers with specific expertise to provide in-depth information.

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Summer Institute

The Creative Producing track in the UCLA Film & Television Summer Institute offers college students the opportunity to study the role of Creative Producers and Studio Executives, while also participating in entertainment industry internships. In class, students study the history of the Hollywood studio system and gain a critical perspective of the contemporary industry. Creative Producing students pursue internships at entertainment companies. The coordinator works closely with each student, helping them to prepare their cover letter, resume, and interview techniques, as well as guiding them in the internship search process. While the coordinator may have leads for certain internship opportunities, the onus is ultimately on the student to secure an internship. Students may instead complete a research paper to fulfill the curriculum. In the exclusive Summer Institute Symposium, students from all tracks meet and listen to some of Hollywood’s most accomplished professionals. Students and alumni from all Summer Institute tracks are invited to connect during two key networking mixers: the Welcome Event and the Closing Night Celebration. UCLA Film & Television Summer Institute alumni can be found working in all areas of the entertainment industry.

Notable Alumni

The program boasts a distinguished list of alumni who have achieved significant success in the entertainment industry, including John Wells (“ER”), Stacey Sher (“Get Shorty”), and Neal Moritz (“I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”). These alumni often serve on the board of mentors, providing valuable insights and guidance to current students.

Admission and Financial Aid

UCLA’s program accepts 15 to 18 students from a pool of 150 applicants, while 25 students are chosen for the Stark program each year out of an estimated 200 applicants. All applicants can be considered for Scholarships from the School of Cinematic Arts: applicants must complete the SCA Scholarship Application questions in the SlideRoom application. Applicants who submit a scholarship application are considered for any awards for which they qualify. For more information about SCA Scholarships, please visit the SCA Scholarships page. The specific qualifications and dollar amounts are determined by the donors. Be aware that scholarships are only granted to a small number of students from each division and are partial rather than full-ride scholarships, so they will not cover the full cost of attending the Program. Prospective students can also research outside scholarships including those listed in this Outside Scholarship Guide. Each course has a Departmental Assistant (DA) position (to assist instructors in class preparations, but no grading).

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