College students study the role of the creative producer or executive while engaging in entertainment industry internships
Study the contemporary film industry while building relationships with industry professionals
As of 5/23/2024, the Creative Producing Summer Institute is closed to new applications.
The Creative Producing track lets college students study the role of the creative producer or executive while 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. In their internships, students apply those skills “on the ground” and build important relationships with industry professionals. In this way, the Creative Producing track is the perfect combination of theory and practice and contributes to a well-rounded liberal arts education that will benefit a wide range of majors from the humanities.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Creative Producing
Symposium
In the exclusive Summer Institute Symposium, students from all tracks meet and listen to some of Hollywood’s most accomplished professionals. High-wattage guests have included Eric Heisserer (writer, Arrival); Steven Canals (creator and EP of Pose on FX); Jeff King (Executive Producer of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix); Agents from CAA, ICM, Paradigm, and UTA; Simon Kinberg (Writer/Producer, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, The Martian); Zak Penn (Writer, Ready Player One); and many others.
Guest speakers will also visit the FTV 183A classroom — past guests have included executives, coordinators, and more from companies like Sony, Paramount and Paramount TV, ABC Studios, and Netflix; agents and managers from top companies, and the professionals behind such shows as Modern Family, Marvel’s The Runaways, and more.
Hollywood and the Industry
As part of the Summer Institute, students tour a major Hollywood movie studio. Networking mixers for students and alumni of all Summer Institute tracks take place during the welcome event as well as the closing night of the program.
Students are also invited to attend the TV Writer Pitch Panels and Film Production final screening. Students will also participate in a Professional Development workshop on Pitching and the Industry:
In the Professional Development Workshop Pitching and the Industry, students will get the inside scoop from a seasoned industry professional on how projects are pitched and sold in Hollywood.
Internships
Creative Producing students pursue internships in entertainment companies during the day. Once students are enrolled in the Creative Producing Summer Institute, they will receive an introductory email from the Summer Institute Internship Coordinator. The coordinator will work closely with each student, helping them to prepare their cover letter, resume, and interview techniques as well as guide them in the internship search process. While our 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. Internships are six weeks, for the duration of the program.
In the past, Summer Institute students have interned at companies such as NBCUniversal, United Talent Agency (UTA), MGM, Sony Pictures Studios, Mandalay Entertainment, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Wonderland Sound & Vision (Lethal Weapon TV Series, Supernatural), Comedy Central, Chernin Entertainment (Hidden Figures), DeLine Pictures (Ready Player One) and many others. Students are responsible for applying for their internships, and our internship coordinator advises and assists students throughout the process. However, because summer is a very competitive season for internships, early registration is recommended to ensure sufficient lead-time for the application process.
Application deadline: June 15, 2024 | Enrollment deadline: June 21, 2024
Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis starting February 15th. Applying at your earliest convenience, prior to June 15th, is highly recommended.
Eligible applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within two weeks.
Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:
- A personal statement explaining what qualifications you have that make you a good candidate for a film/TV internship (200 words or less)
The Creative Producing track is by instructor consent only. To participate, you must apply and receive acceptance into the program. Students will be notified within two weeks of an acceptance decision.
Coursework
Film TV 104, Film TV 182, Film TV 183A, Film TV 195; 11 units
Grading Basis
Students will receive separate grades upon completion for each course in this program. Grading types are as follows:
- FILM TV 104 and 183A: Letter Grading
- FILM TV 195: Pass/No Pass (or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory if you have a Bachelor’s degree)
- FILM TV 182: Letter Grading – However, if you would like to change your grade type to Pass/No Pass (or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory if you have a Bachelor’s degree), please contact your instructor.
See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.
In order to successfully complete the program, students must not have more than 2 excused or unexcused absences.
As of 5/23/2024, the Creative Producing Summer Institute is closed to new applications.
Program Dates: June 24 – August 2, 2024
Program Type: In-person
Program Eligibility: This track is open to continuing undergraduate students (rising junior or senior in Fall 2024) and continuing graduate students only enrolled in a U.S. college or university in Fall 2024 (Note: Junior standing for UCLA is equal to 90 quarter units or above.)
This program is not F-1 eligible.
Application deadline: June 15, 2024
Enrollment deadline: June 21, 2024
The schedule and syllabus are subject to change. Enrolled students will be given updated materials closer to the program start date.
Fees and Payment Info
The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer. This is a summary of fees that commonly apply to the selected student type.
Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California. Visit the fees, payment, and financial aid section for important disclaimer, as well as more details on fees, payment instructions, and information on delinquency, refunds, and financial aid.
Meet your instructors
Instructors for the UCLA Film and Television Summer Institutes are UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media faculty.
Alex Franklin
Instructor – FTV 183A Creative ProducingAlex Franklin is a lecturer in the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media where he teaches graduate-level courses about the development and production of feature films and television projects. He also teaches several courses for the UCLA Summer Institute, for the Undergraduate Honors Collegium and the Department of Global Studies at the UCLA International Institute. His courses include “Hollywood and Cultural Diversity in America,” “Hollywood and Global Responsibility” and “Hollywood and America’s Global Image.” In these classes, students explore Hollywood’s portrayals and representations of different countries, races and groups, and their impact on our culture.
In 2018, Franklin was awarded the Eugen Weber Honors Program Distinguished Teaching Award for his work with the Honors Program at UCLA.
He began his entertainment industry career in Hollywood at New Line Cinema where he assisted senior VP of production Richard Saperstein on the feature film Frequency and on the Denzel Washington film John Q. He then moved with Saperstein to Artisan Entertainment where he became a creative executive. At Artisan, he worked with Kevin Feige and the Marvel team developing numerous titles including The Punisher. He subsequently moved to Lionsgate Films where he worked with noted genre producer Peter Block on numerous horror and genre titles including the Saw franchise.
After Lionsgate, Franklin worked at Dimension Films on the reboot of the Halloween franchise with director Rob Zombie, and on the Scary Movie franchise, which fulfilled a lifelong dream of working with director David Zucker (Airplane,The Naked Gun). His last film as a development executive was Youth in Revolt, directed by Miguel Arteta.
Currently, Franklin works at at Zero Gravity Management overseeing their production department.
Franklin is a graduate of Harvard University and has an M.F.A. from the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.
Bobbie Lucas
Instructor – FTV182 Creative ProducingBobbie Lucas specializes in film and television development, producing and distribution. She has interned and worked across the industry at both independent production companies such as: Made Up Stories, Color Force, Is Or Isn’t Entertainment, Whitaker Entertainment, and Blumhouse and larger studios including: Lionsgate, Warner Bros., and ABC Signature. She holds an M.F.A. in Film, Television and Digital Media Producing from UCLA and a B.A. from Vassar College where she double majored in Economics and Film Studies. Her Vassar College thesis focused on examining how the changing economics of the entertainment industry have led to disparities for women filmmakers over the course of film history.
Nickolas Hoffmann
Instructor – FTV 104 SymposiumNickolas Hoffmann is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he earned a BA in Linguistics and History. After a brief foray into the Legal field, he redirected his focus to the film industry, attending the UCLA TFT Producers Program and receiving his MFA in Film Production in 2019. During his time at UCLA, he interned at Warner Bros. and Legendary, where he received first-hand experience in creative development at a studio level while assisting on projects like DETECTIVE PIKACHU (2019), DUNE (2021) and GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021).
Upon graduation, Nickolas began working in creative development at 20th Century Studios (née 20th Century Fox), with a focus on genre content. Since beginning his tenure at the studio, he has worked on projects for both theatrical, such as THE BOOGEYMAN (2023) and the upcoming THE FIRST OMEN (2024), as well as for streaming, including NO EXIT (2022) and NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU (2023). He is also a member of 20th Century Studio’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative, shedding light on underrepresented filmmakers and screening their films for executives across the numerous Disney banners.
Film and Television Summer Institute – Creative Producing FAQ
Qualified students may sign up for more than one Film and Television program as long as the dates do not overlap.
Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Creative Producing program is intended for beginning and intermediate levels.
Students will need to check with their academic counselor to see if the coursework included in the program will count towards their graduation requirements or if credit will transfer to their home institution. For UCLA students, courses may fulfill a major or minor requirement, or count as upper-division course credit.
For information on how to find a compatible internship for the Creative Producing Summer Institute, please view the Applying for an Internship Guide.
No, students from all different majors are welcome.
Still have questions? Check out the general Summer Institutes FAQ.