RENOWNED DIRECTOR JOHN BADHAM TO GIVE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT CCH'S 56th GRADUATION CEREMONY

"SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER" DIRECTOR TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE

John Badham, the director of such films as "Saturday Night Fever" and "Stakeout," will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters from Columbia College Hollywood as he makes the commencement address at the film school's 56th graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 29, 2008. Renowned for directing and producing an array of hit film and television projects, and working with many of the industry's top acting talents, Badham will address the graduating seniors as well as family, faculty and staff attending the celebration. The service will take place at Los Angeles' Wilshire Ebell Theatre at 4:00 PM.

"John's dedication to his craft and commitment to excellence is the ideal example we want conveyed to both our graduates and soon-to-be graduates," says Richard Kobritz, President and CEO of CCH. "He embodies the work ethic we seek to instill in all our students, and we're sure our graduating class will be inspired by his message. We are very excited to have John as our featured speaker this year."

Excelling in both film and television, Badham has directed more than 39 feature-length productions including the films "WarGames," "Blue Thunder," "Short Circuit," "Nick of Time," "American Flyers," "Point of No Return" and "Dracula," which won the Paris International Science Fiction Festival. His TV directing credits include such shows as "The Shield," "Heroes," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Crossing Jordan," and "Police Story," as well as the television movies "Evel Knievel," "The Last Debate," "My Brother's Keeper" and "Footsteps." He received Emmy nominations for his work directing episodes of "The Bold Ones: The Senator" and the tele-pic "The Law."

In his career, Badham has worked with a bevy of major Hollywood talent including Laurence Olivier, Richard Dreyfuss, Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Johnny Depp, Paul Hogan, Wesley Snipes, James Garner, and John Cusack; and he is widely credited with helping catapult the careers of stars John Travolta ("Saturday Night Fever"), Bridget Fonda ("Point of No Return") and Matthew Broderick ("WarGames").

As a producer, his credits include "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," "Time After Time," "Blind Justice," "Stakeout," and "The Bold Ones." In 2006 Badham added the literary world to his list of accomplishments when he co-authored the acclaimed book and memoir I'll Be In My Trailer: The Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors. Written with Chris Modderno, the book offers insights on how to build a bridge between creative differences in the film industry.

Badham's commencement speech will mark the second time he has stood before Columbia College Hollywood students. In 2007 he participated in a workshop at the school geared to provide students with up-close, intimate access to Hollywood insiders.

May 2008

CCH Alumni and DGA award winner Joe Doughrity is featured in the current issue of Campus Circle. (LINK HERE)

March 2008

Please click link below for a Q & A with CCH Dean of the College, Academics and Faculty Alan Gansberg posted on Student Filmmakers. http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/news/article_1585.shtml

CCH would like to congratulate Joe Doughrity (’06) for winning the Directors Guild of America’s West Coast Student Film Award for African America filmmakers for his film, “Akira’s Hip Hop Shop.” The awards of $2500 are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to outstanding minority and women film students in film schools and other select universities.

CCH is happy to announce that it has become an accredited institutional member of  the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. NASAD was established in 1944 to improve educational practices and maintain high professional standards in art and design education. NASAD is an association of approximately 248 schools of art and design for the visual arts disciplines and is the national accrediting agency for art and design and art and design-related disciplines. Accreditation, in practical terms, is a stamp of approval, a sign that an institution ascribes to, believes in, and has met an external set of criteria for the programs it offers. It also can assist in the transfer of credits from one institution to another. In all cases, it indicates that threshold standards are adhered to in a fashion that provides a base of academic strength and operational integrity.

In compliance with Department of Consumer Affairs request, CCH hereby discloses to all matriculated and incoming or potential students that it has signed an interim agreement that extends the provisions of the BPVE (Bureau of Post Secondary and Vocational Education) beyond its defunct status as of June 30, 2007.  This interim agreement brings CCH into compliance with BPVE guidelines until a new statute and BPVE reorganization can be achieved at the state level, and said interim agreement is valid to February 2008.  A list of schools that have entered into voluntary agreements with the Director of Consumer Affairs will be posted on the former Bureau’s web site at www.bppve.ca.gov .

Renowned Casting Director Fern Champion to Speak at Columbia College Hollywood’s 2007 Graduation

Fern Champion, a leading casting director of numerous feature films and television shows, will deliver the commencement speech and receive her honorary doctorate at Columbia College Hollywood’s (CCH) 2007 Graduation Ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on Sunday, July 1, 2007 at 2pm.

Champion, who has cast such comedic hits as “The Naked Gun” and the “Police Academy” films, has worked with such top-tier stars as John Travolta, Dan Ackroyd, Carol Burnett, Cheech and Chong, Shelley Long, and the late Rodney Dangerfield and Gilda Radner. She also worked with legendary writer-director-producer Billy Wilder on his final film, “Buddy Buddy,” which starred the perennial favorite screen duo Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

“Ms. Champion has brought a genuine artistry to the casting profession,” said CCH President and CEO Richard Kobritz. “We are honored to have someone with such an impeccable resume address our students as they enter the industry.”

Past graduation speakers and honorary doctorate recipients include Robert Townsend, WGA President Daniel Petrie, Jr., editor Dede Allen, and Edward James Olmos.

“CSI” Writer/Story Editor Allen Macdonald and “Gilmore Girls” Writer/Producer Jennie Snyder to speak on the CCH campus on Tuesday, February 27 at 7:00pm. Allen MacDonald began his career as a researcher on NBC’s “ER,” and later worked as an assistant during two seasons (Season 4, 1997-98, and Season 5, 1998-99). A graduate of The American Film Institute, Allen became a writer’s assistant on CBS’s original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in January 2003. Two seasons later, he wrote an episode and was hired onto the writing staff full-time for Season 6. Allen is currently a story editor on the series seventh season. Jennie Snyder originally trained as an actress and playwright before writing for the ABC sitcom "Hope and Faith" (starring Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford) in 2003. She worked there for three years, during which time she sold a pilot to Touchstone, and optioned a screenplay to Mission Films. In 2006, she transitioned to the one-hour world, and currently writes and produces the CW Network's "Gilmore Girls.”

Veteran Producer/Director John Badham To Speak On The CCH Campus on Tuesday, January 30th at 7:00pm. John Badham has earned the reputation of an “actor’s director” through a career impressive in range and diversity. In 1977, he guided a then unknown John Travolta to worldwide fame in “Saturday Night Fever”. His career hit another high note in 1983 when two films he directed, “Blue Thunder” and “War Games” received a combined four Academy Award nominations. Badham is also an accomplished television producer and director having received multiple Emmy nominations for his work on such shows as “The Shield” and “The Streets of San Francisco”. He is currently directing the TV series “Standoff” for Fox Television. Badham will share his insights in the entertainment industry with current and prospective Columbia College Hollywood students.

Columbia College Hollywood welcomed veteran casting director, Fern Champion, as its guest for the February installment of The Hollywood “Insider” series. Ms. Champion is a veteran casting director of numerous, wide-ranging and eclectic feature films and television series. Her professional journey began in New York casting "Saturday Night Fever." A love of comedy led her to casting the "The Naked Gun" and the "Police Academy" series of films, as well as movies featuring the likes of Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Sharon Stone, Danny Glover and Carol Burnett. Ms. Champion in fact discovered Cameron Diaz, selecting her from among hundreds of unknowns to play opposite Jim Carrey in “The Mask”. During the 1990’s, her focus shifted to series television, working with prolific producer Aaron Spelling for six years on such series as "Beverly Hills, 90210." Other hit series include "The Highlander" and "Babylon 5." Ms. Champion shared her many years experience with students by advising them on ways to effectively cast both feature films and student films..

Columbia College Hollywood’s Film Program is featured in Moviemaker Magazine, one of the leading publications about the film and television industry! To read the in-depth article, please click here.

Columbia College Hollywood receives a million dollar bequest from the estate of Gail Patrick. Ms. Patrick, formerly a member of the CCH Board of Trustees, was a longtime Executive Producer on the hit CBS Television series, “Perry Mason.” The funds are restricted by Ms. Patrick’s estate for the specific purpose of building a second television soundstage on the CCH campus.

Richard Kobritz, Producer of such classic horror films as “Christine”, “Salem’s Lot” and “Fear”, is named President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia College Hollywood. Mr. Kobritz, a Director’s Guild Member who also has his Master’s in Fine Arts Degree in Film from San Francisco State University, previously served as Executive Vice President of Production of Warner Brothers Pictures. Mr. Kobritz will also serve on the CCH Board of Trustees.

Columbia College Hollywood announces the beginning of a new monthly series called The Hollywood “Insider” Series. The series will take place in the 2nd Floor Theatre on the last Tuesday of each month beginning in October 2005. The purpose of the forum is to give students the ability to ask questions and receive feedback from some of the most successful, creative and talented professionals in the film and television industry. Guest speakers will discuss and answer questions related to their area of expertise in subjects such as Directing, Producing, Casting, Cinematography, Screenwriting and Post Production. The College hopes that this monthly forum will contribute significantly to the fulfillment of each student’s overall educational experience. The October 2005 guest speaker is CCH graduate Steven B. Cohen, Vice President of Feature Film Services for Ascent Media. Mr. Cohen also served as Executive Producer of the highly acclaimed editing documentary, “The Cutting Edge.” The November 2005 guest speaker is well respected Visual Effects Executive Producer, John Follmer. Mr. Follmer has served as Visual Effects Supervisor on such blockbuster films as “Batman & Robin”, “Batman Forever” and “Broken Arrow.”

Class of 1992 CCH graduate Robert Schwentke directs the blockbuster film “Flightplan”. The film, released on August 12, 2005, stars Jodie Foster as a mother who loses a child aboard a transcontinental airline flight from Berlin to America. Flightplan, Mr. Schwentke’s first studio release, grossed $89 million in domestic box office receipts. Mr. Schwentke is currently in pre-production on his next studio film, “The Runaway Train”, for Paramount Pictures.

The premiere episode of CCH Senior Geoffrey Collymore’s “Filmmaker Focus” series was honored with a Bronze Telly award at the 26th Annual Telly Awards in 2005. Founded in 1978, the Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV programs, as well as the finest film and video productions.

CCH Junior Mary Clavering’s trailer for “The Lord of the Rings” received honorable mention at the 34th annual Key Art Awards, a competition sponsored by the Hollywood Reporter. Clavering was one of twelve honorees out of a field of over 300 entrants.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) awards Columbia College Hollywood with a $10,000 grant to assist students who pursue non-paying, for-credit internship jobs with local production companies. The scholarships are awarded based on academic standing and financial need. CCH Junior Jon Carroll and CCH Senior Scott Martin have been selected as the first recipients for the 2005 A.M.P.A.S. Scholarship. Carroll served his internship at 310 Studios in Burbank, a full-service production company specializing in animation and CGI. In his time there he worked on animation for a music video and for an animated feature film. Martin’s internship was with The Robert Evans Company. Evans is a legendary producer and studio exec, and was the force behind such films as Chinatown, The Godfather, and Love Story. Students interested in applying for internships through the A.M.P.A.S. scholarship should email Michael Cooney in the Placement Department at mcooney@columbiacollege.edu.

CCH Junior Joseph Doughrity’s “Seven Days in Japan” took the Top Prize at the recent San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festival in the Best Documentary category. The documentary follows Doughrity and 16 others as they set out to fulfill their dream of visiting the country of Japan. To see the "one-sheet" for Seven Day In Japan, click here

June 2005

Actor-Director-Producer Robert Townsend receives honorary degree at the Columbia College Hollywood 2005 graduation ceremony. 

With a career spanning more than 15 years, this renaissance man first made his mark with Hollywood Shuffle, the classic 1987 indie comedy, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.  One of the industry’s most versatile talents, Townsend was also one of the first to use creative financing, funding Hollywood Shuffle with his own credit cards. Since then, he’s created and produced two groundbreaking variety shows for the small screen—Robert Townsend and His Partners In Crime for HBO and Townsend Television for Fox—and also the hit sitcom The Parent ’Hood for the WB Network. 

Returning to the big screen, Townsend has directed Academy Award® winning actors Halle Berry and Martin Landau in B.A.P.S.; James Earl Jones and Bill Cosby in The Meteor Man, and an ensemble cast in The Five Heartbeats. 

Read what CCH student Mary Clavering thought about Robert Townsend’s speech by clicking here.

May 2005

Columbia College Hollywood recently completed a major renovation that transformed our Campus into a modern, shooting friendly environment to accommodate our next generation of great filmmakers. The renovation was led by Mimi Gramatky, Set Designer and Art Director of such television shows as "Miami Vice", "The Handler" and the current ABC-TV hit "Lost".

The highlight of the renovation was to transform our existing Student Lounge into a series of vignettes that students will be able to shoot on. These mini-sets were inspired by such themes as Bourbon Street , a New England living room set, a New York brownstone and an Irish Pub.

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