EXECUTIVE PROGRAM CURRICULUM

The following is a tentative 2007 curriculum based on schedules from previous years

WEEK 1: OPENING RETREAT

Introduction to Act One: Why we do this. What to expect. We’re investing in you. What we expect from you. Ground rules for the community.
Learning Goals / Expectations for the Program
Leadership Skills Analysis & Training
Executive Level Problem-Solving and Decision-Making:  Understanding judgment and heuristics.
Coverage I:  An introduction to writing script coverage. Students are assigned a script to write coverage on. Completed homework is due within 48 hours. History of the Biz: The genesis and development of the Hollywood entertainment industry into its present forms (the studio system and its demise, advent of television, the blockbuster, tent-pole movies, indies).
Best Advice I Ever Got:  Industry pros from varied specialties share the best advice they ever got, the worst advice they ever got, and the advice they wish someone had given them.
Hollywood Entertainment Ministries: The Director of Hollywood Connect gives an overview of the various entertainment ministries, and offers resources for personal, professional & spiritual growth while in Los Angeles.  

WEEK 2: BREAKING IN

Executive Assistant Seminar: Practical skills and vital strategies for launching a career within the entertainment industry.
Networking: The art of networking and developing personal relationships is one of the most important techniques for achieving success in the Entertainment Industry. Finding a mentor, developing a personal network, and discovering the secrets of meeting people will be featured.
Hollywood: Sex, Lies & Relationships: Hollywood is a unique mission where industry professionals have their own language, dress, customs and even gods. How to embrace the work and people of this mission field.
Trade Talk:  What is making the headlines in the trades? Students discuss hot topics in the industry.
Panel Discussion EP Alumni: Advice from those that have gone through the program before you, including insight on internships, networking, spiritual life & the Executive Program.
EP Alumni BBQ: Alumni from the 2005 and 2006 Executive Programs join the 2007 students for a BBQ dinner at the Act One offices.

WEEK 3: INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Coverage II:  How to write coverage & finding the gems. Coverage assignments are reviewed.
The Business of Hollywood: An overview of the relationships between writers, producers, agents, studios, and other major elements that make the business work. An overview of what each player does, what they want, and what they expect from you.
Network Scheduling & Development: A discussion of how a series goes from concept to pilot to primetime. Personality skills and aptitudes that would be helpful in a network executive environment. How to break in. Setting a programming schedule. Network branding.
Ratings, Shares & Audience Testing: How ratings are used by advertising sales, programmers, syndicators, networks, and policy-makers. How are ratings generated?
Building Blockbusters: The elements of a successful feature film – script, talent, distribution...
The Big Picture: A discussion of spiritual issues as they pertain to Hollywood professionals and the entertainment industry.

WEEK 4: FINANCING, NEGOTIATIONS, DEAL-MAKING

Finance Primer: An orientation of basic principles and concepts of finance: Calculating income and loss based on GAAP, capitalization of costs, calculating cash available to profit participants and equity holders.
TV Financing:  Models of financing television shows: deficit financing, partnerships & ownership of television properties, developing the budget for a TV show, cash flow & accounting.
Creating Partnerships & Securing Financing: Putting together the financial team behind television and film projects. How to know when money is “real” and what power to trade for financial backing. 
Feature Film Finance:   Models of film finance.  Who are the players? Budgeting a feature film.  Cash flow and accounting on a feature film project.  When is a film “profitable”?
No One ‘Gets Screwed’ – They Just Sign Bad Contracts: Deal-making and contracts. Assessing the other party before you enter into a contract. Who drafts the deal? Red-flags in a contract negotiation. Disputes and litigation.

Interview with an Agent: How do agencies get their clients work? How much are they involved in the creative? What is an agent’s role through every stage of development, production and distribution?

Agents, Attorneys and Managers Panel: How they differ from each other. What kind of personality does well in each position? Ethical challenges? Protocol between executives & talent representation

WEEK 5: DEVELOPMENT

Fading In:  The Executive Producer of That 70’s Show screens thought-provoking clips and challenges students to consider what kinds of stories Christians ought to tell. How can Christians make projects (and their lives) different from everything else in Hollywood? How can they encourage one another to work – and live – in a way that doesn't displease God?
Hollywood Story Formula:  A practical analysis of Hollywood blockbusters, breaking down stories to learn what drives them: inciting incidents, act breaks, mid-point, resolution…
Choosing Your Story:  Deciding what story to tell is the most important choice for a filmmaker. Personal & marketplace factors one should consider in making this decision. A discussion of 3 great sources for good stories, and 1 bad one.
The Big Picture: A discussion of spiritual issues as they pertain to Hollywood professionals and the entertainment industry.

WEEK 6: DEVELOPMENT

Understanding Genres: A comprehensive discussion of genres: what are they, why they matter, and determining which genre you are selling.
Commercial Creativity: What elements to look out for in scripts that could drive up costs, as well as suggested script & story changes that will make a project cheaper to produce.
Make It Commercial: What changes can be made at the script stage to render a project more commercial, cheaper to produce, easier to sell?

Make It Commercial WORKSHOP: Students suggest changes to film treatments that would improve the projects odds at commercial success.

WEEK 7: DEVELOPMENT

Ethics Day: An examination of ethical issues, both artistic and commercial, that arise in the entertainment industry. Film clips, panel discussion, and debate will be employed. A variety of conscience-challenging ethical problems will be posed. This is not for the faint of heart.

Writers Pitch: How to take a pitch. EP students hear pitches from WP students in small groups under the guidance of faculty. For each group, EP students select a pitch to develop.

Execs Pitch: How to translate a pitch to an executive. EP students pitch their favorite ideas from WP students to faculty.
Trade Talk: What is making the headlines in the trades this week? Students discuss industry hot topics. Alumni BBQ: The Class of 2007 is introduced to the larger Act One community. Alumni share what accomplishments they have achieved since being in Act One.

WEEK 8: PRODUCTION

Meet the Director:  Q&A session with an established Hollywood Director. How to work with creatives while not forgetting the business side of show-”biz”.
Television Production: The process of getting a network television series on the air. What happens when, and who are the players? What are qualities that make a good TV show-runner?
Feature Film Production: The process of line-producing a major feature film. Who are the players and what are their roles? How does a line producer interact with the director in decision-making? What is the involvement of studio executives in the day-to-day of feature production? What are personality traits necessary for successful line & executive producers? Collaborators: A panel discussion with key creative personnel from the industry. What do they think makes a great executive? Who do they like working with and why? What are the marks of a bad executive?

WEEK 9: DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING

The Art of Marketing: The designer that headed the grassroots marketing for the “Narnia Chronicles” discusses the development of a promotional campaign.
Marketing Entertainment Product to the U.S. and to the Christian Market (TV & Film): How does Hollywood sell a project to the American audience?  How the Christian market is changing. How it is perceived by Hollywood. 
The Power of the Press:  How Hollywood is affected by and uses the media:  hype, critics, trades, tabloid TV.  Who are the players in the industry press?
WP Closing Banquet: Executive Program students are invited the Writing Program final banquet with keynote speaker, and a special presentation from the 2006 WP Class.

WEEK 10: EXHIBITION

Co-productions & Acquisitions: An examination of what buyers look for in acquiring entertainment product for distribution. What is a good pre-sale? What is a negative pick-up? How much does a distributor get involved in production?
Feature Film Distribution: How a project gets from Hollywood to the world. Distribution deals. Theatrical rights, hotel & airline rights, home DVD sales and broadcast deals.
Feature Film Exhibition: The major players in the exhibition world. How a studio feature is booked on screens. How an indie project ends up at the local theater. Exhibitor contracts.
Exhibitor Relations: The Manager of Miramax’s Exhibitor Relations discusses strategies in releasing & promoting features, from low-budget indies to tentpoles.

WEEK 11: ALTERNATE MEDIA

Trade Talk – Distribution: What is making the headlines in the area of new distribution platforms? Students discuss hot topics in the industry.
The Future of Entertainment Distribution: How will consumers watch our films in the future? What are the business opportunities that will open up with new ways of financing and distributing films? Presentation includes a tour and “hands-on” demonstration of new technologies.

Going Independent: What makes a movie “Independent”?  Demystifying the independent filmmaking process. The basics of launching an independent production including details on financing, development, and distribution.

Industry Harmony: The organizational landscape of Hollywood including how to function effectively with unions and guilds including the DGA, Producers, WGA, Trade Unions, Teamsters, as well as academies and special interest groups.

WEEK 12: WRAP

The Big Picture: A discussion of spiritual issues as they pertain to Hollywood professionals and the entertainment industry.
Resume & Interview Skills: Getting ahead depends on the interview.  Getting an interview depends on the resume. A practical look at how to get your foot in the door.
Next Steps: What happens after the program? This is an opportunity to discuss future plans for the EP07 class, and to pray for each other.
EP Wrap Party:  Employers, faculty, alumni & donors party with the EP grads. Brief formal time with keynote address.