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Developing the Story

Produce Complex Projects

Business Core

Build your own

Entertainment Company

Feature Film Experience

Studio Support

Los Angeles Quarter

Catholic Culture and

Curriculum

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JPCatholic’s MBA in Film Producing exists for one reason: to Impact Culture for Christ

through compelling mainstream entertainment. That’s an ambitious goal, and one that

requires a program with an innovative focus.

Students here are equipped with a core knowledge in the key areas of both business and

production: story & development; budgeting & scheduling; finance, marketing & distribution,

intellectual property law and more. Throughout the 15 month program, you'll be able to

go deeper by selecting our Creative Producing and Screenwriting Emphasis or our Line

Producing Emphasis. Students are also immersed in a rich sequence of Scripture, Catholic

theology, and philosophy courses. Our unique combination of media, business, and theology

classes is one you won’t find in any other graduate program.

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Developing the Story

Stories impact us in profound ways. Good stories can inspire and touch our souls;

they bring freshness, life, understanding, and clarity to our experience. Story, in short,

lives at the core of what makes a film work, and it’s vital for producers and creative

executives to be able to identify and develop compelling screenplays.

The Creative Producing and Screenwriting emphasis focuses on developing stories

that are marketable and have the power to draw mainstream audiences closer to

love and truth. You’ll learn how to manage the creative development process and

produce works of commercial and artistic value. The program will empower you with

the ability to make crucial creative decisions in the most fundamental and important

aspect of filmmaking: the story.

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The Internet Movie Database cites Prof. Riley as “the foremost authority in

screenplay format for all of Hollywood.” He is the author of The Hollywood

Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style

which is a text used at many film schools.

Chris’ first film, After The Truth, an award-winning courtroom thriller, sparked

international controversy in 1999 when it was released in Germany. Since then,

After the Truth has also received American distribution. Prof. Riley has written

scripts for Junction Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures, Sean Connery’s

Fountainbridge Films, Mandalay Television Pictures, and the Fox television

network. From 2005 through 2008, he served as director of the acclaimed Act

One Writing Program in Hollywood.

Faculty Spotlight // Chris Riley

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In the Line Producing Emphasis, you’ll have the opportunity to dive deeper into master

the details around executing on a complex film or TV project. Students spend time on

set gaining real experience physically producing a production. You’ll master the craft of

orchestrating all the various skill sets and professionals needed to make a story come

to life on screen.

The emphasis culminates in an advanced production project, where you take your

producing skills to the next level and create a project which can serve as a springboard

into the industry. If you’re eager to learn production first hand, you’ll love our

Line Producing Emphasis.

Produce Complex Projects

An award-winning filmmaker, Nathan Scoggins’ list of credits include The Least of These, released in

2011 by Universal and starring Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy) and screen legend Robert Loggia

(Big, Independence Day), as well as the TV movie The Perfect Summer, starring Eric Roberts. He won the

Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest in 2012 and 2013 with “Sling Baby” and “Fashionista Daddy.”

In addition, two of his award-winning short films were released by Lionsgate on DVD in 2008. In 2012,

he produced the feature film Red Line with JPCatholic students and faculty, which won an international

distribution deal and reached an audience through Redbox, WalMart, Target, Netflix, as well as other

video on-demand platforms. He has written and developed projects for many companies in Hollywood.

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Faculty Spotlight // Nathan Scoggins

Faculty Spotlight // Shun Lee Fong

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Professor Fong holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Iowa

College of Law. After practicing law and teaching at Creighton University

in Omaha, Fong moved to L.A. to pursue acting, writing, and other

creative opportunities. He is currently the CEO and Creative Principal of

Genuine Productions, LLC - a creative media production company with

a focus on film, new media & music. He is also the founder and creative

director for The Greenhouse - a non-profit organization for training,

equipping, and engaging creative artists.

Business Core

Learning the Business Side

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JPCatholic’s Producing MBA program stands apart from so many

MFA degrees because of its business underpinning. Our program

includes critical courses in budgeting and scheduling, finance,

marketing, distribution, and media law. The business class’s focus

on understanding the complex dynamics in the entertainment field of

moving from script to green-light to pre-production, production, and post

and finally to distribution.

There is an abundance of people who aspire to be filmmakers, yet there

is a significant shortage of people who understand the business that

is the driving force behind what gets made and seen by audiences.

Producing a feature film is equivalent to running a small business, and

our broad and applied curriculum prepares you for those challenges.

Numbers have never been my strong suit. I’m far more comfortable in a

world of words and images. Needless to say, I had a fair deal of trepidation

heading into my first accounting class. After all, I’m a filmmaker, not an

accountant! Surprisingly, it soon became one of my favorite classes. Many

of my business classes forced me to grow as a problem solver - a trait any

filmmaker will tell you is an absolute necessity.

The accounting classes have also enabled me to speak with potential

investors and businessmen in their own language, which is a key part of

getting any film greenlit. It may be painful at times, but the MBA program is

giving me the tools to both envision a movie and get it made.

- Alumnus Kevin Kast

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Build an Entertainment Company

Technology has dramatically the entertainment industry and opened up vast

opportunities for entrepreneurship. As an MBA student, you’ll have the opportunity

to utilize our Business Launchpad process to build an a sustainable production

company with your peers. While the process isn’t a mandatory part of the MBA

curriculum, several MBA students have utilized it to pursue their dream of building

an entertainment company.

The Launchpad is our business creation engine which nurtures student ideas

into full-fledged business. The Launchpad walks student companies through

the business creation, planning, and launch processes. It provides mentoring by

faculty and outside professionals. After completion of the Launchpad sequence

if it’s appropriate for your company, you’ll set up your business in our Business

Incubator and you’ll have the office space you need to get off the ground.

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Faculty Spotlight // Vernon Mortenson

Professor Mortenson has a Master of Professional Writing (Screenwriting) from USC,

where he studied under script guru Syd Field and was an Academy of Motion Picture

Arts & Sciences Fellow and an MBA from Alliant International University. He has

worked for the last decade with the motion picture production/distribution company

Rogue Arts as a film and television producer and distribution executive. During

Mortenson’s tenure, Rogue Arts has distributed over one hundred feature films in

addition to producing eight of their own. Their movies have been featured in all major

film festivals and markets around the world including Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and

Cannes and have been watched by millions of people around the globe.

Capstone Experience

Case Study // Red Line

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The culmination of the MBA program is a thesis project which serves as a

springboard into your career. The thesis can take on a number of different forms

depending on your emphasis and career goals. Many students have created polished

screenplays, web series, short films, and even feature films. Members of the class of

2012, for example, teamed up with JPCatholic students and faculty to film the feature

film Red Line (see case study). While you’re not guaranteed to work on a feature film,

the program gives you the skill set and competencies necessary to thrive on the set of

a commercial feature film. Whatever direction you and your thesis advisor decide for

the final project, you’ll come away with a polished piece which can serve as a major

building block in your career.

In 2012, JPCatholic MBA students teamed up with undergraduate students and

faculty to create the feature film Red Line. Red Line is a thriller starring John Billingsly

(Star Trek Enterprise, True Blood, and Intelligence) and Nicole Gale Anderson (Make

it or Break it, Mean Girls 2) about ten passengers trapped in a subway car after a

bomb explodes. The MBA students played lead roles in developing the script, casting,

financing, executing on the production, and securing its distribution deal. Red Line

received domestic and international distribution in Walmart, Target, Redbox, and in

200 million homes through video-on-demand.

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What I learned in the classroom prepared me for the work I did on Red

Line, but I learned far more working on Red Line than I ever did in the

classroom. Figuring out how to collaborate with so many moving parts

and dealing with unexpected obstacles during shooting-- those are

things that you just can’t get from a lecture or a textbook. You learn

that it’s not just about talent, but hard work and long hours. And the

hard work and long hours pay off when one of the professionals on-set

notices you and decides they’d like to work with you again.

- MBA Alumna Tara Stone, Writer of Redline

Studio Support

As an MBA student, you’ll have access to our cutting-edge film

equipment. You’ll also have talented undergraduate filmmakers

and faculty ready and eager to collaborate.

Create film sets for your productions on our new soundstage.

The soundstage is outfitted with a full lighting grid and

supporting gear. Our portable equipment for on-location shoots

includes cameras that shoot in high-definition digital video, and

an assortment of lighting and sound equipment.

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Watch your masterpiece take shape in our state of the art post-production

lab featuring Macintosh editing stations. The editing stations are loaded

with an assortment of post-production software that enable you to

do picture editing (Adobe Premiere), motion graphics, animation and

compositing (After Effects), 3d modeling (Maya), sound editing and design

(Adobe Audition), and color grading (DaVinci Resolve). We have everything

you need to make your vision become a reality.

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Los Angeles Quarter

In your fifth and final quarter, you will have the opportunity to experience the Los Angeles

entertainment industry up close as part of the LA internship quarter. The experience involves

spending a full quarter living in student housing in the Los Angeles area while working in an

immersive internship for credit. While in Los Angeles, you will gain insight into the industry and

network with established professionals through our “Hollywood Mentor series” class.

In addition to the internship and networking opportunities, you’ll start to build your resume aided

by the career planning process taught in our Career Strategies class. While students are not

guaranteed success obtaining a specific internship, past Los Angeles internships have included:

Alcon Entertainment (producers of The Blindside and The Book of Eli), MPower Productions

(a company run by executive Steve McEveety who produced Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, and

The Passion of the Christ), Motive Entertainment (marketing firm behind Rocky Balboa and The

Passion of the Christ), and the Cortez Brothers (a high end production company whose clients

include The Tonight Show and Rolling Stone).

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Kevin is a television executive with demonstrated experience across a broad range of disciplines with

significant experience in the development and execution of strategic plans, team building and personnel

management, fundraising, project management, and community relations. He has co-founded a

television station and managed multiple TV studios, as well as large editorial, production, operations and

engineering staff. He worked as a studio director at CNN; served as a member of the White House Press

Corps and travelled extensively with President Reagan during his term. Kevin has his undergraduate

degree from the University of Maryland and a Masters degree from Arizona State University.

Faculty Spotlight // Kevin Culbertson

Catholic Culture and Curriculum

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JPCatholic exists for one reason: to Impact Culture for Christ. We’re committed to

creating compelling mainstream stories that draw wide audiences closer to Truth,

Beauty, and Goodness.

We understand that we cannot Impact Culture for Christ if we do not know Christ. This

is why the MBA in Film Producing Program includes Scripture, Catholic Theology, and

philosophy courses. We place a particular emphasis on knowing Christ in Scripture;

the Scripture courses are not purely academic endeavors, and you are encouraged to

incorporate the material in enriching your own prayer life.

As an authentically Catholic institution, we understand the vital role of the Sacraments

in our lives. Daily Mass, Confessions, and Eucharistic adoration are all offered on

campus for the growth and sanctification of our students. If you wish to develop

yourself both professionally and spiritually, JPCatholic is the right place to be.

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