Newswise — For most people, the Writers' Guild of America strike has been a source of disappointment as reruns of popular shows have aired in place of new episodes. But for students enrolled in "The Business of Television," a new course offered by American University's School of Communication, the strike is an ideally scripted educational opportunity.
"The timing of the writers' strike was perfect for the course"both started the same day," said Randall Blair, the film and media arts professor at AU's School of Communication who is teaching the course. "We have discussed it a lot because the issues in the strike go to the heart of the current business model and the future business model of the industry. The students are required to subscribe to Variety.com and are to keep up with all developments in the strike and with other news pertaining to television."
The course is the brain child of Darryl Frank, co-head of DreamWorks Television and School of Communication alumnus. DreamWorks Television is the network television production arm of DreamWorks, SKG. Frank, who reports directly to Steven Spielberg, originally joined DreamWorks Television in 1995 as a development and programming executive. His first success was helping develop the hit sitcom "Spin City."
"The course focuses on the development of programs for prime time commercial television, which is what they do at DreamWorks and all of the other studios," Blair said. "Darryl thought the course would complement the courses we already offer, which focus primarily on public television and cable networks."
Frank prepared the initial outline for the course, after which he and Blair worked together for about a year to refine and expand it. Blair traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Frank, who also scheduled meetings for Blair with an agent and a show runner to give students a practical, real-world perspective. Frank has interacted with the students via videoconferencing from the DreamWorks office in Los Angeles. The course is one of the few of its kind offered by a school not located in the Los Angeles area.
"The course is extremely relevant for our students who plan to move to Los Angeles after graduating to try to work in film and television," Blair said. "Most of the jobs in L.A. are in television and the studios make most of their money from television, rather than from feature films."
Blair is also the director of the weekend Master of Arts degree program in producing film and video.
American University's School of Communication is a laboratory for professional education, communication research and innovative production across the fields of journalism, film and media arts, and public communication. Patrick Butler, vice president of The Washington Post Company;Susan Zirinsky, executive producer for CBS's "48 Hours Investigates" ; and Tony Perkins, morning anchor for WTTG Fox 5 and former meteorologist for ABC's "Good Morning America" are among the School of Communication's alumni who maintain close relationships with the school.
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