ASU Sidney Poitier Film School Leaders Aim to Expand Educational Opportunities for an Evolving Industry

Hollywood veterans Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Peter Murrieta are optimistic that "so much is possible " in the future. Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole are expanding to make room for more diverse stories and perspectives at all levels.

Murrieta and Boone Isaacs spoke Thursday at an event to announce the recent launch of the Sidney Poitier New from Arizona State University American Film School, a program that launched earlier this year in downtown Los Angeles at the famous former Los Angeles Herald Examiner building at Broadway and 11th. Boone Isaacs is founding principal of the Poitiers school while Murrieta is assistant principal and practice teacher. The two joined several other faculty members to discuss how Hollywood can grow its business and audience base by making strides toward inclusion and representation.

Boone Isaacs and Murrieta have emphasized the importance of film education being practical enough to prepare students to hit the ground running in production jobs and related entry-level positions.

"It's no longer enough to take a high school student to a community college to try to pass the baton to a four-year degree. You have to answer the question, "How will this help me get a job? How will this help?" Murrieta said. /p>

Before gaining recognition as showrunner of popular series such as "Wizards of Waverly Place" by Disney and Netflix "Mr. Iglesias," Murrieta has risen through the ranks as a writer on numerous television shows. He landed his first shot to create his own show, "Greetings From Tucson," for the WB Network, today. disappeared, in 2002. The air of the industry was different then, he told the crowd.

Hispanic representation was suddenly on the rise at the time, Murrieta recalls. "Tucson" was inspired by his life growing up in Arizona. Showtime had the drama series "Resurrection Boulevard" while George Lopez had a family comedy sitcom on ABC. Finally, it looked like change was on the horizon.

"There was this real feeling in 2002-2003 of 'it's about to' happen'", Murrieta recalled. " We waited. We gained strength and speed. We are about to do that."

The sentiment was short-lived, however, as the shows soon ceased airing the next year or so -- all except "George Lopez," which ran for six seasons until 2007.

"That was all for a while. Then another wave came and then she's And at some point it occurred to me that if we're attacking the company for representation one way, there has to be another way,” Murrieta said.

Lack of representation has led to what Poitiers headteachers describe as a "cultural emergency ". Professors Alex Rivera and Christina Ibarra cited a recent Latino Donor Collaborative study showing that Latinos make up less than 4% of showrunners in the industry. For administrators, the number is less than 3%. On the cable side, Latino representation is even less –– almost 0% in all categories.

Murrieta's work also includes serving as a writer and producer on shows like the short-lived ABC's "Cristela" and the Netflix-Pop TV revival "One Day at a Time." More recently, he developed a project close to his lineage, "Blood & Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta", which he co-wrote, as part of his first contract with Universal Television. Murrieta's desire to give other filmmakers access to the same stepping stone opportunities is also what inspired him to join ASU's staff in addition to maintaining a fulfilling career as an in-demand showrunner. /p>