FAQs
Who are some of the recent speakers and teachers at Pepperdine?
Some of our recent speakers and teachers include:
What are our alums doing?
Pepperdine has 75 years of alums who have worked and are working in every aspect of
the industry.
Here is a tiny sampling of what some of our "Waves" are doing in the entertainment
industry:
- John Burd was director of development and production at MarVista Entertainment and has produced
TV movies for channels such as Hallmark and Lifetime. He now writes screenplays full
time.
- D.J. Caruso has directed such films as Disturbia and Eagle Eye as well as such television shows as The Shield, Smallville, and Dark Angel.
- Blaine Chiapetta was coordinator of development and production at MarVista, producing TV movies. He
has had many scripts produced.
- Chad Creasey has written and produced such television shows as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pushing Daisies, and Castle.
- Greg Fera is an accomplished television director with credits ranging from the Emmys, the Golden
Globes, the Country Music Awards, Sid the Science Kid, and Muppets Tonight. (He also has an Emmy.)
- Denise Huth is a producer on such TV shows as The Walking Dead and such films as The Mist.
- Brent Lilly was an agent with Mosaic. He now runs BLI Entertainment and Real Good
Touring.
- Harry Lengsfield is an agent with LBI Entertainment.
- Jeff Loveness is a writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live and for Marvel.
- Candace Lowry is a writer/producer at BuzzFeed.
- Jerrid Meikle is working on Nick's Instant Mom (starring alum Tia Mowry).
- Rob Moore is former vice chairman of Paramount and currently CEO of Phoenix1 Esports.
- Taylor Johns is working at Moxie Firecracker Films, producing documentaries with Rory Kennedy.
Last Days of Vietnam was just nominated for an Oscar.
- Eric Martin is an Executive Producer with Marvel. He has written for Heels on Starz
and Loki on Disney+.
- Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Tamara Mowry-Housley are producing and starring in their own TV shows.
- Ted Nitschke was a coordinator at the Kaplan Stahler Agency. He's now in development
and a Jr. Creative at Sony Animation.
- Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson made the Finding Kind documentary and founded the Kind Campaign; they also do school assemblies and spread
awareness about school bullying.
- Jenni Runyan is VP of communications at Comedy Central.
- Steven Sawalich is a director and producer with credits ranging from Music Within, Tales from the Crypt, and Operation Change.
- George Schlatter is a legendary comedy producer of such shows as Laugh-In and many television specials.
- Emmy-winner Michael Waldron wrote and sold the pilot for Heels to Starz. He is the
showrunner for Loki on Starz and writes in the Star Wars franchise.
- David Weiss wrote such scripts as The Smurfs and Shrek 2.
- Stiles White wrote such scripts as Knowing,The Possession, and Ouija.
- Tyler Zacharia is an executive producer. His credits include Wildflower, The Ticket, and Martin Scorcese's Silence.
And more!
Do you offer scholarships?
Do you have teaching assistantships?
When do your classes meet?
Our classes meet Monday through Thursday nights 6-9:50pm.
Will I get my hands on experience in a literary agency, production company, or studio?
The MFA degree requires that students do an internship and take a corollary class
(2 units). Our MFAers have done internships with the following:
- 1895 Productions
- BBC
- Fox
- Freefall Films
- Gersh Agency
- Harmonius Claptrap (Dan Harmon)
- The Idea Factory
- Intrinsic Value Films
- Kaplan Stahler Agency
- Kopelson Entertainment
- Leeding Media
- Lionsgate
- MarVista
- Moxie Firecracker Films (Rory Kennedy)
- NBC/Universal
- Oxygen Network
- Participant
- Resolution
- Revelations Entertainment (Morgan Freeman)
- Roll Call
- T-Group
- Twentieth Century Fox
- The Untitled Owen Wilson Company
- Vesuvio
- Warner Brothers
- The Weinstein Company
- WWF Films
How much does it cost to attend?
Learn more about estimating costs.
Additionally, please see previous questions above for information on scholarships
and teaching assistantships.
What is Pepperdine MFA Presents: Graduate Student Hiking Pod?
Graduate students tell us they feel stress and anxiety. You know what helps with that?
Hiking Malibu. Director Leslie Kreiner Wilson leads a pod on all of the most popular
Malibu hikes including simple ones such as laps around our track and the Zuma Beach
boardwalk. Contact her for more details: leslie.kreiner@pepperdine.edu.
What is Pepperdine MFA Presents: Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF)?
The undergraduates host the Reel Stories Film Festival. DIFF celebrates the best in
short films from all members of the Pepperdine community.
We're looking for work that embraces themes related to diversity and inclusion. Submit
in the spring semester and attend the show in March. All judging is done by audience
vote.
Contact the festival director for more information: leslie.kreiner@pepperdine.edu.
Your voice matters. You can make a DIFFerence.
Do you offer tours?
Pepperdine is a small private university on the cliffs of Malibu. You may want to
visit us for campus tours or be your own guide:
Further questions?
