Newhouse School launches entertainment business track, offers new course on artist representation training
United Talent Agency is partnering with the school to build and enhance the course.
Beginning this semester, students in the Newhouse School’s television, radio and film (TRF) program can choose to follow a new entertainment business track, which allows them to focus their studies in several different areas, including entertainment business, screenwriting, production, media innovation, sports and cinematography.
One of the first course offerings in this track is Artist Representation Training (or ART), which covers the “art” of talent representation. The course equips students with new methods of learning business fundamentals, advocacy and emotional intelligence by working as talent representatives for student-artists and talent in the Syracuse community under the supervision of course instructor J. Christopher Hamilton, TRF assistant professor.
According to Hamilton, the student-reps will develop their creative instincts and knowledge of business opportunities that are trending in the entertainment industry; use emotional intelligence techniques and passion for creative expression to cultivate their client’s natural gifts; and surface strategic relationships and creative forums to showcase their client’s work or talent.
Through a robust partnership with Los Angeles-based United Talent Agency, ART will include in-person instruction from the company’s agents, in-person interview and resume workshops with its recruiters and paid fellowship opportunities for students at the agency after successful completion of the course. Additional plans for the partnership are in the works.
“ART is designed to help our rep-trainees look beyond the ‘artistic aspects’ of any particular creative work or career ambition and grasp the enterprising opportunities on the horizon,” Hamilton says. “It’s one of the school’s most recent curriculum offerings through the launch this year of the Entertainment Business Track, which is focused on teaching students the primal connection between ‘art’ and ‘enterprise.’”
Hamilton developed the course with the support of assistant professor Imraan Farukhi and adjunct Glenn H Rigberg, an instructor for the Newhouse LA program.
The course will be offered every semester. TRF majors must have completed TRF 235/635, but depending on previous experience, juniors, seniors and graduate students in other programs may add the course with instructor permission.
For more information, contact Hamilton at jhamil07@syr.edu.