Facebook closes on 260K sf at the Brickyard
Natalie Hoberman, The Real Deal, January 2, 3019
Facebook has closed a deal to occupy 260,000 square feet of office space at Tishman Speyer’s Brickyard campus in Playa Vista, expanding its presence in the burgeoning tech neighborhood fivefold. Read More.
How Blockchain Is Making Waves In Media And Entertainment
Nelson Granados, Forbes, December 3, 2018
iProdoos co-founder Cameron Casey and I participated in a panel on blockchain at Loyola Marymount University's TechTainment event in November. Read More.
Loyola Marymount's new Playa Vista film school is a high tech wonder to behold
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News, November 13, 2018
It is news, however, that venerable Loyola Marymount University, whose main Westchester campus occupies the hill overlooking the exploding business district, has just opened a new campus down below for its School of Film and Television – and it’s every bit as technologically advanced as its Playa Vista neighbors. Read more.
IrelandWeek Announces Return of IrelandCon in Los Angeles
Melanie Boylan, Irish Tech News, October 23, 2018
IrelandWeek is proud to announce the return of IRELANDCON Thursday, November 1 in Los Angeles, California. With a key focus on celebrating innovation in tech, trade, entertainment and cultural ties between Ireland and Los Angeles, this year’s flagship conference is moving right into the heart of Silicon Beach to LMU’s new Playa Vista campus. Read more.
Top 50 Film Schools
Tim Appelo, The Wrap, October 18, 2018
Loyola Marymount University. LMU School of Film and Television has been a powerhouse for years, but with new dean Peggy Rajski—an Oscar-winning filmmaker and a producer for Martin Scorsese and Jodie Foster—and a new 50,000-square-foot LMU Playa Vista campus devoted to tech, the school is bigger than ever. (page 24) Read more.
Film and Television, Sure — But What Else?
Steve Pond, The Wrap, October 18, 2018
Walking around the brand-new, 50,000-square-foot Playa Vista building that will house part of the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television, new dean Peggy Rajski noted a particular challenge that went beyond deciding how many classrooms, edit bays, mixing boards, black-box soundstages and community areas should go into the building. "We had to make sure all the technology was absolutely the newest," she said. (page 36) Read more.
Out of Body Experiences
Christina Campodonico, Plava Vista Direct, October 9, 2018
Strapped into a virtual reality headset, I’m seeing the Amazonian rainforest through the eyes of a female shaman. I’m piecing together the past of a gay man struck down by AIDS. And I’m learning what it’s like to walk through life while black.
These were a few of the experiences I engaged with at “The Portal,” the L.A. Film Festival’s first-ever VR and immersive storytelling showcase held this September at Loyola Marymount University’s new Playa Vista campus, located at the Brickyard.Read more.
Google Expands in Silicon beach
Samson Amore, Los Angeles Business Journal, October 3, 2018
The tech company’s move to Playa Vista puts it in the same neighborhood as Yahoo Inc., YouTube Space LA, Fullscreen Inc., Loyola Marymount University, USC’s Institute of Creative Technologies, Fox Sports Networks Inc. and Belkin International Inc. Read more.
Things to do this weekend in Los Angeles
Michael Juliano, TimeOut, September 20, 2018
Step into immersive storytelling technologies (i.e. augmented, mixed and virtual reality) for “The Portal,” a free LA Film Fest event held at the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television in Playa Vista. Read more.
Los Angeles Film Festival Looks For Reinvention With Fall Berth
Dave McNary, Variety, September 19, 2018
The duo is also particularly enthused about the festival teaming with the LMU School of Film and Television for an for an immersive storytelling program, which has been curated by former AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga and will run Sept. 22-23 at the new LMU Playa Vista Campus. Read more.
Festivals Top 10
The Argonaut, August 31, 2018
The multi-venue L.A. Film Festival will be among the first to take Loyola Marymount University’s tech-forward, media-centric Playa Vista Campus for a test spin with The Portal — a virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality storytelling showcase curated by former AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga. Read more.
'In the Heart of that New World'
Shanee Edwards, The Argonaut, August 29, 2018
"The university is doubling down on the digital future with this week’s first classes in its new Playa Vista campus — 50,000 square feet of production, editing, classroom and event space on the second floor of The Brickyard." Read more.
LA Film Festival Unveils Lineup for VR and Immersive Storytelling Showcase "The Portal"
Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, August 29, 2018
A two-year partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, The Portal will be located at the new LMU Playa Vista Campus. Read more.
The Portal: Showcasing the Best VR & Immersive Storytelling at the LA Film Festival
Matt Warren, Film Independent blog, August 29, 2018
For the first time, at the 2018 LA Film Festival we’ll be showcasing the best work that these nascent mediums have to offer with The Portal, presented in partnership with Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television—our inaugural VR and immersive storytelling showcase. Read more.
Disney’s Paperman director working on Google VR animated film, Age of Sail
John 'Spartan' Nguyen, Nerd Reactor, August 29, 2018
“Age of Sail” is having a North American Premiere during the LA Film Festival’s VR & Immersive Storytelling Showcase: The Portal. Attendees of the festival can check it out at the Loyola Marymount Playa Vista campus on September 22nd and 23rd. Read more.
SFTV's Playa Vista campus opens doors to students
Kayan Tara, Los Angeles Loyolan, August 29, 2018
LMU’s new Playa Vista campus opened to students on Monday, Aug. 27. The new campus, which is 50,000 square feet in total, will serve as the University’s creative space by being the primary home of the School of Film and Television’s (SFTV) graduate programs in production and screenwriting. Read more.
Why Big Tech is Making a Play for Playa Vista
Alison Stateman, Commercial Observer, August 20, 2018
“There is only one tenant at the Brickyard right now”—Loyola Marymount University, which signed a 12-year-lease for 50,000 square feet to house its School of Film and Television last year... "You’re probably going to get 3,000 more employees if the deals we are talking about happen on time." Read more.
The Top 25 American Film Schools
The Hollywood Reporter, August 16, 2018
New dean Peggy Rajski (her 1994 short, Trevor, won an Oscar) is coming aboard just in time to christen the school's new Playa Vista campus. The spread includes three flexible studios with green-screen backdrops, eight Avid editing rooms, and a stand-alone ADR/Foley stage. Read more.
LA Film Festival Adds Inclusion Initiatives
Tara Bitran, Variety, July 17, 2018
The LA Film Festival, under the leadership of festival director Jennifer Cochis, is adding new diversity initiatives to its programming slate in its new fall slot from September 20-28. The festival will launch an immersive storytelling program curated by Jacqueline Lyanga, guest director, VR and immersive storytelling, in partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. Read more.
LA Film Festival: Jacqueline Lyanga to Serve as Guest Director of Immersive Storytelling Program
Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, July 17, 2018
Jacqueline Lyanga, the former director of AFI Fest, will serve as guest director of a new VR and immersive storytelling program at the rival LA Film Festival. In partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television, she will curate a two-day showcase of new media platforms, including VR, AI and AR, that will be free to the public and take place Sept. 22-23 at the new LMU Playa Vista campus. Read more.
Los Angeles Film Festival Taps Jacqueline Lyanga as Guest Director for VR and Announces New IDA Partnership
Anne Thompson, July 17, 2018
Preparing for the newly configured Los Angeles Film Festival September 20-28, the LAFF scooped up recently departed AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga as guest director for VR and Immersive Storytelling. This is the festival’s first foray into that emerging arena, which is part of a new partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. Read more.
LA Film Festival prepares for fall debut with diversity push, new programs and guest director Jacqueline Lyanga
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2018
This year’s LA Film Festival, running for the first time in its new fall position Sept. 20-28, is beginning to take shape. On Tuesday, the festival announced a number of programs and events, with further programming announcements expected at the end of the month. Read more.
The 2018 LA Film Festival is Sooner Than You Think.
Rene Warren, LA Film Festival blog, July 17, 2018
Unless you’ve been living under a two-dimensional rock these past few years, then you already know that a large part of the future of cinema lays in immersive storytelling. Maybe that thrills you. Or maybe it fills you with trepidation. Either way it’s happening. So why not get acquainted with some of the very best work being done in VR, AR, 360 and AI today—courtesy of Jacqueline Lyanga, and in partnership with Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television. Read more.
Inside PetSpace: An animal shelter like no other
Rene Lynch, Los Angeles Times, August 27, 2017
A leadership institute is bringing together research fellows from around the globe. One of those fellows, Eric Strauss, a biology professor at Loyola Marymount University and executive director of the university's Center for Urban Resilience, is heading up efforts to produce a research paper on this relationship, which he said remains little understood and often underappreciated. Read more.
Markett will get people paid to talk about their favorite tech companies
Jonathan Shieber, Tech Crunch, July 6, 2017
Franky Bernstein loves startups. His latest company, Markett, is born out of that love, and his innate desire to share tips about those innovative new startup companies with the wider world. The 24-year-old serial entrepreneur first was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug while attending Loyola Marymount University, where, as a representative in student government, he began looking for a way to cut down on drinking and driving among the student body. He found Uber. The ride-hailing service embraced the idea of a promotional deal for LMU students and Bernstein became a commission-based ambassador for the student body. Read more.
High-tech Annenberg PetSpace adoption center opens in Playa Vista
Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, June 24, 2017
"This whole notion of the human-animal bond goes so much deeper than how you choose a pet," said Eric Strauss, a biology professor at Loyola Marymount University and the research paper's lead author. "We're bonded emotionally through our pets. But we're also bonded ecologically, medically and economically. I think that's the real genesis of a new science here." Read more.
Loyola Marymount Takes First Lease at Playa Vista's Brickyard Offices
Daina Beth Solomon, Los Angeles Business Journal, February 10, 2017
Playa Vista's newest office building recently wrapped up construction, and now it has snagged its first tenant. Loyola Marymount University is taking a 12-year lease for more than 50,000 square feet at the Brickyard with plans for a June move-in, according to a statement from the building's owner, Tishman Speyer. The space will house LMU's School of Film and Television graduate programs. Read more.
Loyola Marymount University is opening a new Silicon Beach-focused Playa Vista campus
Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2017
Loyola Marymount University is opening a new campus in Playa Vista, expanding its growing presence on the Westside and in Silicon Beach, school officials announced Thursday. The Jesuit university, which in recent years has dramatically built its programs and local partnerships in film and tech, will house its new campus in the Brickyard, a new 425,300-square-feet commercial development in the 12100 block of West Waterfront Drive that also will lease office and retail space to other tenants. Read more.
Loyola Marymount announces new Playa Vista campus in the heart of Silicon Beach
Cynthia Washicko, The Daily Breeze, February 9, 2017
In a move to bring students closer to the expanding tech center known as Silicon Beach, Loyola Marymount University will establish a new campus in Playa Vista for students in its School of Film and Television. The university's third campus will sit in the heart of coastal Los Angeles County known for its interest from tech giants, including Google, Facebook and Microsoft, as well as startups like Snapchat, according to a release from the university. The university's president lauded the move as a "game-changer" that will give students an inside track for careers in creative industries. Read more.
LMU, Marymount California Make 2017 National College Rankings
Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Megan Barnes, The Daily Breeze, September 13, 2016
"Prospective students and families should take note: we challenge intellectuals and thought leaders to live lives of meaning and purpose in the heart of Silicon Beach, where tomorrow's thought and tech innovation thrives," Snyder said in a statement. "These rankings confirm that LMU faculty and students are impactful on a global scale." Read more.
Growing L.A. Tech Scene Bets on Entertainment Beyond Cat Videos
James Nash, Bloomberg News, May 25, 2016
"From atop a coastal bluff, leaders of Loyola Marymount University observed the cluster of tech offices taking shape and tweaked their course offerings to position the Catholic college as 'the University of Silicon Beach.' It now offers courses on developing video for the Web and on writing for Internet television shows and is working with Silicon Beach businesses on a digital-media entrepreneurship program. "You have a lot of chip-level nerdy stuff in Silicon Valley, but what you have here is media, creativity, content creation," said Timothy Law Snyder, president of the 9,300-student university. 'We just got lucky. This is the neighbor we've been waiting for for years.'" Read more.