George Clooney & Kerry Washington Help Found Film Academy For Minority Students

Several Hollywood celebrities are backing a new specialized academy in L.A. focused on film and television production.

George Clooney, Kerry Washington, Don Cheadle, Eva Longoria and Mindy Kaling have come together with the Los Angeles Unified School District to found The Roybal School of Film and Television Production.

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The school’s campus will be within the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in Westlake, Los Angeles. It is set to open in Fall 2022; the school is an effort to give students from minority communities the opportunity to become a part of the entertainment industry.

“This effort will help open the doors of opportunity for a diverse group of students from underserved communities,” said LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner in a statement. “This groundbreaking program will help prepare students for good-paying jobs in the film and television industry by integrating practical industry experience and internships for students into the curriculum.”

The founding members will lend their knowledge and support to make the career and industry more inclusive.

The academy’s inaugural program is set to be overseen by Principal Blanca Cruz and will feature a curriculum specifically developed to meet the requirements made by the state of California and the University of California system. The academy’s internship program will allow students to receive real-world experience and an opportunity to better understand the entertainment industry.

“Our aim is to better reflect the diversity of our country. That means starting early. It means creating high school programs that teach young people about cameras, editing and visual effects and sound and all the career opportunities that this industry has to offer. It means internships that lead to well-paying careers. It means understanding that we’re all in this together,” said Clooney in a statement.