Los Angeles
Emerson was the first college to create a Los Angeles-based residential study and internship program for its students.
With more than 1,000 intern sites in film, TV, radio, new media, music, management, publicity, marketing, and public relations, the LA Center offers a range of opportunities. Classrooms are located in Burbank, just a stone’s throw from major film and television studios, and housing is provided nearby in a furnished apartment complex with resort amenities.
Emerson College has maintained an institutional presence in Los Angeles since 1986, when it launched a semester-long program built around professional internships at film studios, media outlets, marketing agencies, and related enterprises. Now housed in rented space in Burbank, the program enrolls some 100 seniors and juniors per semester. They live in nearby corporate relocation apartments.
Over the past decade, the College has explored options to enhance and expand the L.A. program by creating a permanent home for Emerson College Los Angeles (ECLA). After visiting a number of communities, the College settled on Hollywood, which, as the global center of the film and entertainment industries, holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Emerson students and the 3,000 Emerson alumni who live in Los Angeles and work in those industries.
In 2008, the College purchased a vacant lot at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Street and began planning for a new ECLA. Construction began early in 2012 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
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“For years, Emerson students who have entered the Hollywood work force have shown themselves to be exemplary. The Hollywood Center will give these students a home away from home and a place at the heart of the industry they want to become part of. This wonderful center will be a win-win for both Los Angeles and Boston.” |
Living & Learning in a State-of-the-Art Center
Rising 10 stories above grade, the elegant ECLA will provide on-site housing as well as enhanced academic facilities and social gathering space and offices for Alumni Relations and Admission staff. The integration of living and learning will strengthen the quality of student life, facilitate collaborative efforts, and create a cohesive sense of community.
The 102,360-square-foot facility will enable Emerson to increase its L.A. enrollment from 100 to 220 students. The internship program will be expanded significantly, and new graduate programs that are now being developed by the faculty will be offered. The first classes are scheduled to be held in the spring of 2014.
The building encompasses 30,905 square feet of instructional and administrative space; 65,725 square feet of housing for 220 students and four
faculty and staff; 5,730 square feet of retail space; and 120,000 square feet of parking. It also provides 16,000 square feet of outdoor terraces that can be used by staff, faculty, students, and College guests.
The retail space, including an Emerson Café, is located along Sunset Boulevard, which will be attractively landscaped with trees. A vine-growing
trellis along Gordon Street wraps around the northwest corner to the outdoor seating for the café, creating a welcoming alcove and entrance for
the College and community.
Learn more about the LA Program.
Opportunities grow when work in the classroom comes to life.
A Day in the Life of an Emerson Student in LA
An Emerson student learns how many doors are open to her, thanks to her LA program experience. Watch now »
