# Pepperdine Screenwriting MFA



## Casually Hot Guy (Mar 17, 2011)

Anyone else applied/visited there?


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## J T R (Mar 21, 2011)

hey man, I applied and got accepted. 

Visited a couple of years ago. Stellar location for industry. I've not yet met with any faculty.


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## Casually Hot Guy (Apr 13, 2011)

Anyone still waiting to hear back from Pepperdine?


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## CelieTiger (Apr 25, 2011)

I just got my acceptance letter today and am desperate for any information on the program anyone can give me. I'm a bit concerned about the religious bent of the school, though that's more a quality-of-life issue than a quality-of-program issue. If anyone here is/was a student in the program or knows people who went there, I would love a run down, particularly as concerns opportunities to work in the industry while in school, strength of internship network, etc.


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## J T R (Apr 25, 2011)

I wouldn't consider myself a christian and I'm not afraid to be around them. I went to a christian undergrad. Trust me, it's not that scary...  

For industry, Malibu kicks ass. Period.


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## Casually Hot Guy (Apr 27, 2011)

I got in and sent my deposit today. If the past timing of mail from Georgia to California is any indication, they should be alerted of my acceptance in late July.


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## J T R (Apr 29, 2011)

Nice, man. hey send me your contact information and we can connect re: interaction w/ school , et al...


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## Theo (May 3, 2011)

Hey guys,
I'm a recent graduate of the program (on the thesis stage) and I'm open to answer any questions you might have or to just talk to you.

I've really loved my time at Pepperdine.
Ted


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## J T R (Jan 9, 2012)

Ted and Casually Hot Guy: Now I know who you are!


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## trucherrygirl (Jan 10, 2012)

I'm applying to Pepperdine for Fall 2012. I have my writing sample and personal statement ready to go. Just need to fill out more parts of the app. Really interested/intrigued by their TV coursework.

I had a friend who got her MBA at Pepperdine and she said there's not as much emphasis on religion/religious experiences at the graduate level, even though it is a religion based school.


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## J T R (Jan 10, 2012)

Hey, awesome! Yeah, there has been no emphasis on religion in any of my classes so don't worry about any of that. Their TV writing classes are very good. The guy teaching my sitcom class tonight wrote the first season of SNL.


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## trucherrygirl (Jan 10, 2012)

Wow! That's awesome! How do you like the program? What are the pros/cons? Why Pepperdine?

I've known about it since it before it started (meaning when they were introducing it). But I was in community college back then. Now I can finally apply!

What kind of writing sample did you submit? I'll be submitting a sitcom pilot. I have revised it a bit, but probably not as much as I should have cuz I've been working on another sample (for other schools). I'm mostly interested in TV writing, though I don't have any formal training in it (except for 2 Screenwriting courses, but that's feature film writing). So I've been teaching myself for the last 3ish years. I have a 3.0 GPA, a strong personal statement, plus strong letters of rec. I'm also taking the GRE, but I know my scores will be very low and I'm trying to focus on my writing samples more. Do you think I have a shot at getting in?


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## Leslie Kreiner Wilson (Apr 3, 2018)

I direct the MFA Program in Writing for Screen and Television. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. We're located in the heart of the industry in Malibu. Our faculty and students staff television shows, sell pilots, see their feature scripts produced, place well in the contests that matter. You can query me here or shoot me an email leslie.kreiner@pepperdine.edu. I'd love to tell you about our amazing faculty and alums -- all working in the industry NOW!!


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## sharkb8 (Apr 3, 2018)

Leslie Kreiner Wilson said:


> I direct the MFA Program in Writing for Screen and Television. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. We're located in the heart of the industry in Malibu. Our faculty and students staff television shows, sell pilots, see their feature scripts produced, place well in the contests that matter. You can query me here or shoot me an email leslie.kreiner@pepperdine.edu. I'd love to tell you about our amazing faculty and alums -- all working in the industry NOW!!


Oh cool, Pepperdine! My Uncle went to Pepperdine in the 80's, and having driven around the area myself, I think the location is about as gorgeous as can be. That would certainly be a great place to film.

A few questions for you. I noticed that you were mentioned as "on the rise" by The Hollywood Reporter in their top 25 film schools ranking for 2017, so I had looked up Pepperdine's film program when I saw that, but it said that the Production MFA was closing, which surprised me since you had just gotten noticed by THR. What exactly happened there? Why did the Production MFA have to shut down?

I'm not as interested in screenwriting as I would be in production, so if there isn't a production option it's probably not right for me, but regardless, you mention that Pepperdine has had a strong track record in students working in the industry. What is the percentage of graduates currently working in featured or high level roles? And what sort of roles are they?


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## Leslie Kreiner Wilson (Apr 3, 2018)

Leslie Kreiner Wilson said:


> I direct the MFA Program in Writing for Screen and Television. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. We're located in the heart of the industry in Malibu. Our faculty and students staff television shows, sell pilots, see their feature scripts produced, place well in the contests that matter. You can query me here or shoot me an email leslie.kreiner@pepperdine.edu. I'd love to tell you about our amazing faculty and alums -- all working in the industry NOW!!


 P.S. Just so you know -- two of the people posting above are alums of the program now. I'll respect their privacy since they chose to use screen names -- but I can tell you this: one sold a pilot to a premium cable network and the other now works in development with Sony Animation. They did it. You can do it too.


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## Leslie Kreiner Wilson (Apr 3, 2018)

sharkb8 said:


> Oh cool, Pepperdine! My Uncle went to Pepperdine in the 80's, and having driven around the area myself, I think the location is about as gorgeous as can be. That would certainly be a great place to film.
> 
> A few questions for you. I noticed that you were mentioned as "on the rise" by The Hollywood Reporter in their top 25 film schools ranking for 2017, so I had looked up Pepperdine's film program when I saw that, but it said that the Production MFA was closing, which surprised me since you had just gotten noticed by THR. What exactly happened there? Why did the Production MFA have to shut down?
> 
> I'm not as interested in screenwriting as I would be in production, so if there isn't a production option it's probably not right for me, but regardless, you mention that Pepperdine has had a strong track record in students working in the industry. What is the percentage of graduates currently working in featured or high level roles? And what sort of roles are they?



[[I won't speak for the graduate production side. I'm on the graduate screenwriting side.]] 

I direct the screenwriting MFA. We're starting our 12th year this fall. We were recognized by THR (on the move) and Variety (for our diversity) 

Our alums and faculty are working in a variety of roles in the industry. Here's a sampling: 

1) Board member AFF/Top 25 Emerging Screenwriter AFF List/The Black List 
2) Another sold a pilot to a premium cable network (hired a fellow alum to write the finale episode for the season)
3) Several are working as producers for TV/streaming movies
4) One is a production coordinator for a new ABC show
5) Another is a three-time Emmy award winning sketch comedy writer -- currently writing/producing a Netflix show directed by Scorsese
6) Several are on the independent film side and have written/directed shorts/features on the film festival circuit (in fact, one just won the Best Score Award at a film festival, which was a thrill because HE WROTE THE SCORE as well as the script -- two other were featured in the Cannes student showcase)
7) Several are writing/producing Christmas movies for the behemoth that is Hallmark (from Halloween through New Year's Eve check out the TV ratings -- I think you might be surprised by what you see)
8) One has published about 8 graphic novels, had many horror films produced, and now writes for a sitcom on ABC
9) Another writes animation for kids (Nickelodeon, Disney Jr.)
10) Many feature films produced... 
11) Several work in academia as professors as well as in media production/screenwriting
12) Some work as YA/children's novelists and thus in adaptations
13) We even have one on the improv circuit...
And so on...

P.S. 100% of our faculty are working in the industry NOW -- not 20 years ago. Fresh, current INFO!! We pride ourselves on this fact.
P.P.S. Getting an MFA in screenwriting teaches you story -- knowing story helps you in any number of jobs in the industry -- we even have a few editors around.


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## IndecisiveElle (Apr 5, 2018)

@Leslie Kreiner Wilson Thank you for finding our community and reviving this thread! Sounds like an incredible program and one that is frequently overlooked but should be getting far more attention. I will certainly be mentioning it to the undergraduate students I work with!


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## Leslie Kreiner Wilson (Apr 5, 2018)

IndecisiveElle said:


> @Leslie Kreiner Wilson Thank you for finding our community and reviving this thread! Sounds like an incredible program and one that is frequently overlooked but should be getting far more attention. I will certainly be mentioning it to the undergraduate students I work with!


We have amazing screenwriters teaching in our program -- and 75 years of alums from Pepperdine in general. The former vice chairman of Paramount, the VP of marketing at Disney, the popular brother horror writing team -- I could go on and on...


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