CU Students Help Make Sitcom
Oct 15, 2009
Six Cornerstone University students will participate in the Center for Emerging Enterprises’ sitcom productions, working alongside students from Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College and Kuyper College.
Students will be working in areas ranging from writing scripts to accounting, and they will each be working in a team with a professional mentor.
“It will be a great experience and learning time for the students participating,” said John Warren, associate dean of career services and internships. “They will be working with a professional in their area of interest and will have a great contact for a job in the future.
Cornerstone students are required to complete an internship prior to graduation. Students participating in the Center will receive credit for an internship.
“We’re working with a lot of professionals who can really plug us in to ‘the real world,’” said Lauren Hines, a senior journalism major, who is involved in the script-writing process. The networking is a great component and will really help us branch out after this project is completed.”
The Center plans to produce 13 sitcom pilots by May and get a network to buy one or more of them.
Bob Israels, owner of the Israels Designs for Living and Klingman’s furniture stores, is supplying the resources to make the pilots. Proceeds from selling them will go to the colleges involved to help offset tuition costs.
“It’s not every day that someone gives you an opportunity to write for a television sitcom,” said Hines. “So it’s incredibly exciting, and absolutely intimidating at the same time.”
Cornerstone senior Amy VanderBent, an accounting major, is working on accounting for the production.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for a college student,” said Vander Bent, an accounting major, who will be helping to start the company from the bottom up with a budget up to 5 million dollars.
For more information about Cornerstone Career Services, visit www.cornerstone.edu/departments/career_services/.
