By Benjamin Pola

SCA alumnus Kevin Feige ‘95, Producer and President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, has made a transformational gift to the School of Cinematic Arts’ Production Division, which is now known as the Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production. The endowment will provide a lasting source of funding for the School’s largest division.

Feige, a graduate of the Division of Film & Television Production and a member of SCA’s Board of Councilors, has become one of the most successful film producers of all time. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture for Black Panther (2019) and is known for frequently bringing fellow USC alumni onto his Marvel projects. Among those collaborators are Black Panther writer and director Ryan Coogler ’11, director Scott Derrickson ’95, editor Jeff Ford ’91, screenwriter Megan McDonnell ’16, writer-producer Jac Schaeffer ’04, and producers Mary Livanos ’14 and Brad Winderbaum ’05.

The School was founded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, led by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford and included some of its most prominent members, such as Irving Thalberg, Clara Berenger, Ernst Lubitsch, William Cameron Menzies, Cecil B. DeMille, and D.W. Griffith, as instructors. However, the division, which began as the Production Services Division in the 1950s, first gained prominence producing a series of lectures that aired on early PBS stations. One such film, The Face of Lincoln, a lecture on the art of sculpture, won an Academy Award in 1956. That success led to an ever-growing curriculum, including the establishment of CTPR 480: Advanced Production, a legendary narrative film workshop that continues to this day.
 

“Kevin Feige is, above all, a remarkable storyteller who brings innovative and impactful cinema to our screens, epitomizing the kind of film producer the School of Cinematic Arts strives to graduate,” says SCA Dean Elizabeth Daley. “He has also been a steadfast supporter of the School and its students. In every way he is an inspiration, and we are delighted as the School nears its centennial that the Division of Film & Television Production will carry his name into its next century.”

This marks Feige’s second major gift to the School. His first, in 2017, established the Kevin Feige Endowed Fund for Creative Producing, which supports a variety of courses and hands-on producing opportunities for students. Feige is also a familiar face in one of SCA’s most popular classes, Leonard Maltin’s legendary CTCS 466: Theatrical Film Symposium. He has visited the class more than 20 times to screen his films before their theatrical releases and to speak with students, sharing his insights and experiences with the next generation of filmmakers and industry leaders.
 

“USC’s School of Cinematic Arts is the original film school, a historic institution founded by cinema pioneers. It’s where everything began for me as a producer, following in the footsteps of my heroes and walking the same halls as the storied alumni who came before me,” says Feige. “That nearly 100-year legacy, and the community that defines USC, are why I’ve stayed so connected to the school and why I’m so passionate about supporting the next generation of filmmakers.”

The Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production offers comprehensive training in filmmaking across all mediums, from traditional production principles to the latest industry practices, including virtual production, AI, and other tools of immersive filmmaking. Students are guided by faculty who are accomplished, award-winning practitioners, as well as frequent guest speakers that include alumni and other celebrated production professionals.

Faculty members include producer Gail Katz (The Perfect Storm, In the Line of Fire), director Barnet Kellman (Murphy Brown, Something Wilder, Alias), director and actor Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats), and cinematographer Robert Yeoman (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Asteroid City, Moonrise Kingdom), among others. The Feige Film & Television Production Division is chaired by producer Susan Arnold (13 Going on 30, America’s Sweethearts) and enrolls approximately 215 students annually.

To learn more about the Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production, please visit: https://cinema.usc.edu/production/index.cfm