LED Invests in LSU Film and Television Program to Grow Louisiana Entertainment Workforce

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana Economic Development has awarded nearly $200,000 from the state’s Entertainment Development Fund to the film and television program at Louisiana State University to help grow the talent pipeline for the state’s film production workforce.

LSU will use the grant to expand faculty in its Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television program, which partners with the digital art program in LSU’s School of Art, and the digital media arts and engineering program in LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology. A new full-time faculty member will help advance the program into previously untapped arenas of digital and virtual filmmaking.

“LSU has been building one of the finest film and television programs, which ranks among the nation’s top 100 film programs and serves as a talent pipeline for Louisiana’s entertainment industry,” Josh Fleig, LED Chief Innovation Officer, said. “The state’s Entertainment Development Fund supports workforce development for the state’s entertainment industry through education and training programs. With the help of this grant, LSU will help to educate and train the next generation of film industry leaders in Louisiana.”

This three-year reimbursable grant marks the second Entertainment Development Fund grant received by LSU. In 2021, LED awarded LSU a five-year, $1.25 million entertainment workforce grant to create LSU’s virtual production program, a dedicated curriculum and production environment to cultivate a new generation of students fluent in virtual and augmented reality, emerging cinematic techniques, visual effects and digital animation technologies.

The virtual production program now impacts 15 courses and hundreds of students across disciplines, has served as a central asset in a winning Heisman campaign, hosts a children’s show and led to nearly $8 million in funding from NASA for a digital twin of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Through its film and television and virtual production programs, LSU aims to be a national leader in talent and technology development for the whole of the entertainment industry, one of Louisiana’s fastest-growing sectors.

“This grant recognizes LSU’s potential to become a significant hub for film and digital media training in the southeast,” said Dean Eric Lau, LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts. “LED’s support will ensure the School of Theatre and College of Music & Dramatic Arts can attract and retain talented student filmmakers to our program, addressing the need for a vibrant workforce for the growing film industry in Louisiana.”

Currently, Louisiana maintains about 10,000 jobs in the film industry and sees film revenues of almost $1 billion per year, making the state one of the fastest-growing and most stable environments for film production and film education in the U.S. In the past decade alone, Louisiana has been the production home to more than 400 motion pictures, as well as numerous television series and documentaries. Since 2002, the state’s skilled crew base has grown by more than 400 percent.

“We are so pleased to receive this significant investment from Louisiana Economic Development through the Louisiana Entertainment Development Fund,” said Kristin Sosnowsky, Executive Associate Dean of the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts and Director of the LSU School of Theatre. “This grant will allow us to add an additional faculty member in the area of film and digital media production and expand the enrollment capacity of our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television program to meet the high demand for film production training at LSU. Graduates from our program are workforce ready and active members of the community of film professionals in the state supporting this important driver of Louisiana’s economy.”

Through the Entertainment Development Fund created in 2017, LED has invested more than $9.1 million to date in education and workforce development programs at higher education and nonprofit institutions throughout Louisiana. The fund initiative earned top honors at the 2023 International Economic Development Council Awards ceremony in September, receiving a Gold Award for Innovative Programs and Initiatives as well as a nomination for Best in Show, recognizing the best economic development program in all categories.

About LSU

As the flagship university of the state of Louisiana, LSU challenges undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. Designated as a land-, sea- and space-grant institution and leader in research, LSU sees its mission as the generation, preservation, dissemination and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts. For more information, visit LSU.edu.

About LED

Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for driving capital investment,  job creation and economic opportunity for the people of Louisiana and employers of all sizes. Explore how LED is positioning Louisiana to win at OpportunityLouisiana.com.