Arizona State University School of Film, Dance and Theatre

What Arizona State University School of Film, Dance and Theatre does

The Sidney Poitier New American Film School is a constituent academic unit of Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, delivering degree and non-degree programs in filmmaking and emerging media. The portfolio spans an undergraduate BFA in Film and Media Production, an MA in Narrative and Emerging Media delivered from the Los Angeles campus, minors in Digital Culture, Film, and Theatre, undergraduate certificates, open-enrollment continuing-education courses through Herberger Online, community classes, and summer programs. The undergraduate film-major enrollment exceeds 1,000 students, with more than 40% drawn from under-represented backgrounds.

The unit operates from three locations — Tempe AZ (instructional home), Mesa AZ (production-stage infrastructure at the MIX Center, opened 2023), and Los Angeles CA (graduate-level industry immersion, opened 2023) — giving students access to staged production facilities and direct Hollywood proximity. Beyond classroom instruction, the school runs the Borderlands Cinematic Arts Research program, signaling externally-positioned research activity, and staffs faculty drawn from academic and mid-career industry practitioners. Teaching infrastructure combines traditional filmmaking craft with emerging-media forms such as XR and digital culture.

As a constituent of a state-funded public university classified as a government entity, the school is funded primarily through tuition, state appropriations, and ASU's centralized budget rather than operating as an independent revenue-generating business. Standalone school-level financials are not reported and tuition flows through ASU. Competitive positioning leverages ASU's parent brand — ranked #1 on more than 30 national lists and named "Most Innovative School" by U.S. News & World Report — together with the Sidney Poitier naming rights acquired in 2021, which supply intangible brand equity beyond what a standalone film school would carry.

Name

Arizona State University School of Film, Dance and Theatre

Legal name

Arizona State University

Website

https://fdt.asu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arizona State University's Sidney Poitier New American Film School delivers undergraduate and graduate film and emerging-media programs across Tempe, Mesa, and Los Angeles, serving 1,000+ film majors with production-stage facilities and Hollywood-proximate graduate study.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Media Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Film, Television & Media Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animation, Game Art & Digital Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAI), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Multimedia Learning Production (Video, Animation, Interactive) (EDAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Film school education
• Media production degree
• Cinematic arts program
• Film graduate studies
• Film and media certificate

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Public university film school operating within Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Revenue generated through student tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sidney Poitier New American Film School is a public university film school offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs, minors, certificates, electives, community classes, and summer programs in film and media production. It operates across three locations—ASU Tempe campus (Arizona), the MIX Center in downtown Mesa (Arizona), and the ASU California Center in downtown Los Angeles (California)—serving more than 1,000 undergraduate film majors.

Product overview

The Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University is an educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of film and media degree programs. The school operates as one unified institution across three locations: the ASU Tempe campus in Arizona, the ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in downtown Mesa (a 118,000-gross-square-foot state-of-the-art facility), and the ASU California Center in downtown Los Angeles. The school provides undergraduate degrees (Film and Media Production), graduate degrees (Narrative and Emerging Media, MA), minors and certificates, elective courses, and community education programs. With over 1,000 undergraduate film majors, more than 40% from under-represented backgrounds, the school upholds Sidney Poitier's legacy of inclusive excellence in filmmaking education. Research programs include Borderlands Cinematic Arts, and the school offers summer programs and community classes alongside its degree offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film and Media Production (Undergraduate Degree) Comprehensive undergraduate degree program in film and media production, available across the ASU Tempe campus, the MIX Center in Mesa, and the ASU California Center in Los Angeles. Designed for aspiring filmmakers, storytellers, and digital media artists pursuing a four-year film degree at a public university film school.
• Narrative and Emerging Media, MA Master of Arts graduate degree program in narrative and emerging media, located exclusively at the ASU California Center in downtown Los Angeles at the heart of the entertainment industry. Designed for graduate-level students pursuing advanced study in narrative storytelling and emerging media.
• Minors and Certificates Minor and certificate credentials in film and media production for students seeking supplementary academic credentials alongside their primary field of study, available within the Herberger Institute.
• Film Electives Elective film courses available to students across the Herberger Institute who seek to supplement their primary field of study with film and media coursework.
• Community Classes Community education classes in film and media available for non-degree-seeking individuals through the Herberger Institute's resources for community members.
• Summer Courses and Programs Summer intensive courses and programs in film and media production offered for enrolled students and community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ undergraduate film majors enrolled
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising): FIDM is a sister institution within ASU's Herberger Institute focused on fashion and design. While not a direct film competitor, it is a peer in the broader creative-arts higher education portfolio and shares institutional resources.

Direct peers

• USC School of Cinematic Arts: USC's School of Cinematic Arts is the leading film school in Los Angeles with deep industry ties and a strong alumni network across Hollywood. It is the most direct peer given the LA-based competition for film students and faculty.
• Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts: Chapman Dodge is a major private film school in Orange County with strong industry placement. It competes for the same California-based film students and industry partnerships.
• Emerson College Visual and Media Arts: Emerson is a private college with strong film and media production programs in Boston and Los Angeles. It is comparable in scale and competes nationally for film students including transfer students.
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts: NYU Tisch is one of the largest and most recognized film programs in the U.S., competing nationally for top film applicants and offering comparable undergraduate and graduate degree structures.
• American Film Institute (AFI): AFI is a graduate-only conservatory based in Los Angeles focused on film disciplines. It is a direct peer in the LA market, especially for the school's Narrative and Emerging Media MA program.
• Columbia University School of the Arts (Film MFA): Columbia's graduate film program is one of the most prestigious MFA programs in the country and competes for top-tier graduate applicants, particularly those interested in narrative filmmaking similar to ASU's Narrative and Emerging Media MA.
• CalArts School of Film/Video: CalArts is a leading California-based arts institution offering specialized film, animation, and emerging media programs. It overlaps with ASU's emerging media curriculum and competes for artistically-minded film applicants.
• UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television: UCLA TFT is another premier LA-based film and media arts program with strong graduate-level offerings. It competes for the same applicant pool and industry placements as the Poitier Film School's LA campus.

Regional players

• Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television: LMU's School of Film and Television is another LA-area film program with industry connections. While based in a different LA neighborhood (Westchester), it competes in the same Southern California talent pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-state-university-school-of-film-dance-and-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arizona State University School of Film, Dance and Theatre