Orange, CA (August 28, 2013) <\/b>\u2013 Academy Award\u00ae winning producer and President of Mandalay Pictures Cathy Schulman (\u201cCrash,\u201d \u201cThe Illusionist\u201d) and veteran Hollywood art director and set designer John Chichester are the two newest industry luminaries to join the faculty of Chapman University\u2019s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, recognized as one of the world\u2019s premier film schools.<\/p>\n
Every semester, Dodge College hosts an expert filmmaker to meet with and counsel 10 selected scholars, as part of its Filmmaker-in-Residence program.\u00a0Cathy Schulman has been named Fall 2013 Filmmaker-in-Residence.<\/p>\n
The popular program includes regular, bi-weekly meetings with the filmmaker in a one-on-one setting where the student and mentor have the opportunity to creatively develop a specific project throughout the semester. In addition, the filmmaker interacts with the larger Dodge College community at weekly dinners with the filmmaker open to students and at screenings of the filmmaker\u2019s films, which are followed by an in-class Q&A.<\/p>\n
John Chichester joins Dodge College as Associate Professor and Director of Production Design.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn brings a depth of industry experience and a passion for teaching that will play a key role in the continued development of our production design program in all areas, including art direction, color and set design, costume, and hair and makeup,\u201d says Dodge College Dean Robert Bassett. \u201cHe will make a qualitative difference in the production of all of our student films.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur students are truly fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from a producer with the incredible experience of Cathy Schulman, a producer whose films break new ground and whose leadership in the industry is an inspiration,\u201d says Bassett. \u201cAs President of Women in Film she is also a powerful role model for our women students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cathy Schulman became President of Mandalay Pictures in January 2007. She also sits on the Board of Mandalay Vision, Mandalay\u2019s independent financing and production label, where she oversees the division\u2019s creative affairs.<\/p>\n
Schulman just completed the Mandalay film \u201cHorns,\u201d directed by Alex Aja, starring Daniel Radcliffe, and based on Joe Hill\u2019s bestselling novel. Schulman also recently wrapped Marjane Satrapi\u2019s latest film \u201cVoices,\u201d starring Ryan Reynolds. She is currently producing \u201cDark Places,\u201d based on Gillian Flynn\u2019s bestselling novel, directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner and starring Charlize Theron.<\/p>\n
In 2012, Mandalay produced \u201cBernie,\u201d directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey. Schulman also produced the company\u2019s \u201cSalvation Boulevard,\u201d the faith-based hit \u201cSoul Surfer\u201d and the critically acclaimed \u201cThe Kids Are All Right,\u201d which was nominated for an Academy Award\u00ae in 2011.<\/p>\n
Previous to Mandalay, Schulman produced \u201cCrash,\u201d directed by Paul Haggis and starring Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, and Terrence Howard. Released in 2005 by Lionsgate, \u201cCrash\u201d collected numerous awards and nominations. In addition to Schulman receiving the film\u2019s Best Picture Oscar\u00ae in 2006, \u201cCrash\u201d received Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.<\/p>\n
In 2002, Schulman and Tom Nunan formed Bull\u2019s Eye Entertainment to produce independent\u00a0film and television content.\u00a0 Through this venture, Schulman produced \u201cThe Illusionist\u201d and executive produced \u201cThumbsucker\u201d <\/strong>and Lifetime’s drama series \u201cAngela\u2019s Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Schulman has served as producer on numerous additional projects throughout her career, including the documentary \u201cDarfur Now,\u201d \u201cGodsend,\u201d starring Robert De Niro,, and Edward Burn\u2019s \u201cSidewalks of New York\u201d as well as associate producing \u201cTears of the Sun\u201d starring Bruce Willis, \u201cIsn\u2019t She Great?\u201d starring Bette Midler and \u201cStriptease\u201d starring Demi Moore.<\/p>\n From 1998 to 2000, Schulman served as President of Michael Ovitz\u2019s Artists Production Group, where she supervised over fifty projects, including developing and securing financing for Martin Scorsese\u2019s epic drama \u201cGangs of New York.\u201d She also served as head of production for a joint venture formed between APG and media giant Studio Canal.<\/p>\n Other positions Schulman has held include VP of Production and Acquisitions at Sovereign Pictures, where she served as an executive on a slate of films that included \u201cMy Left Foot\u201d and \u201cReversal of Fortune\u201d; Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at the Samuel Goldwyn Company, where she was the executive on films such as \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing\u201d and \u201cThe Madness of King George;\u201d Senior Vice President of Production at Savoy Pictures; and President of Lobell-Bergman Productions at Universal Pictures.<\/p>\n Active in the industry, Schulman is the President of Women In Film, a Board Member of Film Independent and has served as a Council Member of the Producers Guild of America.\u00a0 She is also a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n John Chichester will bring more than 25 years of industry experience into the classroom. He has designed and supervised extremely large and\/or complex sequences and settings for major motion pictures including most recently Star Trek Into Darkness<\/i>, Tropic Thunder, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Book of Eli, Cowboys & Aliens, Get Him to the Greek, Spider-Man 2, World Trade Center, Jarhead <\/i>and Vanilla Sky<\/i>, to name a few.<\/p>\n In his years of experience in the industry, Chichester has collaborated with many award-winning production designers (Jan Roelfs, John Myhre, Dennis Gassner), directors (Oliver Stone, Robert Redford), and producers (Jerry Bruckheimer, J.J. Abrams, Ben Stiller, Trey Parker). In addition, he has worked with all of the major studios including Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, and DreamWorks Studios.<\/p>\n For TV, Chichester served as the production designer for PBS\/FOX\u2019s drama American Family<\/i> and as set designer for Paramount\u2019s Star Trek: Voyager<\/i> series.<\/p>\n Currently, he\u2019s in post-production for the biopic Nina<\/i> starring Zoe Saldana and the drama 47 Ronin<\/i>.<\/p>\n