Producer Cathy Schulman, Oscar winner for Best Picture "Crash," headed back to her teaching duties as a visiting professor in UCLA's prestigious Producers Program in the School of Theater, Film and Television.

Between media interviews, party-going and negotiations for her high-powered entertainment company, Schulman must grade tests and teach students about plot, theme and how to pitch their own potential Oscar winners.

"I'm enjoying it immensely. It's been a great way to not just give back, but also to get reinvigorated myself and hear new minds ready to tackle this business," said Schulman about her work at UCLA.

"We are so proud of Cathy and all she's accomplished," said Barbara Boyle, veteran film producer and chair of the UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. "Cathy exemplifies the extraordinary individuals who are so dedicated to teaching in our program."

During the two-year producing program, graduate students develop feature-film and television projects under the guidance of such entertainment industry luminaries as 20th Century Fox co-chairman Jim Gianopulos, former studio chief Peter Guber and Sundance Film Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore.

"We asked Cathy to teach because of her remarkable range as a producer and the amazing quality of her projects," said Producers Program head Denise Mann. "And now, just a few days after winning the Oscar, she's back in the classroom, guiding the students who are lucky enough to be taking her course."

Schulman is a partner with Tom Nunan, himself a nine-year veteran instructor of UCLA's Producers Program, in Bull's Eye Entertainment. Among the company's current projects are a "Crash" television series with cable channel F/X; the feature film "The Illusionist," which just premiered at Sundance; and several other movies in various stages of production.

A graduate of Yale University, Schulman recognizes the importance of higher education and its contribution to one's success in the real world. She teaches future producers, creative executives, managers and agents in the Research & Development 1 course, which provides a roundtable forum for second-year students to develop their own projects. Through discussions with the instructor, classmates and various guests from the industry, students craft strategies and learn how to pitch and package a professional-level project with talent, seek financiers and buyers, and build a marketing and distribution plan.

A graduate-level curriculum culminating with an M.F.A., the Producers Program focuses on the business knowledge and experience needed to achieve artistic and professional success in the entertainment business. At the end of the two-year program, students are expected to pitch their final projects to top-tier industry professionals.

Schulman's students are unabashed fans of her work in and outside of class.

"Cathy has a deep-rooted love for cinema," said student Josh Mandel. "Her ability to adjust her business strategy and story development principles on a case-by-case basis to her students' projects reflects that passion."

Mandel's classmate, Balazs Juszt, agreed. "We are all in love with her ... She's humble, witty, smart and a savvy businesswoman. What more could you want in a professor?"

The UCLA Producers Program is a two-year graduate program designed for creative people pursuing careers as independent producers or studio or network executives. Unique in its combined emphasis on film, television and new media, the Producers Program offers a comprehensive set of courses covering development, packaging, financing, production, marketing and distribution. Taught by an extraordinary roster of top industry professionals, these courses provide firsthand knowledge of the contemporary realities of producing works for the entertainment market. Program faculty members include chair of the film, television and digital media department Barbara Boyle, Tom Nunan, Terry Press, Joe Roth, Tom Sherak and Sheila Hanahan Taylor.

Consistently ranked among the leading institutions in the nation, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television is unique in the world in that it brings together the arts of theater, film and television in one academic institution. UCLA's reputation as an outstanding training ground for the theater, film and television professions, and for critical scholarship is based on its long tradition of fostering creative growth, encouraging experimentation and ensuring artistic freedom. Many of the most respected names in the entertainment and communication arts, and the world of scholarship, are UCLA alumni.

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