Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has provided his alma mater, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, with a “transformational gift” that will be used to establish the Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production, the same division from which the famed architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe graduated 30 years ago.
Feige’s endowment will “provide a lasting source of funding for faculty, students and programmatic support for the School’s largest, and the most well-known of its seven divisions,” according to the university.
The Feige Division will also provide “comprehensive training in filmmaking across all mediums, from traditional filmmaking principles to the latest industry practices, including virtual production, AI, and other tools of immersive filmmaking.”
“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,” said 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.”
Feige graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1995, having studied in the Division of Film & Television Production. The division was first established in the 1950s as the Production Services Division by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, then led by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.
The Division trains students in all the crafts and processes of film and TV production, with its most famous class being the decades-old Cinema 480 course. Along with Feige, Marvel creatives who have graduated from the production division include “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson, “WandaVision” writer-producer Jac Schaeffer, and producers Mary Livanos and Brad Winderbaum. Jon M. Chu, Robert Zemeckis and George Lucas are also famous alumni.
“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,” said 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.”
