| IAIA and TV Networks Launch New Center |
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| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | |
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INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN INDIAN ARTS AND MAJOR TELEVISION NETWORKS LAUNCH AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONAL CENTER FOR TELEVISION AND FILM March 26, 2008--Taking a lead role in developing entertainment career opportunities for Native people both in front of and behind the cameras, the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Development ("IAIA") has partnered with ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in establishing the American Indian National Center for Television and Film. According to Dr. Robert Martin, President of IAIA, the center, located at Los Angeles' historic Prospect Studios "will serve as a bridge between Native American talent and opportunities in the entertainment industry. From independent producers to filmmakers, editors, screenwriters and actors, the center will foster professional development and industry networking." The country's major broadcasters - ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC - have joined IAIA to underwrite the cost of launching the center and will provide their expertise to support the goals of the center. The center will be a shared resource for American Indians, Alaska Natives and the entertainment industry. Serving as an open door for those seeking a career in television and film, the center will strive to increase employment opportunities, enhance career development and provide access at all levels in the entertainment industry. The programs, workshops and other offerings of the center will be a natural extension of many of the diversity initiatives already in place at the various networks. Those initiatives will now be enhanced through the educational outreach to the American Indian community of IAIA. In a joint statement the four network partners said, "We are proud to join together with IAIA on this historic outreach. This is an affirmation of our shared belief in the importance of diversity. The intent of this initiative is to increase the presence of American Indians in all aspects of our industry." IAIA Academic Dean, Ann Filemyer elaborated on the center's equally important role as a resource for entertainment industry professionals. "Whether the focus involves personal stores, cultural histories, or present-day realities, the center extends IAIA's mission of empowering the arts and cultural, as well as professional, lives of all American Indians." Dr. Martin also announced that Jhane Myers (Comanche Nation) has been named Executive Director of the American Indian National Center for Television and Film. Her credentials include serving as publisher and editor-in-chief of Oklahoma Casinos & Entertainment magazine, founding Jhane Myers & Associates, a public relations firm handing tribal and community matters on local and national levels and working as a motion picture publicist. Herself a beadwork artist, Ms. Myers recently served as community cultural consultant representing the Southern Plains in the National Museum of the American Indian's exhibition "Identity by Design." _______________________ The Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development (IAIA) is a multi-tribal center of higher education dedicated to the preservation, study, creative application and contemporary expression of American Indian and Alaska Native arts and cultures. Located on a modern, 140-acre campus approximately ten miles south of downtown Santa Fe, IAIA serves full-time and part-time students through programs in contemporary and traditional studio arts, creative writing, Indigenous liberal studies, museum studies, and new media arts. Established in 1962, IAIA includes the Center for Arts and Cultural Studies, IAIA Museum, and the Achein Center for Lifelong Education, Research & Cultural Exchange. An accredited tribal college, IAIA awards both four-year Bachelors degrees and two-year Associates degrees. Visit www.iaia.edu or contact the Campus Information Line at 505-424-2300.  |
Iain Blair
James Thompson
Dyana Carmella
