Craig Detweiler — a communication professor and director of the Pepperdine University Institute for Entertainment, Media and Culture — was recently recognized as Variety’s 2016 Mentor of the Year.
Detweiler was applauded for his unique philosophy, which encourages students to view the entertainment industry from an entrepreneurial standpoint and take a multidisciplinary approach. An article by Variety explained that Detweiler provides a traditional, hands-on education, along with what he calls “the creative disruption.”
“I try to disrupt people’s assumptions, and maybe force them to create out of their weakness, rather than their strengths,” Detweiler told Variety. “One of the most effective means of accomplishing this shift in focus is to require students to complete a creative project in a medium with which they have little to no experience. Though the first response is often ‘abject terror,’ the experience encourages students to abandon perfectionist ideas and to adapt in order to express their goals.”
The article highlights that many of Detweiler’s former students now occupy top positions in the entertainment industry, including “Short Term 12” director Destin Daniel Cretton and co-producer of “Trainwreck” and “Talladega Nights” Josh Church.