College Moves From Hollywood to Valley

Columbia College-Hollywood, a 45-year-old private nonprofit professional school for the film and television industries, has moved to Tarzana, school officials said.

The school’s new home is a 45,000-square-foot building at 18618 Oxnard St. formerly owned by Panavision, which assembled cameras at the site.

“It’s really a perfect fit for us,” said Harry Flynn, president of Columbia College. “They already had a screening room and a television stage that is much bigger than our old one.”

Flynn said the school had outgrown its old location on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. The Tarzana facility provides more classroom and studio space, which will enable the school to expand. Flynn said his goal was to double the school’s enrollment of about 200 students in three to four years.

Offering bachelor’s degrees in cinema and television, Columbia College trains its students, one-third of whom are from outside the United States, in the technical fundamentals of the industry. Classes are given at night to allow students the opportunity to work in the industry during the day.

“We like to say that we are the most hands-on film school in the world,” Flynn said. “Our students are very good filmmakers. They match up well with students from USC and UCLA and everywhere else.”

Columbia College opened its doors in Hollywood in 1952 as an offshoot of Columbia College Chicago. Since 1959, when it became independent, more than 2,000 budding filmmakers have graduated from the school. School officials said that “Hollywood” would remain a part of the school’s name.