Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Belmont West program in Los Angeles Monday night with an event at 20th Century Fox studios. The celebration brought together Belmont representatives, alumni and industry partners to commemorate the program that provides students with opportunities to learn and work in the L.A. entertainment industry at record labels, television sets and movie studios.
Following the vision of Belmont benefactor and chairman of Curb Records, Mike Curb, Belmont University expanded its music business program from Nashville to Los Angeles with the launch of Belmont West in the spring of 1999. After several years of success in L.A., the Curb College branched out again in 2003, starting the Belmont East program in New York City.
“We all are very proud of the fact that Nashville has joined Hollywood and New York as one of the three major music centers in the United States,” Curb said. “The exciting part of the Curb College Belmont West and Belmont East programs has been opening doors to other music-related areas of the entertainment industry, such as film music, TV music and many other new music opportunities that exist on the East and West Coasts.”
Curb College students who enroll in the Belmont West program spend a semester in L.A. expanding their cultural experiences and career opportunities as they study with local industry professionals and intern in a variety of entertainment companies including 20th Century Fox, Electronic Arts, Disney, Curb Records, Chop Shop Records, New Line Cinema, Rogers and Cowan and many more. To date, 182 students have participated in the Belmont West program, and 196 Belmont alumni reside in the greater Los Angeles area.
“One of the great privileges of being part of the Belmont West program is watching the students blossom from eager learners to true leaders in the industry,” Tom Cavanaugh, 20th Century Fox senior vice president of business affairs and Belmont West professor, said. “I’m so proud whenever I get to interact with a Belmont graduate on a professional basis. It shows that this unique program works on every level.”
Classes like The Future of Music—taught by Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing for EA and president of Artwerk Music Group—exemplify the program’s exceptional curriculum. “Belmont West has provided my students and myself an opportunity unique to both academia and the music business,” noted Schnur. “Together we’ve created an exchange of innovative ideas that has turned our classroom into a veritable think-tank for the future of the industry. Best of all, we learn from each other. As a new member of the Belmont West team, I’m excited for the opportunity to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary with others who know and love what Belmont is doing here in L.A.”
