Network Executive Disrupts Career to Lead Biola University’s New Film School

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Executive Vice President from AMC Networks, Tom Halleen, who led programming and scheduling for Emmy Award-winning television shows Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Walking Dead, has left AMC. Halleen is expanding his 30-year career in the industry to become the founding dean of the new School of Cinema and Media Arts at Biola University in Los Angeles.

After leading AMC Networks for nearly two decades with programming strategy, acquisitions and scheduling, Halleen will steer college students in their journey to working in the industry. Biola’s School of Cinema and Media Arts launched in 2018 and the appointment of Halleen is the successful conclusion of an extensive two-year search. Biola is a top film school as recognized by multiple industry-leading sources.

“We are so thankful Tom Halleen will lead Biola’s School of Cinema and Media Arts,” said Biola University President Barry H. Corey. “His credentials as a leader in the entertainment industry are impeccable and his appointment will be invaluable to our students as they pursue careers in the industry. This is a major step for our film school as we shape the next generation of students to be ambassadors of Christ who are excellent at their craft.”

Halleen was a key team member in the transition of AMC Networks into one of the most innovative cable networks on television in part through the launch of groundbreaking and Emmy Award-winning series. He led a 43-member programming strategy team across the linear and on-demand platforms for five of its entertainment services, including AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV and WEtv. Halleen has experience in all divisions of programming, including acquisitions, scheduling, development, production, operations, viewer services, research, legal, standards and practices, and promo/media planning. Together with his reputation for integrity, ingenuity, and transformative leadership, he’s uniquely qualified to lead Biola’s School of Cinema and Media Arts.

Halleen will oversee a team of nearly 30 faculty and instructors with credentials spanning from producers and directors in the industry to screenwriters and game designers. He will usher Biola into a new era of growth as the school launches new programs over the next five years in areas such as executive producing, directing, writing, short form production, game design and animation. Biola hopes to double the school in size to 750 students by 2027. He will also oversee the $76 million building project for the new school — a 50,000-plus square-foot facility that will house a 300-seat theater, sound stage, scoring stage, motion capture stage, Foley stage, color correction, mixing, recording and editing rooms, computer labs, three classrooms, and faculty and staff offices.

Biola’s School of Cinema and Media Arts has abundant opportunities for students, including several off-campus programs and an on-campus production center with almost $4 million worth of state-of-the-art equipment. Learn more about the school at https://www.biola.edu/film. Read Tom Halleen’s full bio at https://www.biola.edu/film/about/our-dean. Photos and interviews are available.

Contacts

Media Contact:

Jenna Loumagne

(562) 777-4061

jenna.loumagne@biola.edu