George Clooney opens new film/TV magnet school in LA

George Clooney opens new film school in LA

The actor opened Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, a new program at the Roybal Learning Center, in downtown LA.

LOS ANGELES - You can now add founder of magnet school to George Clooney’s resume.  

The actor opened Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, a new program at the Roybal Learning Center, in downtown LA.  

The specialized academy is designed to drive transformational change across the entertainment industry for students from underserved communities.  

The advisory board includes other actors such as Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria and Don Cheadle along with media partners Amazon, Disney and FOX.  

"If it works then we get to move this; we get to take it to NY, Atlanta, Chicago and we can very quickly change the face of our industry in a big way and that’s because all of you young people sitting here today who we are placing our hopes and dreams on," Clooney said.  

For sophomore Alina Salgado, who wants to be an actor, the new school is a blessing.  

"I actually grew up in kind of a sucky neighborhood and I feel like now I’m getting more opportunities thanks to George Clooney," Salgado stated.  

The focus is on the 65,000 below-the-line Hollywood jobs, like script writer or 3D cinematic artist, both careers junior David Flores is interested in pursuing.

"There’s not just the mainstream jobs everybody knows about," Flores said.  

The magnet school officially opened in August with 150 students.

"I believe they are already stars, they will become superstars because of the decision adults made to come together, carve out common ground and elevate their possibility," mentioned LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.  

Actor Don Cheadle says the best advice he would give students is to follow their dreams. "Follow your dreams and learn your skill. Don’t just have a dream without work. Don’t just wish on it work on it."