OFF CAMPUS on CW Philly

The Drexel student-produced sitcom "OFF CAMPUS" will begin its run on The CW Philly in November.

WPSG-TV (The CW Philly 57) has announced that it will air “OFF CAMPUS,” a sitcom produced by students in Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, as part of its programming this fall. All three seasons, including the premiere of season three, of the all-student production will air on The CW Philly from November 5-26.

“OFF CAMPUS” features the adventures and misadventures of recent college graduates and roommates Claire, Dean, Felix, Hailey and Nick. The new third episode finds the roommates’ lives disrupted by strange doings in a neighbor’s apartment.

Episode one will air Saturday, November 5 at 11:30 p.m. Episode two, which was recognized as a top student production by the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, will air on Saturday, November 12 at 11:30 p.m.  The third episode of “OFF CAMPUS” will premiere on Saturday, November 19 at 11:30 p.m. All three episodes will be aired in sequence from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 26.

“To say we’re thrilled is an understatement,” said Allen Sabinson, dean of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. “We’ve watched these shows since the beginning, and we knew they were good, but to be recognized by NATAS and CBS’s CW Philly 57 speaks to the talent, creativity and hard work of our students and faculty. I am extremely proud of these achievements and believe that our students and faculty are just getting started.”

“OFF CAMPUS,” an interdisciplinary project by students from the Department of Cinema & Television at Drexel’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, won an Outstanding Achievement in Student Production award from NATAS the organization that annually bestows Emmy Awards.

Perry Casciato, The CW Philly’s director of programming and an adjunct professor in Westphal’s Television Management program, is pleased that the student production will air on a broadcast station.  “After we screened ‘OFF CAMPUS,’ we felt the series deserved a larger platform and were delighted to have the opportunity to feature both the program and the talents of our community on The CW Philly,” he said.

The production of “OFF CAMPUS” uses an interdisciplinary approach that has students majoring in screenwriting & playwriting write scripts and film & video and television majors handle all aspects of production for the series. During the 20-week production schedule, students fulfill a variety of production roles including producer, director, gaffer, grip, audio engineer, lighting technician, camera operator and director of photography.  Interior design students serve as art directors; fashion majors oversee costumes and makeup; and students majoring in music industry create the score.

“Our goal is to make ‘OFF CAMPUS’ come as close to a professional network primetime production experience as possible for our students,” said Andrew Susskind, executive producer of “OFF CAMPUS” and television program director. “Our NATAS win was wonderful recognition and it’s an honor for a major network affiliate to choose to air our series. It is a privilege to work with students who are so creative, skilled and dedicated.”

Support from The Kal and Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies makes “OFF CAMPUS” possible.  Watch the first two episodes of “OFF CAMPUS” at: http://www.drexel.edu/westphal/portfolio/?pID=tele.