Participant Media CEO Jim Berk has been appointed executive board chair of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Dean Teri Schwartz announced Jan. 15 — the same day Participant’s film Citizenfour was nominated for the best documentary Oscar. Berk has been on the board, whose 31 members include Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, since 2009.
“Jim is dedicated to education and the belief in the power of entertainment and performing arts education to drive social change,” said Schwartz. “I look forward to supporting Teri, the Board, and the school’s mission to foster social responsibility, global diversity, technology and innovation in the study of the arts that is uniquely available at UCLA TFT,“ said Berk.
Berk, who began his career in music education and was founding executive director of the Grammy Foundation, joined Participant Media in 2006. Since then, the company has expanded its slate of films (which include Lincoln, The Help, and An Inconvenient Truth), launched the TV network Pivot, created a Spanish-language film label, and expanded its website TakePart.com, billed as a “digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscientious consumer.”
