Student-Produced Sitcom To Air On WPSG

CBS-owned CW affiliate WPSG Philadelphia (DMA 4) will air Off Campus, a half-hour sitcom produced by students in Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, as part of its programming this fall. All three episodes of the all-student production, including the premiere of season three, will air Nov. 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.

Off Campus uses an interdisciplinary approach that has students majoring in screenwriting/playwriting writing scripts with film/video and television majors handling all aspects of production. 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.

Off Campus won an Outstanding Achievement in Student Production award from NATAS.

“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.”

“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 the show 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 here.