The Distinguished Speaker panel will be on Tuesday, Nov. 17. L to R: David Knoller, Bruce Gersh, Wendy Knoller and Louis Santor.

Three California State University, Northridge alumni will share their experiences working in the entertainment industry to launch this semester’s virtual Distinguished Speaker Series hosted by CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics on Tuesday, Nov. 17, online via Zoom.

The three will discuss how they built successful and diverse careers in entertainment, and what it takes to make some of America’s most successful productions.

“The Distinguished Speaker Series provides all CSUN students with an opportunity to learn from successful alumni,” said Chandra Subramaniam, dean of the Nazarian College. “This particular installment is different from past events in that we are having a panel discussion that features alumni in different majors across campus. Students will hear different perspectives in the entertainment industry with business being the core of the discussion.”

The panelists will include Chief Operating Officer of Village Roadshow Entertainment Louis Santor, who graduated from CSUN in 1989 with a bachelor’s  degree in Accounting; prolific television producer, director and writer David Knoller, who graduated in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre; and post-producer Wendy Knoller who graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and TV Production. The Knollers also run Knollwood Productions.

Attendees of the online lecture will hear behind-the-scenes stories about creating some of Hollywood’s most popular movies and TV shows, such as “The Matrix” film series, “Friends” and HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.”

The panel discussion will be moderated by CSUN alumnus Bruce Gersh, strategic advisor and former president of PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly, PEOPLE en Español and Four M Studios at Meredith Corporation. Gersh, who graduated from CSUN in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting theory and practice, is an Emmy-winning media and entertainment executive with experience spanning a broad range of business units, platforms and genres, and he was a previous speaker in the CSUN Nazarian College series in 2019.

For more information about the Nazarian College’s Distinguished Speaker Series or to register to attend the free event, visit https://www.csun.edu/busecon/events/distinguished-speaker-series-business-e….

CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, Distinguished Speaker Series