Chad Sustin is very familiar with Valley Glen. He attended nursery school across the street from Los Angeles Valley College and attended Grant High School next door.
Professor Sustin’s love for film began in 1983 when he watched E.T. in a theater with his mother, and felt so deeply moved that he knew he wanted to help others feel that kind of emotion through art. He began making movies with his sister and friends on his Fisher Price PXL 2000 camera, continued making films with friends though high school, then went on to college, working in production and development, with most of his experience in postproduction. Before becoming a full-time professor, he taught part-time while working at Technicolor on Sunset and Gower as a broadcast producer, helping complete the finishing process for television shows. Even while putting fifty or sixty hours a week in the industry, his mind kept returning to his classes, always thinking about how to bring what he did on professional projects into the classroom. He was later introduced to then Media Arts Chair Eric Swelstad, and their shared love of film and vision for the program made it clear that LAVC was where he wanted to be. He started as a Project MATCH intern in 2010, then taught as an adjunct until 2016 when he joined the department full time.
Today, Professor Sustin is very proud of LAVC’s Media Arts program. It offers a strong foundation in filmmaking and introduces students to various career pathways including cinematography, editing and color grading, producing, directing, screenwriting, visual effects, sound design, and its newest area of focus, virtual production. Due to significant growth, student showcases have increased from one event a year to three, as there are simply too many films to share in one night.
Looking ahead, Professor Sustin is both grateful and ambitious. His next dream is to see industry partners bring their productions into the college’s new Valley Academic and Cultural Center, rent stages and labs, and work alongside Valley students, so that they can gain direct experience and follow their dreams into Hollywood.
Meida Arts Chair Chad Sustin