Katz, of Greenberg Traurig LLP, made an undisclosed contribution to the KSU Foundation in early June, providing initial funding for the academic certificate program targeting business majors and music students interested in working in the business side of the entertainment industry.
"I decided in my field, it would be a nice thing if in my state there was a really first-class program in music education as well as entertainment education," Katz said. "I think the program is necessary, because if you live here you know how much entertainment is created here. It's created by people who have very little knowledge of the business side. They have knowledge of the creative side, but not of the business side."
The program will begin this fall and is a joint effort between the College of the Arts and Coles College of Business at KSU. Students will be able to earn a certificate in entertainment and music management while majoring in arts or business.
The program will require 24 hours of coursework, which is usually completed within two years, said Francis Harrison, a spokeswoman for KSU.
The program is designed for students already working on an undergraduate degree, allowing them to complete this certificate in addition to a bachelor's degree. Qualifying students must be at least a rising junior majoring in business, communications, sports management or the arts - such as music, music education or dance.
Dr. Dan Papp, KSU's president, said he was excited to offer students a program that merges both business and the arts.
"Atlanta is such a center for the entertainment and music business, it just made logical sense for KSU to have a certification in this area," Papp said. "A lot of the real exciting things ... are at these joint areas where you bring expertise from different disciplines together to serve the need of the community in economic development."
Katz, an internationally recognized entertainment attorney, said he chose KSU because he was introduced to Papp by his friend Dr. Bobbie Bailey, a longtime trustee and benefactor of KSU, and he liked Papp and some of his ideas for the university.
Katz has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 41 years and has represented entertainers such as James Brown, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Michael Jackson. He founded Katz, Smith & Cohen in 1971, and in 1998 the firm merged with Atlanta-based Greenberg Traurig. Katz is general counsel for the Recording Academy, special counsel to the Country Music Association, and also serves as a Music Industry Representative for the state of Georgia.
Papp said that he began talking to Katz and Bailey along with several other KSU officials about the possibility of a certification program a year ago or more. Katz said he plans to reach out to people who are already in the entertainment business to help KSU grow its program, so that one day there is an actual degree at the university.
"This has been in gestation for a year or year and a half," Papp said. "It's been a long process to get to where we are. We're just really excited that Joel Katz has stepped forward and that Bobbie Bailey has been such a good friend to the university."
Post a Comment
Follow us on Twitter!