News Release Archive
News Releases Index FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. COC-08-069
January 17, 2008 Managing Director Named at Performing Arts Center
College of the Canyons has announced that former Santa Monica College arts administrator Adam Philipson is the new managing director of the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center (PAC) at College of the Canyons. Philipson, who holds a master of arts in organizational management with a special customization in arts management from Antioch University, reported to his new position on Jan. 2. He replaces outgoing theater manager Karen Schmidt, who relocated to Nevada. "I had the opportunity to tour the Performing Arts Center when it first opened and have since seen some performances in it and have been able to watch how well it has served the community. 've been absolutely impressed with how well it's run," Philipson said. "I see this as a great opportunity to help take the PAC to the next level, and that's really exciting." Philipson has an extensive 16-year professional acting background that includes roles in several Off-Broadway performances, two national tour theatrical productions, and one Broadway role with more than 400 performances as Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound." He has appeared in more than 100 national and local television and radio commercials and more than 25 episodic television programs and feature films. He worked at Santa Monica College (SMC) since 1999. During his tenure at SMC, Philipson held a number of different positions but most recently served as both the assistant director of the Madison Project at SMC, the non-profit operating entity of the college's $45 million performance and visual arts center, and managing director of the Madison Performance Series and accompanying youth arts education programs. As part of his duties at SMC, Philipson was responsible for producing all of the Madison Project's performance-related and fundraising activities, providing oversight of the theater's $2.4 million annual operational budget and accompanying district departmental and foundation budgets, as well as the coordination and booking of all artists for the SMC Performance Series. "Mr. Philipson's professional experience made him a very strong candidate for this position," said Dr. Floyd Moos, dean of fine and performing arts at College of the Canyons. "Our hiring committee was especially impressed with his passion for theater administration and arts education and his commitment to community involvement and community-outreach programs. We strongly believe he will be an asset to the continued development and success of our Performing Arts Center, the college and the Santa Clarita Valley community." Responsibilities of the PAC managing director include the planning and executing of all fundraising, marketing, promotional, public relations and communications programs in support of the facility, the booking of talent for the "COC Presents" professional and academic performance lineups, and the oversight and implementation of the PAC's short- and long-term business goals and educational/entertainment objectives. While at SMC, Philipson was involved in a number of community-outreach and arts-education programs, including collaborations with the Los Angeles Opera Company and The Museum of Tolerance, to offer an after-school Opera Camp and the development of various K-12 arts education programs and performances in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. "We created and administered a program where we provided kids who wanted to learn to sing opera with in-depth training and work with Los Angeles Opera artists and directors," Philipson said about the program in which students eventually performed an opera originally written and performed inside the Terezin concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic during World War II. "That was a really wonderful and rewarding collaboration to be able to bring three major institutions together like that," Philipson said. "And it was a very rewarding and profound experience for the kids. They just had an amazing time." As part of the arts education partnership between SMC and the Santa Monica-Malibu district, Philipson helped coordinate a series of educational arts performances for students of all ages to attend throughout the school year. "There are many statistics showing what happens to students when they are versed in the arts and educated in the visual and performing arts standards," he said. "As arts education funding continues to be cut in local schools, performing arts centers have increasingly been stepping in to fill that role, so working with the local school districts here in the Santa Clarita Valley is something that I'm absolutely excited about." Philipson seems most excited about the opportunity to build on the tradition of industry excellence already established by College of the Canyons, the PAC and its staff. "What I was really drawn to about College of the Canyons and the Performing Arts Center is that the facility is being used by professional groups, by the college and by the community, and that blend is really attractive," Philipson said. "One of the things I tried to do at Santa Monica College was to find new and interesting ways to work with students and partner with faculty, so I'm really excited about developing that type of synergy with the students, faculty, staff and surrounding community here at COC." Note to Editors: A photo of Mr. Philipson is available upon request. | 
