Actor / Producer Jesse GrothOlson Joins HBU’s Cinema & New Media Arts Faculty

Cinema & New Media Arts | On Jul 08, 2014

Houston Baptist University is pleased to announce that this fall Jesse GrothOlson will be joining the faculty of HBU’s Cinema & New Media Arts program. With more than a decade of professional work as an actor and producer for the stage and screen, Mr. GrothOlson brings extensive real world experience to the classroom.

His career has taken him from improv performances in downtown Chicago to opportunities in film, television, web series, and commercials. Since 2007, Mr. GrothOlson has also collaborated with Cinema & New Media Arts program director Joshua Sikora on a variety of productions, including “Best Laid Plans” — an improvised sit-com produced and co-created by Mr. GrothOlson for Hulu.

Jesse GrothOlson has an MFA in Performance from Roosevelt University in Chicago and has taught acting and directing at multiple universities, as well as private coaching for actors in Hollywood. He is also well-versed in technical production for film and theater, serving as a production designer, stage manager, or lighting designer for more than 50 shows, films, commercials, and music videos.

With this breadth of experience, Mr. GrothOlson will provide HBU students with rich training in performance, directing, producing, and production design, with a particular emphasis on real world challenges and opportunities. He will also become the new faculty director of Rex Fleming Players, the University’s long-standing theater troupe.

“I’m thrilled to have Jesse GrothOlson joining our faculty,” said program director Joshua Sikora. “Not only is he one of the finest performers and storytellers that I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with, but he is also a fantastic teacher. I’ve seen actors and directors, myself included, grow considerably through his creative and patient training. I can’t wait for our students to benefit from his talents.”

Jesse GrothOlson will join Sikora and acclaimed artist-in-residence Doug TenNapel in HBU’s newly launched Cinema & New Media Arts program which began last year. The cutting-edge program offers HBU students dynamic training in the art of filmmaking and developing opportunities in media and technology. The program’s first year was a noted success, offering six courses in cinema theory, storytelling and screenwriting, film history, and a graphic novel course taught by Mr. TenNapel, an Eisner Award-winning comic book artist. This year, the program will expand to offer additional courses in mass media, video games, and web development.