The School of Theatre, Film & Television is thrilled to announce FTV LA, our new base in Los Angeles made possible by our partnership with Film Independent.
FTV LA will host alumni talks and film screenings, creating opportunities to connect with fellow alumni, at Film Independent headquarters (5670 Wilshire Blvd, 9th floor).
Join us on February 21 for Alumni Spotlight: Perspectives on Production with Justin Dobbles (’03) (VP of Physical Production at Disney) and Shawn Florchak (’11) (Director of Production at FX Networks). An RSVP is required to attend.
Justin Dobbles joined Disney Entertainment Television in October 2024 as Vice President of Production. A seasoned production manager, studio executive, and producer with more than 20 years of experience in television, he currently oversees scripted projects for Hulu, Disney+, and ABC Entertainment. Before joining Disney Entertainment Television, Justin held production executive roles at major studios and networks including ABC Signature, ABC Studios, Discovery Channel, and TLC. In 2007, he became a production executive at ABC Studios, overseeing scripted comedy and drama for five years before transitioning to independent producing in 2012. He later joined Discovery Channel, where he managed domestic and international unscripted productions across its networks. In 2017, Justin moved to Hulu as Vice President and Head of Production, leading both scripted and unscripted programming. There, he oversaw the company’s expanding slate of original content and spearheaded strategic planning and production infrastructure initiatives. Originally from Illinois and Michigan, Justin now resides in Castaic, California, with his wife, Dee Marie. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 2003.
Shawn Florchak graduated from the School of Theatre, Film & Television in 2011, beginning his career with internships at 20th Century Fox and The Donners’ Company. While at Fox, Shawn worked on the feature film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and later transitioned into an Assistant role within the studio. Shawn has spent the last 12 years with the physical production team at FX Networks, working on a variety of hit series including: Shogun, Alien: Earth, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, What We Do in the Shadows and Reservations Dogs. In his current role, Shawn provides budget oversight on domestic and international projects, while managing the production processes through all stages of development.
FTV LA is a TFTV partnership with Film Independent made possible by the Hanson FilmTV endowment.