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Fast Facts of the NYU Global Network

While it is impossible to fully capture the breadth of the NYU global network, we rounded up some fast facts about the academic sites and cities where NYU students can study away. Whether they land at one of our three degree-granting campuses in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai or at our sites in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, DC, NYU students will have a rich academic experience supported by the University. Our newest site, NYU Tulsa, will officially open in spring 2025. Select students went to NYU Tulsa in spring 2024 for Alternative Breaks as well as during the summer for internship experiences.

The following information is accurate at the time of publication in fall 2024, but it is representative of a moment in time, so some information may change. 

NYU Abu Dhabi

students sitting on a bench across the water from the Abu Dhabi skyline

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 123*
Average class size: 16*
Number of courses available: 600+*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.90†
City population: ~600,000‡

NYU Accra

Ghanaians walking in front of the Black Star Gate in Accra

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 14*
Average class size: 5*
Number of courses available: 12*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.90
City population: ~1.9 million

NYU Berlin

Students walk up steps with the Berlin Cathedral in the background

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 77*
Average class size: 11*
Number of courses available: 30*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.06
City population: ~3.5 million

NYU Buenos Aires

Students walking around Buenos Aires. A San Telmo is in the background.

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 47*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 27*
Number of residence halls: 1, however, most students live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.76
City population: ~13.1 million

NYU Florence

Students stand and chat. The city of Florence is in the background.

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 351*
Average class size: 24*
Number of courses available: 60*
Number of residence halls: 4, plus the option to live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.54
City population: ~350,000

NYU Londonˣ

People in Trafalgar Square with Big Ben visible in the distance

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 495*
Average class size: 22*
Number of courses available: 97*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.36
City population: ~8.9 million

NYU Los Angeles

Students sit on the lawn in front of the Griffith Observatory entrance

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 35*
Average class size: 11*
Number of courses available: 13*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69
City population: ~3.8 million§

NYU Madrid

Students walk down a cobblestone street

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 284*
Average class size: 23*
Number of courses available: 51*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.92
City population: ~3.2 million

NYU in New York City

Students in autumn walking in Washington Square Park with fountain spray in the background

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 535*
Average class size: <30*
Number of courses available: 2,500+*
Number of residence halls: 11°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69
City population: ~8.3 million§

NYU Paris

Smiling students with Notre Dame in the background

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 257*
Average class size: 15*
Number of courses available: 68*
Number of residence halls: 3, plus the option to live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.13
City population: ~2.1 million  

NYU Prague

Three students walk down a cobblestone street. A building with spires in the background.

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 88*
Average class size: 8*
Number of courses available: 50*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $2.46
City population: ~1.1 million

NYU Shanghai

Students walk along the Bund across from the Pearl Tower in Shanghai

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 95*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 250+*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.95
City population: ~22.3 million

NYU Sydney

Students in front of the Sydney Opera House

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 38*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 13* (Access to dozens of University of Sydney courses also available through direct enrollment.)
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.24
City population: ~4.6 million

NYU Tel Aviv

Students sitting in front of palm trees and a building with a white spire in Tel Aviv

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 16*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 14*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.82
City population: ~430,000

NYU Washington, DC

Students in autumn walk along a Washington, DC, street

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 68*
Average class size: 17*
Number of courses available: 17*
Number of residence halls:
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69
City population: ~680,000


°Additional student housing facilities are obtained as enrollment demands.

Based on coffee prices in each country as of February 6, 2024 (Coffeestics.com)

Based on city population numbers (PopulationStat.com)

ˣNYU London’s average number of students is anticipated to grow next semester due to the global site’s move to a larger academic center in the fall 2024 semester.

Repurposed with permission from NYU Global Notebook

Global Programs Booklist

Inspired by the first NYU Bookstore display collaboration between the Office of Marketing Communications and the Office of Global Programs, this list of books representing NYU’s global locations promises to broaden your perspective and enrich your knowledge.

NYU Abu Dhabi

Temporary People book cover featuring illustration of a variety of human silhouettes placed over a grid of linesTemporary People
By Deepak Unnikrishnan

The skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai are recognizable around the world by their resplendent glittering towers—but how did they get there? Deepak Unnikrishnan, an Indian-born writer raised in the United Arab Emirates and associate arts professor of literature and creative writing at NYU Abu Dhabi, knows the answer: a foreign labor force was brought in to construct them. Using a series of clever and surreal linked stories, Unnikrishnan gives voice to a humanitarian crisis that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. 

NYU Accra

The Hundred Wells of Salaga book cover featuring an illustration with two brown heads with eyes closed among greenery and pink flowersThe Hundred Wells of Salaga
By Ayesha Harruna Attah

Based on a true story, The Hundred Wells of Salaga tells the tale of two women from very different backgrounds whose lives converge in an unexpected way. It’s a novel that will entangle you emotionally, while offering you crucial insight into precolonial Ghana, particularly the slave trade and its impact on a people.

NYU Berlin

No Photos book cover featuring the title in pink over a black backgroundNo Photos on the Dance Floor! Berlin 1989–Today
Edited by Heiko Hoffmann and Felix Hoffmann

History books offer what we think is a full story, but this photography book provides a peek into the city’s after-hours culture through the club scene that blossomed in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s not only a delightful visual romp but also a history book in its own right, telling the story of a city in transformation, one party at a time.

NYU Buenos Aires

The Aleph and Other Stories book coverThe Aleph and Other Stories
By Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges might seem like an obvious choice for Argentina—for a country that produced so many famous writers, he is arguably the most famous. Still, who can deny this selection? The brilliant, inventive tales of The Aleph and Other Stories will surprise and stimulate, and they are must-reads for diving into Argentine culture. Borges, after all, makes magic happen in the most unexpected ways.

NYU Florence

The Monster of Florence book cover featuring a close-up image of Giambologna's The Rape of the Sabine sculptureThe Monster of Florence: A True Story
By Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi
 
The Monster of Florence has developed a bit of a cult following in recent years, and for good reason—it’s a wild ride. American Douglas Preston moved to Florence with his family and quickly discovered that their olive grove was the site of one of Italy’s most infamous double murders. As he works with investigative journalist Mario Spezi, a Florentine, to get closer to the truth, things really begin to spiral. The Monster of Florence is a propulsive thriller that offers valuable, and often shocking, insight into the Italian justice system. 

NYU London

White Teeth book coverWhite Teeth
By Zadie Smith

White Teeth is a rare novel that is entertaining while simultaneously layered with so much richness, one might want to read it all over again as soon as it’s over. Starting with two unlikely friends whose stories blossom into a poignant yet funny family saga, Zadie Smith’s debut novel keenly witnesses the immigrant experience in London, traveling to other continents as well while navigating the relationship between tradition and change.

NYU Los Angeles

Slow Days, Fast Company book cover featuring a distorted image of a womanSlow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A.
By Eve Babitz
 
This slim book offers stories as wild and wanton as Los Angeles itself. Unapologetically hedonistic, Slow Days, Fast Company is also a clever, windy ride through the Los Angeles of the 1960s and 1970s. It has all the usual Angeleno archetypes, but Eve Babitz elevates them with her incisive and acerbic insights into life in Hollywood. Isn’t it funny that, decades later, so much has changed but so much remains the same?

NYU Madrid

Ghosts of Spain book cover featuring images of SpainGhosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past
By Giles Tremlett
 
Worth a read to understand a post-Franco Spain, Ghosts of Spain is a well-rounded, curious, and admittedly fun romp through the country, albeit prompted by the author’s questions about its devastating civil war. British author Giles Tremlett combines keen cultural reporting with memoir and quirky sidebars that add levity to what begins as a serious interrogation. While it’s intellectually critical, it’s also a love letter to Spain. After all, there’s a reason Spain is Tremlett’s adopted country.

NYU Paris

The Years book cover featuring an image of a woman looking at the viewer with the silhouette of a person looking down a hallwayThe Years
By Annie Ernaux
 
Annie Ernaux’s whole oeuvre is masterful, but many critics cite The Years, first published in 2008, as her magnum opus. In this brilliant collage of a memoir, Nobel Prize winner Ernaux examines her life and the generation that she grew up in, favoring “we” over “I.” The result is a personal history tied to the collective experience of a generation in France during the 20th century. Ernaux weaves her memories into a story that offers cultural notes on topics from consumerism and immigration to unemployment and the threat of nuclear war.

NYU Prague

Havel: A Life book cover featuring an image of Václev Havel with his hand atop his headHavel: A Life
By Michael Žantovský
 
In many ways, Václav Havel’s life mirrors the zeitgeist of Prague: it’s political, literary, antiauthoritarian, surreal, and somehow, even at its most serious moments, darkly humorous. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because Havel, like the city itself, was a complex figure. Michael Žantovský was a trusted friend, so this biography reads as an intimate and true portrait (faults and all) of a man loyal to his people, his values, and his art. Žantovský succeeds in showing the many dimensions of the iconoclast—playwright, political dissident, prisoner, president—who, in the end, was just as human as the rest of us.

NYU Shanghai

Shanghai Future: Modernity Remade book cover featuring the Shanghai skyline at nightShanghai Future: Modernity Remade
By Anna Greenspan

This brilliant book contextualizes China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city through the lens of modernity. Author Anna Greenspan, an associate professor of contemporary global media at NYU Shanghai, reexamines the changing landscape of the city as it steps well into the 21st century and takes its place on the world stage.

NYU Sydney

Mirror Sydney book cover featuring illustrations of Sydney's placesMirror Sydney: An Atlas of Reflections
By Vanessa Berry

A fun and unexpected romp, Mirror Sydney takes us on a tour of the harborside city via engaging essays and clever hand-illustrated maps. Based on a blog Vanessa Berry started more than a decade ago, Mirror Sydney is clearly more than a mere guidebook—it’s too much fun to be that typical. Moreover, it tends to direct the reader to the kinds of places the average tourist wouldn’t care to know about or explore anyway.

NYU Tel Aviv

The Bibliomaniacs book cover featuring colorful, balancing rectanglesThe Bibliomaniacs: Tales from a Tel Aviv Bookseller
By J.C. Halper

On Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, J.C. Halper—originally from New Jersey but now an Israeli for four-plus decades—runs the city’s most popular secondhand bookshop, containing a dazzling 60,000 books. And in 2022 he published this book of clever, often funny short stories from the point of view of a shop owner. While the stories are allegedly fiction, one can’t help but wonder if we’re learning more about real locals than the author lets on.

NYU Washington, DC

Lost in The City book cover featuring a black bird silhouetteLost in the City
By Edward P. Jones

It’s a joy to read anything by Edward P. Jones, the gifted, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer. His debut collection of short stories, Lost in the City, is no exception and first cemented his literary reputation. These 14 tales tell the everyday encounters and struggles of Black citizens in Washington, DC. But Jones has a gift for making even the most mundane situation meaningful, and his rich, textured stories give weight to life’s most quotidian moments as viewed through the lens of the Black experience in the nation’s capital.

Written by Marti Trgovich

The New Now Summit: Informing and Inspiring NYU Los Angeles Students

Last semester NYU Los Angeles presented The New Now Summit, bringing actors, writers, educators, artists, executives, and creative technologists together to discuss the future of filmed content and how technological, societal, and market forces will affect it.

Alex Winter, Oscar Sharp, Lindsay Nuon, Gabriel Barcia-Colombo and Dan O’ Sullivan seated onstage in conversation.

Tisch alumni, filmmaker and actor Alex Winter moderates a panel entitled AI Created Entertainment, Inherent Bias and Opportunities for Change, featuring Tisch alum Oscar Sharp, cybersecurity expert, Lindsay Nuon, and Tisch faculty Gabriel Barcia-Colombo and Dan O’ Sullivan.

NYU Los Angeles sponsored the event with help from a Global Opportunity Grant awarded by the Office of Global Programs. With additional funding from the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology, the NYU site felt that they could produce and facilitate an event to meet the moment(s) of the evolving Hollywood landscape. From technological influences on storytelling and inclusive representation to the value and exploitation of intellectual property (IP), the NYU Los Angeles team knew what they wanted conversations to focus on. The summit addressed several driving questions: How can diverse voices be supported and amplified if prebranded or known IP is necessary to break through the media clutter? If tech is created with the inherent biases of humans, how can it be inclusive? And, with these things in mind, how can one ethically work with technology in creative industries?

The summit audience, seated, clapping and smiling.

Fall 2023 NYU Los Angeles students in the audience

Thought leaders from NYU’s campus in New York City, including Dr. Charlton McIlwain, vice provost and professor of media, culture, and communication at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Gabriel Barcia-Colombo, associate arts professor in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts; and Dan O’Sullivan, associate dean of the Tisch Institute of Emerging Media, were among panelists who informed and inspired audience members. In fact, much of the audience were students from the NYU Los Angeles fall 2023 cohort. For Zoë Bolden, a Film and Television major, the most impactful panelist was Kelly Mi Li. “It was interesting to hear how she took an idea she had in 2013 and turned it into the Bling Empire, which premiered in 2021,” Zoë says. “It was inspiring to see how she never gave up on her idea. My favorite piece of advice was when she said you should always stay true to a project that you have created.”

Though the industry is ever-changing and challenging, students left the event emboldened for the future. Luke Nguyen, an NYU Abu Dhabi student majoring in Film and New Media, says he learned that “Opportunities will always show up when I show up. Don’t be afraid to fail; we get better when we fail. Know that failure is taking us where we need to be.” Zoe Stevens, a Theatre major from Tisch, adds, “There will be a lot of ‘nos’ before ‘yes.’ I have to fight for the rooms I am supposed to be in. I can start that by surrounding myself with good people who lift me.”

Repurposed and edited with permission by NYU Los Angeles

NYU Los Angeles: One Day, Two Lives

Angel, a junior majoring in Politics with a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology, and Mariajose, an NYU alum, share their experiences at NYU Los Angeles. Their stories especially focus on the required internship component that is designed to enhance classroom learning and prepare students for careers in entertainment and media.

The NYU Los Angeles Mentorship Program: Partners in Line Producing

The NYU Los Angeles Mentorship Program gives students the opportunity to be paired with a mentor working in their field(s) of interest. The pairs have at least three one-on-one meetings throughout the semester, and all mentors and mentees are invited to a networking event at the end of the year.

Mentorship pair Mattison Lewis, Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2021, and Franny Baldwin, Tisch Class of 1992, instantly clicked. Due to their shared dedication to careers as line producers, their kinship is a wonderful success of the program. Not to mention it led to Mattison landing a job at Netflix working with Franny.

Matty and Franny smile together at the camera

Q: Mattison, do you have any advice for students coming to NYU Los Angeles?

Mattison: I would tell them something that Franny tells me all the time: don’t be so hard on yourself! I can be very hard on myself when I make a mistake, but making mistakes or having multiple interests is natural in any career. My second piece of advice is to give grace to yourself and other people. Every job is an opportunity to learn, grow, and reflect on what went well and what you want to carry to your next job. And my final piece of advice is to not only maximize your time with your mentor but also appreciate all the time and advice they give you.

Q: What do you think made this mentorship so successful?

Mattison: Franny was so generous with her time. I appreciated this so much, since I have a huge desire to be a line producer. In addition to asking her questions about what I was working on, I shared production books and budgets for projects with her. Before I met Franny, I felt like I was flying blind or always divided in my attention and interests in film and television. But she takes to heart everything I say and bring to the table, and I try my best to reciprocate that attention.

Franny: I was very excited that Mattison was actually interested in learning how to line produce. I assumed we would meet every other week and I would teach him different skills and parts of being a line producer. I didn’t anticipate that we would end up spending so much time together just talking and learning about each other’s lives and families and really connecting.

Q: How did this mentorship evolve into a job?

Franny: When Mattison was hired for his first production coordinator job, we texted and spoke frequently while he was on location. I was very impressed with how he was handling the job. Even though I already knew I wanted to work with him, it became clear to me he would be a fabulous asset to any production. 

Then Netflix approached me about their Emerging Talent program. They wanted to hire someone who was already working in production in their chosen field but would benefit from additional opportunities aimed at reaching their next career level and/or building their professional network. Mattison was a perfect fit because our show was scripted and all of his prior experience was in unscripted work. He did a fabulous job on the show. When it was over, we all wondered how we would have done it without him!

No Business Like Show Business: Internships at NYU Los Angeles

Sean sits on a couch across from his supervisor as people walk by in the background

Sean discusses a project with his supervisor at Atlantic Records

While attending NYU Los Angeles, students from across the University enroll in the Experiential Learning Seminar. Taught by entertainment and media industry professionals, the seminar focuses on key areas like production, business, and criticism. A requirement of the NYU Los Angeles program, the seminar pairs classroom learning with real-world experience to integrate professional development and relevant research and debate and expand students’ understanding of how these industries work.

Discovering New Aspirations

Sean Kelly, a Music Business major and recording artist, has always been interested in the arts. In his first year at NYU, he fell in love with the business side of the industry while learning about record contracts and royalties. He knew NYU Los Angeles was the right place to augment his academic work with professional experience. As soon as Sean was admitted to the program, he applied for internships at his dream companies, one of which was the Warner Music Group. Atlantic Records, a label under Warner Music Group, hired him, and he was thrilled to be a sales and streaming intern.

Sean Kelly Portrait

Sean Kelly

Sean worked with various departments to ensure projects were ready for release and tracked streaming performance across channels. “Sitting in meetings gave me the scoop on how different departments function,” he says. “Communication and flexibility are huge skills to have in the music industry, and they’re ones I developed on the job.”

The internship reinforced Sean’s love for the music industry, but it also taught him about new positions and departments he didn’t know existed. “I definitely have new aspirations because of my deeper understanding of how labels operate,” he says. “I left LA with new career prospects and goals as well as completely new passions and interests.”

Building a Network

Margo Resnik portrait

Margo Resnik

Margo Resnik, Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2022, majored in Cinema Studies and knew she wanted to work in the film industry. But she also craved a role that would include analysis and history. After transferring from a community college in Santa Monica, CA, to NYU, she spent a year in New York City and then realized NYU Los Angeles would be a better fit for her goals: to be close to the film industry and graduate early.

Finding an internship in the competitive Los Angeles market wasn’t easy, but Margo credits NYU Los Angeles with making the process as smooth as possible. “They have a running list of new and upcoming postings that is updated daily, and they use every connection they have to help introduce you to different companies and people,” she says. Margo’s hard work and patience paid off when Artist Publishing Group hired her as a marketing intern last fall. During the internship, Margo learned many practical skills, but the relationships she formed were more important to her. “My boss was so incredibly helpful,” she says. “I’m still in contact with him, and he regularly reaches out to see how I am doing and provide me with leads for potential jobs. The entire experience has shown me there are people in this industry who truly want to help you.” 

Written by Kristin Maffei

NYU Los Angeles Presents: The Hollywood Climate Summit

At the intersection of entertainment and environmentalism sits the Hollywood Climate Summit. Produced by NYU Los Angeles, along with the social impact agency Young Entertainment Activists (YEA!) and Netflix, this year’s conference brought activists, performers, content creators, and young creatives together to address the entertainment community’s role in combating climate change.

Logos of organizations that sponsored the 2021 Hollywood Climate Summit

Over fifteen organizations sponsored the 2021 Hollywood Climate Summit

From September 23 to 26, 2021, attendees gathered to discuss the industry’s collective responsibility to enact more sustainable practices and increase accountability in the face of the climate crisis. The summit, now in its second year, combined virtual and in-person events, examining topics such as climate storytelling, eco-influencing, and sustainability across film, music, and gaming. However, NYU Los Angeles’ Program Director Nina Sadowsky notes, “The Hollywood Climate Summit is not just for Hollywood people. It’s about how anyone can advocate anywhere. In today’s world, NYU students aren’t just hoping to succeed in the industry—they’re trying to change it.”

NYU Los Angeles, launched in the fall of 2019, is the newest NYU global site—but its students are determined to make an enduring impact. Each semester, the program welcomes advanced students interested in pursuing careers in entertainment, media, music, technology, and broadcasting. Through a combination of rigorous coursework, experiential learning opportunities, and one-on-one mentorship, NYU Los Angeles acts as a professional bridge for students launching their entertainment careers.

The program’s partnership with YEA! provides students with networking and career-building opportunities that support social justice and global transformation. The greater NYU arts community is also involved in a variety of environmental efforts, having recently joined the Green Film School Alliance, a collaboration of leading film schools dedicated to incorporating industry-level sustainable production practices into their programs. As an alliance member, the NYU Tisch School of the Arts made a commitment to take specific actions to reduce the impacts of physical production on the environment, share best practices, and further sustainable initiatives. Moreover, Tisch is set to pilot a green production program this fall.

The first Hollywood Climate Summit was an exercise in creativity. Launched mere months into the COVID-19 pandemic, it quickly shifted from an in-person event to an online one. Despite a few technical hiccups, the event was a great success. “We were only able to accommodate maybe 150 people in person,” Sadowsky explains. “But, and here’s the really beautiful thing, by doing it virtually, we actually reached over 15,000.”

This past year, summit highlights included interactive panels with filmmakers, environmentalists, and politicians as well as an outdoor screening of the documentary Youth v. Gov, directed by Christi Cooper. Small workshops, one-on-one networking with industry leaders and activists, and virtual vendors and job fairs rounded out the four-day event.

Panelists and guests included actor Rosario Dawson, Netflix sustainability officer Emma Stewart, and Democratic Senator of Massachusetts Ed Markey. The summit also featured several eco-influencers, known for their eco-friendly social media posts. These included Leah Thomas, founder of @intersectionalenvironmentalist, and Isaias Hernandez, environmental educator at @queerbrownvegan. “Storytellers have a unique power to shape the culture,” Sadowsky concludes. “You’re not powerless. Every single one of us can do something that will affect change. And art can change minds and hearts in a way that argument cannot.”

Content adapted with permission from MeetNYU by Dana Guterman.

NYU LA’s Program Director Nina Sadowsky Launches New Book

 

“The book was fueled by my rage about a post-truth society, in which facts are no longer facts, science is under attack, and behaving with honesty and integrity seems downright quaint,” said Nina Sadowsky author, film producer, and program director of NYU Los Angeles about the inspiration for her latest book, Convince Me

Examining a man’s death, Convince Me reveals the deeply-held secrets that are intrinsic to the psychosis of an unrepentant pathological liar. An author of psychological thrillers, Sadowsky noted that she uses writing to process her own “fears and furies about the world.” It was the current political context that sparked her interest in exploring “what makes a sociopath in the age of untruth?”

She explained that once she began pondering the construction of sociopathy and proliferation of untruth, “the plot for the book came into my head like an arrow, right down to the final twist!  Trust me, this is unusual; my normal process involves plodding along like a mule, as I outline, revise, and revise yet again and again. But with Convince Me, I felt clear with purpose and feverish with the need to write. And I did so, in explosive bursts whenever I could scratch out even a few minutes. It felt like I pulled that arrow right out of my forehead and into my computer one inch at a time. I realized that through the writing I was exorcising my rage.”

Preparing to write Convince Me involved extensive research. Sadowsky explained that “research is always one of the best parts of writing a book, because I get to take a deep dive into new arenas.” To develop the background knowledge for particular aspects of the storyline, Sadowsky examined “Virtual Reality technologies and their implications for both gaming and medicine, as that tech is important to the plot.” Creating the main character’s psychological profile required extensive study of a range of mental illnesses. Probing the symptoms and outward expressions of psychological disturbances enabled her to flesh out the “narcissistic pathological liar whose funeral opens the book. Which is not a spoiler! As soon as I created the character of Justin Childs I knew I wanted to kill him before the story began so he would be unable to deflect or defend himself as the truth about him is exposed.”

Launching Convince Me during a pandemic required Sadowsky to adapt the way she would typically publicize a new book. “Normally a book launch includes talks at bookstores (I launched The Empty Bed at the NYU bookstore in New York last February) and speaking at libraries or conferences.” While the live events she had planned in connection with Convince Me were cancelled due to COVID-19, she worked with her publisher to quickly pivot to online platforms. 

“I’m doing virtual events hosted out of New York, Rhode Island, San Diego and Indiannapolis. I’m appearing on podcasts and writing articles for appropriate publications (all of which is the norm, but all of which also takes on special significance now). When the Killer Nashville conference was cancelled I recorded a special video for Nashville’s Parnassus Books, the city’s preeminent Indie bookstore. Social media has played a big role in all book sales since it came on the scene and that is truer than ever now. Book people are fierce! They love books and they love to promote them on social channels; the blogger community is key. The release of a book is much like everything else these days; we have our assumptions about how things work upended and then we try to be flexible and adapt.”

As an educator, Sadowsky said that she hopes her work will spark discussion. “I recognize that there is often not one absolute truth in any situation as perspective is always a factor, but there is absolute value in honesty, integrity, and respect for facts.”  

Find Convince Me here. And learn more by reading the Book Club Kit which includes questions that readers may ask themselves about their own relationship to lying and liars (as well as recipes, cocktails, and Sadowsky’s Top Ten Songs about Liars and Lying Spotify Playlist). 

 
 
 
 
 

NYU Los Angles Launches Inaugural Discovery Sessions

Next month, NYU Los Angeles will be launching a series of talks and presentations for NYU alumni, led by industry experts who will cover a range of topics in media and entertainment. The Summer 2020 Discovery Sessions will launch Monday, June 1, and are geared towards professionals looking to expand their knowledge base and community in highly specialized arenas. 

The series will debut with two free special webinars (information below), that are “being offered in the spirit of creating community and opportunity to the entire NYU community,” said NYU Los Angeles Program Director Nina Sadowsky, who created the Discovery Sessions. In addition, two spots in each of the series’ paid sessions will be offered free of charge to applicants who have been laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 virus. More information on these scholarships is available here

The Business: Snapshots of the Current Media and Entertainment Landscape from the Professionals Who Run It 

Monday, June 1 • 3pm PDT/6pm EDT

Through a series of TEDTalk-style presentations, participants will learn how organizations are responding to the unfolding economic challenges presented by COVID-19. Professionals in fields ranging from film, television, music, podcasting and more, will share their perspective on how the business has shifted and their outlook for the near future.

This event is produced in collaboration with NYU LA, the NYU Production Lab, the Wasserman Center for Career Development, and the Tisch Office of Career Development.

Career Strategies for Creatives

Wednesday, June 3 • 3pm PDT/6pm EDT

What is it like to start your career in the middle of an economic downturn? What strategies can you employ to stay productive, build your network and continue to pursue your creative passions? This special panel composed of Tisch grads that entered the workforce during the 2008/2009 recession will share their experiences and expertise in pursuing a career in the arts despite a difficult economic climate. Panelists will include representatives from different areas of the industry.

This event is produced in collaboration with NYU LA and NYU Tisch.

Download (PDF) the session brochure and schedule  below.

Hollywood Digital Climate Summit: May 16, 2020

 

On Saturday, May 16th, NYU will be partnering with YEA! (Young Entertainment Activists) to bring you the Hollywood Digital Climate Summit! 

Designed to educate and activate young entertainment professionals and college students about climate change, the Hollywood Digital Climate Summit will bring the brightest minds from entertainment and advocacy together. From 11:00 am- 6:30 pm PST, YEA! and NYULA will provide attendees with the tools they need to actually implement sustainable measures within their everyday lives/jobs. Plus, NYU students get tickets for free with the special promo-code YEA-NYU.

Featuring, Cynthia Littleton (Variety, Business Editor), Heidi Kindberg (HBO Green), Bruce Miller (Showrunner, The Handmaid’s Tale), Gloria Calderón Kellett (Showrunner, One Day At a Time), Melissa Sun (Sierra Club), Atossa Soltani (Founder/Director, Amazon Watch), Favianna Rodriguez (Artist/Activist), Jamie Margolin (Founder, Zero Hour), Kevin Patel (Founder, One Up Action), Jen Welter (First NFL Female Coach), Josh Fox (Filmmaker), Laura Bell Bundy (Actor/Musician/Activist), and more to be announced soon!

 The Summit will be packed with interactive, action-oriented content to keep you engaged and a part of the conversation with live industry guests. 

Get your tickets to the Summit now! Or, check out all the ways you can get involved as a volunteer and apply to volunteer today!