Students from Carol’s Producing Practicum at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), which she co-taught with Samantha Hagemeyer:
From Fall 2025:
Carol Baum’s Producing Practicum has been unlike any other class I’ve taken at SCA. It’s the only course that truly bridges the gap between academia and the real film industry, and in this note I want to express just how essential that has been for my education. Carol draws from her decades of firsthand experience to show us what the industry really looks like behind the curtain which gives a more grounded and practical understanding than anything else in the program. Her willingness to share her personal journey, her successes, her challenges, and the lessons she learned along the way has been genuinely life-changing.
The guest speakers she brings in are extraordinary. Because the class size is small, we as students get to engage with these guests in a far more intimate and meaningful way than any large SCA lecture could ever allow. It creates an exclusive environment that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else at the school.
Carol and Samantha are exceptionally caring educators. They devote so much time to our assignments, offer thoughtful feedback, and take genuine interest in our individual goals. Their passion for teaching is unmistakable, and the impact they make on students is enormous.
Carol’s class is essential to SCA. It is one of the few courses that truly prepares students for the world we hope to enter. Having a producer like Carol Baum at USC is a privilege. She represents the kind of mentorship and industry expertise that make our film school exceptional.
From Fall 2023:
I cannot tell you how many times I have told people “Carol’s class is the only thing from USC that prepared me for post-grad”. I felt so much more well-equipped than friends who didn’t take your course. Because of you and your guests, I now understand pitching, packaging, coverage, the importance of working at an agency, and how to leverage proof-of-concepts, festivals, and writing competitions to position myself early on as a writer and director.
Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge, your time, and your connections. I was always inspired by the confidence and grace you brought to every lecture, and I remain endlessly impressed by your story and your enduring career. I am so grateful that I had the chance to learn from you.
From Spring 2023:
Your class was one of the most important things from my time at USC and was, without question, my favorite. Most classes here teach students how to make or analyze films, but very few teach us how to talk about them in a meaningful, professional way. While much of the SCA curriculum focuses on history and craft, your class is the only one that truly prepares students to use those skills in the industry.
When I began looking for internships, you were the first person I went to for guidance because you understand how executives, assistants, and agents actually operate. You teach students how to enter the workforce with the same professionalism expected of industry peers, not just as film students.
Your class is also a joy to take—engaging, practical, and unlike anything else offered at SCA. It provides real-world skills like script coverage, interviewing, pitching, and networking—things most students don’t learn until they’re already on the job. I genuinely believe students who take your class are better prepared to start working in entertainment than those who don’t. You’re an experienced producer with invaluable insight, and it’s a privilege to learn from you.
Thank you again for everything.
From Fall 2025:
Carol’s class was one of the highlights of my semester. Her and Sam’s lectures were always insightful, informative, and of the moment. Everything we learned was so practical and valuable for the art of creative producing, and they always encouraged meaningful and critical class discussions. I really appreciated the diversity and variety of the guests that came into the class. Everyone spoke with such sincerity and candor and were always open to our challenging industry-related and personal questions — it gave me hope, confidence, and inspiration for my future. I would definitely recommend her class to production students, and am so grateful for the opportunity to learn from her and Sam and their speakers!
From Spring 2024:
I can attest that the Practicum in Producing was genuinely the only undergraduate class that truly prepared me for the realities of working after college. Carol’s insight into, and experience within, the business continues to be invaluable and entirely shaped my understanding of how to approach the job market upon graduation. No other course in the undergraduate program prepared students in this way. I am deeply grateful to have had the privilege of learning from Carol and her teaching assistant, Sam, and, thanks to the opportunities Carol offers outside of the classroom, I continue to rely on her for guidance and advice today.
From Fall 2025:
In addition to Carol’s staggering wealth of knowledge and experience drawn from decades of producing movies in a variety of different genres, ranging from the commercial to independent world, each guest she had come in gave us volumes of useful information about the business. I feel that this class out of all the others I’ve done at USC has prepared me best for actually entering the film industry by getting a job and making a living, showing me what my life will look like post-graduation. Carol and Samantha were also kind enough to offer their students one-on-one meetings at their office in Beverly Hills – something which I took advantage of and found of immense value since they were able to offer strategic advice tailored specifically for me. I am very grateful for having been part of this course.
From Spring 2025:
Hi Carol and Sam,
Thank you both so much for such a wonderful semester. Your class is one of the best I’ve taken at USC. I truly learned so much, and I’ve started producing and love it, whereas before I didn’t know if that would be a path for me. Carol, benefitting from your wealth of knowledge and your taste in films and people was incredibly inspiring, I deeply appreciate the fact that you took time to be with us each week. Connecting with the guests was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
From Fall 2025:
Carol’s class was a wonderful exercise in marrying our ambitious and creative instincts with a pragmatic approach to the industry. Something you’ll hear film students complain about is the lack of focus and support for finding an industry job, and that was a primary driver of this class. Carol was a knowledgeable instructor with tons of experience in pitching, development, funding, production oversight, and seemingly everything else; all of which she passed onto us. Carol’s class was one of the most informative (and fun!) classes I’ve had the pleasure of taking at USC, and cannot recommend other students enough to take her class.
From Fall 2025:
Out of all the classes I’ve taken, Carol Baum’s producing class offers real-life lessons that have made me feel more prepared for a career outside of USC. What makes her an exceptional professor is her extensive career in developing classics such as Father of the Bride, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more. Her experience as a producer has set the standard of success for my classmates and me. To be able to learn firsthand from her career has allowed me to better understand the film industry and our future careers. Whenever any of my classmates ask for a recommendation for a Producing Practicum, I’ve always recommended Carol as a professor due to the invaluable lessons I’ve taken from her class. Her lectures as well as her guest speakers offer knowledge that makes my education at SCA much more worthwhile to my growth as a student. I know that I am a better filmmaker because of what I’ve learned from her class.
From Fall 2025:
Thank you all for such an incredible class this semester. I constantly talk with my classmates about how legendary this class was, and we all seem to agree that this was one of the best classes we have taken at USC.
From Spring 2025:
Your class was one of my favorites I took at SCA!
Other testimonials from AFI, etc.:
Carol Baum could out produce anyone on this board in her sleep. She gets the job done in spades and people like her. – Educator
Your respect for writers and your enthusiasm for movies is inspiring. I’ve had several experiences in which the people I met with did not share those attributes! – Writer
I appreciate your time, your words of encouragement, wisdom, loyalty and grace. – Writer
It was a pleasure to know a producer who loves and champions the written word on the perilous journey from script to screen. – AFI student
Your enthusiasm and love for movies is incredibly refreshing and inspiring even for those of us who want to be agents! – AFI student
Your honesty, openness and gentle guidance made your class a wonderful experience. – Peter Stark program
Your class was the most educational and entertaining of all my classes. – AFI student
Your taste, and the quality of your work, is very motivating and something to aspire to. I was glad to hear about your personal fulfillment on top of such a great career. – AFI student
Your development class has been simply amazing. Your wisdom and insight have taught me more then any other class and have given me a whole lot of confidence and information that will help me as I enter the “real world”. – Peter Stark Program
Thank you for teaching me perseverance. It is the most important lesson I’ve learned. – Former assistant