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Posted on December 3rd 2012 in Announcement

Comedian, writer, producer and this year’s host of the Oscars®, Seth MacFarlane, came to TFT in November to serve as surprise guest professor on mtvU’s Emmy®-nominated "Stand In" series.

mtvU followed MacFarlane as he travelled to the UCLA campus to stun a class full of students during Professor Denise Mann’s "Overview of Contemporary Film Industry" course.

During the class, MacFarlane announced "The Oscar® Experience College Search" presented by The Academy® and mtvU, a national search for the next generation of Oscar® hopefuls. College students who are interested in pursuing careers in film – writing, directing, producing, acting and more – are encouraged to vie for an opportunity to appear live onstage to deliver Oscar® statuettes to telecast presenters. In addition to appearing on the Oscar® show, winners will be flown to Los Angeles and provided hotel accommodations.

MacFarlane is the latest cultural luminary to participate in mtvU’s "Stand In" series. Each edition of the program features a guest professor teaching a class unique to his or her experience and background. Previous participants include Madonna, Kanye West, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, John Legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Russell Simmons, author Tom Wolfe, rapper Nas, Senator John McCain and Sting.

"In re-imagining what we want the Oscar® show to be, we wanted everyone appearing on that stage to feel a deep commitment to film and its legacy, and most importantly, its future," said telecast producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. "That was the impetus in creating this special honor for young film students who will inspire a new generation to create the films that will be honored in the future."

The Oscar® Experience College Search will be featured on The Academy®’s Facebook page and will run through January 19, 2013. To enter, college students need to demonstrate they’re destined for the Oscars® by completing the Academy®’s entry form and uploading a video answering the question: How will you contribute to the future of movies? The producers of this year’s Awards show will ultimately pick a minimum of six winners, who will be flown to Los Angeles to participate in the 85th Academy Awards® on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center.

"For a film student to go to the Oscars® and be a part of presenting is a huge break," said MacFarlane.

MacFarlane wrote, directed and provided the voice for the title character in the feature film "Ted," which has grossed over $500 million worldwide, making it the top-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time. He is an Emmy® Award winner and all-around entertainer best known as the creative force behind the television series "Family Guy." MacFarlane also serves as executive producer, writer and voice actor on the animated series "American Dad!" which he co-created, and is currently executive producing "Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey," a 13-part series updating Carl Sagan’s iconic exploration of the universe as revealed by science.

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