LOS ANGELES—Emerson College Los Angeles holds a weeklong grand opening ceremony starting Saturday, March 8^th for its full-service, permanent campus in Los Angeles. The opening of the campus marks the first out-of-state college program to have a permanent campus in Los Angeles.

“The opening of this magnificent building on Sunset Boulevard makes a statement that Emerson is committed to the City of Los Angeles and to the entertainment and communication industries for the long term,” says Lee Pelton, president of Emerson College. “The work we do here will solidify Emerson College's reputation as the world's leading institution of higher learning in communication and the arts.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, 13th District Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, actress Jennifer Coolidge, actress Sofia Vergara and comedian Larry David are among the guestlist of city leaders, student parents and alumni to attend the opening gala on Saturday. The event will be the first of seven events during the weeklong ceremony that celebrates the new campus.

The 10-story facility features a sustainable design built to LEED Gold-certified standards. “The building is designed to expand the interactive, social aspect of education,” says architect Thom Mayne, who designed the campus. “We focused on creating with the broader community in mind—both in terms of public space and sustainable design.” To achieve LEED standards, the campus was built with recycled materials, water-efficient fixtures and high-performance glass. Mayne also created a tech-friendly environment with full-fledged equipment, including an open-air screening and live-performance space, a Dolby Surround 7.1 audio post-production suite, a 4K screening room and a planned green screen motion capture stage.

The new campus expects to enroll 200 students during fall, spring and summer terms. In addition to expanding the undergraduate program, the college will be offering post-graduate and certificate programs as well. “We intend to be fully engaged with the City of Los Angeles and specifically the Hollywood community. Community service will be a big part of the new Emerson College Los Angeles, says the college's founding director Kevin Bright.

Development in the Hollywood market is really growing. Earlier this month, Kilroy broke ground on the $380 million Columbia Square creative office project. It expects that the creative, tech and entertainment industries will continue to grow in Hollywood.