UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and Keke Palmer launch 5-year artist-in-residence collaboration

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) is bringing Emmy winner Keke Palmer into its community fold for a new artist-in-residence program. Over the next five years, the multi-hyphenate star, entrepreneur and founder of KeyTV Network will visit campus for quarterly workshops. Palmer's UCLA residency will create opportunities for TFT students to develop original content for her digital media network, building on a shared conviction to uplift underrepresented voices.

Titled "From Blocking to Broadcast" the initiative launches in the 2026-2027 academic year, pairing TFT's leading production training program with Palmer's real-world mentorship. KeyTV's distribution platform will connect student work with real audiences. Each year, TFT students will develop and produce original multimedia projects through a fully sponsored studio course starting in 2027-28, guided by faculty and mentored by "The 'Burbs" star Palmer. Project formats will be selected in alignment with faculty expertise, curricular priorities and Palmer's areas of artistic practice, and may include video podcasts, television pilots, music videos and musical or dance theater.

In 2026-2027, Palmer will lead quarterly workshops covering pitching, distribution strategy, business ownership, career sustainability and personal brand development. KeyTV will distribute a minimum of three student projects annually, pending quality review, and will provide students with direct experience in packaging, marketing and digital audience engagement.

"UCLA TFT is a place where artists learn to be in practice, to experience trial and error, to take projects off the page," Palmer said. "That is also the mission of KeyTV. We know that education is key to democratizing opportunities and I am eager to both learn from and support UCLA TFT students. It is no small feat to pursue higher education, especially at a prestigious institution. I look forward to listening, encouraging and offering them more than one chance to succeed."

Founded by Palmer in 2021 and launched in November 2022, KeyTV is a digital media platform whose productions are 100% BIPOC-creator-led. In three years, the platform has produced 29 original projects and recently launched KeyTV Days at Special Academy, a six-week immersion program for young creatives from underrepresented communities.

"From Blocking to Broadcast" is designed to build on the shared convictions of TFT and Palmer at a critical moment. As generative AI reshapes production workflows and the economics of creator-driven media, this program positions students to claim those tools on their own terms.

"Diverse voices matter more than ever," said Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu. "People of color and the underrepresented have always made counter cinemas and birthed social movements grounded in cinema as technology of resistance. Bringing an artist of Keke's caliber into the spaces where our students are learning to develop their stories will inspire them to see and believe what is possible when you are willing to work hard and are committed to educating and uplifting one another. Keke Palmer has built a multifaceted career through tenacity and with the conviction that great artists create space for others to succeed alongside them, and that is one of the things we want our students to inhabit as they bring their stories to life. To develop their singular voices while collaborating with and lifting each other up!"