Spring — 2005

Walt Altman

Academy of Entertainment & Technology

“I’m 52, not 22 and my real passion is to get back into the Industry. The Academy will help me get there because that’s where its teachers come from.”

He’s brusque and opinionated, and certainly not afraid to shoot from the hip. He’s been up… and he’s been down. But to talk with Walt Altman is to gain a sense of an overwhelming spirit of optimism and a ‘can-do’ mentality. Those on the rebound from career cataclysms will certainly relate. And those just launching their careers in TV and film will surely benefit from Walt’s worldly experiences.

“I’m part of the federal Work/Study Program, which was made for people earning less than $12,000 a year. These are tough times for white males over 40, especially if you don’t have a degree,” says Walt. “I worked for IBM 10 years ago, and then I went into the entertainment business. But that just seemed to die over the past couple of years. In the broad sense, I was a filmmaker. And I did a lot of work both in front and behind the camera,” Walt adds. “But since then I’ve been homeless twice, and I’m sick and tired of working for seven bucks an hour.” So Walt, with fierce resolve, made his way to SMC’s Academy of Entertainment & Technology, and is now aiming for USC or UCLA.

“As far as I’m concerned, the AET is the best-kept secret in Santa Monica. I mean, I’m taking the whole Macromedia suite: Final Cut Pro, Director, Flash, Dreamweaver. And it’s a perfect program for me because I get to use my computer knowledge and production expertise,” says Walt. “So far, it’s been all A’s.” Walt states, “The best thing about the Academy is that all the instructors come from the industries they’re teaching us about. But the students are also awesome. We’ve got a lot of gifted, hard-working, and dedicated people over here.”

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