Sept. 25, 2026
AURORA, Colo. — The Community College of Aurora (CCA) remains committed to its Cinematic Arts department amid upcoming improvements to the department’s academic pathways and following recent news about future redevelopment of the Lowry Campus.
CCA will begin offering stackable certificate pathways that align with new financial aid requirements and the evolving film, media, and content-creation landscape. The department plans to launch these programs in the spring 2027 semester.
Lowry Studios, located at the Lowry Campus, is the home of CCA’s Cinematic Arts department. It includes one of Colorado’s largest educational sound stages and a dedicated virtual production environment.
At CCA, we have the privilege of watching learners turn their creativity into purpose,
said Michelle Pacheco, CCA’s Interim Vice President of Academic Success. Cinematic Arts provides a space where talent can grow, stories can take shape, and learners can gain the knowledge and experience needed to build sustainable careers. We’re committed to helping every learner move forward with a clear educational pathway and strong opportunities for future employment and success.
The department currently serves more than 200 students and provides hands-on filmmaking experience, access to professional production technology, and opportunities to work with industry partners. Students begin creating films during their first semester using more than 15,000 pieces of professional equipment.
Building Programs for the Future
The department’s new certificate pathways build upon and maintain the hands-on production experience that has long fostered success for Cinematic Arts students. CCA will soon begin offering these certificate pathways:
- Content Creator Certificate
- Digital Filmmaking Certificate, including pathways in acting, directing, screenwriting, and producing
- Digital Post Production Certificate
- Cinematography / Videography Certificate
The Content Creator Certificate is perhaps the most obvious result of a curriculum designed for the modern career landscape. It will prepare students for today’s creator economy by combining creative storytelling, video production, marketing, platform strategy, and emerging technologies.
The Digital Filmmaking Certificate will consolidate the current writing, directing, acting, and producing credentials into one certificate.
The Digital Post Production Certificate will develop the technical and creative skills necessary to transform filmed material into polished professional content. It will provide hands-on experience in the creative and technical processes of filmmaking and transforming filmed material into polished professional content.
The Cinematography / Videography Certificate will provide comprehensive training in camera operation and visual image capture for narrative, corporate, commercial, and digital media projects.
Students already enrolled in existing Cinematic Arts programs will have the opportunity to transition into the redesigned programs or complete their declared degree or certificate through CCA’s teach-out guarantee. CCA’s Academic Success, Student Success, and Financial Aid teams are actively providing individualized guidance throughout the transition.
CCA’s commitment to Cinematic Arts remains strong. Our responsibility is not simply to preserve programs as they have existed in the past, but to continually strengthen and evolve them so our students are prepared for the industries and opportunities of the future,
said CCA President Dr. Mordecai Brownlee. The next several years represent an exciting opportunity to thoughtfully shape the next chapter of Cinematic Arts at CCA.
Cinematic Arts Continues at Lowry Studios
The future of CCA’s Cinematic Arts department is separate from the future of the building where it is currently housed.
Cinematic Arts has operated at the Lowry Campus for over 20 years, but CCA does not own Lowry Studios. The college leases the facility from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). While CCCS determines the future redevelopment plan of the campus, Cinematic Arts courses and studio operations will continue as normal at Lowry Studios.
CCA anticipates having approximately five years to thoughtfully determine the department’s location and facility needs. During that time, the college will continue investing in Cinematic Arts programming, student experiences, and partnerships while evaluating what the next generation of Cinematic Arts education should look like.
Programs Built on Student Success and Industry Experience
CCA’s Cinematic Arts department has built a reputation around experiential learning and opportunities for students to develop professional portfolios before graduation. In 2024, CCA appeared on Variety’s list of top film schools in North America, recognizing the department’s emphasis on hands-on production experience.
For years, our students have learned by doing; making films and working with professional equipment,
said Stacey D’Angelo, CCA’s Dean of Academic Success in Creative Enterprises. Our students have also worked with industry and community partners like SeriesFest, Aspen Film, PBS12, the Colorado Tourism Office, and the Colorado Office of Film, Media and Television. Because of these partnerships, students graduate with real production experience behind them. That is what we are carrying forward.
The most recent Cinematic Arts sizzle real highlights some of the most impactful student film work from the spring 2026 semester.
CCA students have created work that reaches audiences through theatrical exhibitions, premiere events, broadcast opportunities and commercial distribution. Through a longstanding partnership with Toyota, students have produced professional commercial content used in advertising campaigns. Since 2014, that work-based learning opportunity has helped bring student productions to television, digital media, social media and advertising audiences regionally and nationally.
Partnerships with local media organizations have further expanded opportunities for student filmmakers. Rocky Mountain PBS streams multiple CCA-produced independent films on their app, including ”Fly Away With Me,”“Grocery Trip,”“Sean & The Ramblings Of A Sculpture Artist,”“Six Nights,” and “Stereo Psychosis.”
What has always made Cinematic Arts at CCA special is that students make films here,
said D’Angelo. We tell stories, and at the most diverse college in Colorado, those stories come from an incredible range of experiences and perspectives. Our students learn from faculty who are, themselves, working industry professionals. They bring their expertise into the classroom and devote their time to training the next generation of filmmakers.
The trailer for “Piggy Duster.” CCA alumni created the independent film.
Cinematic Arts students and alumni also contribute to professional productions beyond the college. CCA alumni created the feature-length independent film “Piggy Duster,” which has screened and received awards at multiple independent film festivals and progressed to theatrical and digital distribution. These experiences demonstrate how CCA students can carry the technical skills, portfolios, and professional relationships developed through Cinematic Arts into Colorado’s filmmaking community and beyond.
Looking Ahead
Great things are happening in Cinematic Arts, and these successes are built on more than two decades of evolution and growth. The department has evolved alongside the industries its students aspire to enter. That evolution continues today through redesigned academic pathways, industry partnerships, professional learning opportunities, and the work of students, alumni and faculty.
As plans for the future of the Lowry Campus develop, CCA will use the coming years to thoughtfully plan facility changes for Cinematic Arts while continuing instruction and studio operations at Lowry Studios. CCA remains committed to the department, the students it serves, and the industry partnerships that have helped make it successful. The location may evolve, but the college’s commitment to preparing the next generation of filmmakers, storytellers, and creative professionals remains firmly in place.
About the Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]