Specs Howard school expands curriculum, adds staff

metromode, 1/14/2010

This isn't your father's Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts anymore. Today, it's the Specs Howard School of Media Arts, reflecting an expansion of curriculum and staff.

The Southfield-based firm has traditionally been the go-to place to get an education for a career in radio or TV. That remains true today, but it is now becoming a place to pursue a career in film and video as the 40-year-old school expands into those emerging fields.

"There has been a growth in people who want to be re-educated," says Lisa Zahodne, president of Specs Howard School of Media Arts. "The main thing we want people to know is that we're not only broadcast anymore. We're growing beyond that."

The school has also opened a satellite campus in Farmington Hills, a 6,500-square-foot space at Grace & Wilds. Zahodne is also looking at opening a Macomb County location.

All of that extra space is helping Specs Howard accommodate its growing staff. The school now employs 85 people and 3-4 interns. It recently hired 15 people, including a few former interns.

"If they do well, they get hired into a position," Zahodne says.

Specs Howard currently has eight openings and expects to hire 12-14 people in 2010.

Source: Lisa Zahodne, president of Specs Howard School of Media Arts
Writer: Jon Zemke

Southfield , Farmington