Film and television producer Scott Steindorff joins ASU

This semester a group of art students and a group of film students in Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts will get the chance to learn from film and television producer Scott Steindorff.

After writing the stageplay for Las Vegas production "EFX" at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Steindorff, who studied theater production and real estate finance at ASU, moved to Hollywood to concentrate on producing. He established his own production company, Stone Village Productions. 

“Scott is a field leader in storytelling driven by vision and voice,” said Tiffany Lopez, director of the School of Film, Dance and Theatre. “He brings an extraordinary range of creative vision and industry expertise to our students and faculty; and as an alum, he is deeply invested in ASU and our students.”

As a professor of practice in both the School of Art and the School of Film, Dance and Theatre, Steindorff will give special lectures throughout the semester to two linked courses, one from each school. The students will join together for his lectures, which will cover immersive storytelling, the evolution of storytelling and how storytelling is changing.

“Scott is one of our most distinguished former students and has had an extraordinary career in Hollywood telling powerful stories,” said Steven J. Tepper, dean and director of the Herberger Institute. “He also deeply understands how the nature of storytelling is changing with new technologies, new platforms and new audience expectations. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn from and be inspired by a seasoned professional.”

Steindorff, who is currently executive producing the television series “Station Eleven” for the new streaming service HBO Max, said he plans to explore new and revolutionary ways of storytelling, including delving into immersive, mixed reality and digital art.

“I find teaching about narrative ingenuity so imperative,” he said. “I am particularly drawn to nonlinear story lines, which is the format that ‘Station Eleven’ has been written in. This is the sort of innovative, visceral emotion-evoking tactic that I hope to impart upon my students.”

Other topics Steindorff plans to explore include emotion/affect and art, creating digital worlds and digital art displays. 

“My field of expertise lies in guiding students toward being able to identify, understand, process and then verbally and visually describe their feelings,” Steindorff said. “This process can then be applied to cultivate any medium, whether it be video, painting, digital processes, performance art, etc.”

“This is an incredible opportunity for students working in a range of artistic mediums and formats,” said Joanna Grabski, director of the School of Art. “I am certain that Steindorff’s lectures will inspire our students to expand how they use imagery to express themselves and create emotional affect.”

In addition to “Station Eleven,” Steindorff was an executive producer on Jon Favreau’s “Chef,” produced the critical and commercial success “The Lincoln Lawyer,” and teamed with Paul Newman and producer Marc Platt to produce the award-winning miniseries “Empire Falls.” Other feature films Steindorff has produced include “Gimme Shelter,” “Penelope” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.” 

“One of the world’s fastest growing industries is in the production of digital art and digital storytelling,” Steindorff said. “I want to help answer that call by giving students the best tools possible to succeed in this field.”