MANATEE -- USF Sarasota-Manatee has teamed with Sanborn Film & Television Institute, LLC to offer a master’s degree in business with a concentration in film and television production.

The focus will be on how to develop, market and finance film and television productions.

Dr. Robert Anderson, USF-SM’s dean of the college of business, and Ken Sanborn made the announcement today on the university campus.

Ken Sanborn is founder/chief executive officer of Sanborn Film & Television Institute, LLC as well as Sanborn Studios LLC, which has a facility in Lakewood Ranch and another closer to USF near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Sanborn said students will be brought into a “real-world environment” at his studio in Lakewood Ranch and that a classroom will be set up in his building by the airport.

Anderson said he expects the program will have 20 to 25 students and that the four-semester program will include a “300-hour practicum in the studio.”

The dean said they hope to start the program this fall, but issues concerning international students and their visas might delay the opening until next spring.

Wade Tatangelo, features writer/columnist, can be reached at (941) 745-7057. Visit his blog at Bradenton.com/blogs.