
Meet the 2023 Spotlight Academy Inductees
Shining the Spotlight on Alumni
Samantha, Phillip, Jeff and Paquita are officially joining The Spotlight Academy in a celebration SO big, you won’t want to miss it. These four individuals have worked hard to get to where they are today in the film, music and animation industries. We are proud to celebrate their professional accomplishments as alumni of The Los Angeles Film School!
The Spotlight Academy
The Spotlight Academy pays tribute to the heart, the creative and the dedicated among The Los Angeles Film School’s alumni. Each year, Academy Inductees are honored for their unyielding commitment to excellence in their professional career and selfless contribution of time and connection to our students and community. It is with great privilege we shine a spotlight on these inspirational and exceptional individuals.
Academy Members
Spotlight Week
Every year The L.A. Film School Spotlight Committee inaugurates a new class of alumni into The Spotlight Academy on the final day of Spotlight Week, a week-long festival celebrating and teaching our creative community.
Spotlight News
We look forward to sharing alumni successes as they continue to help drive the future of this exciting and growing industry forward. Stay in-the-know about our Spotlight Academy members and upcoming alumni events!
Jeff Barnes
Featured AlumniJeff’s music business career took off once he landed an internship at Record Plant Studios in Hollywood. Unbeknownst to Jeff at the time, Record Plant would become a foundational job path and lead him to spend most of his career with the studio as President.
Paquita Hughes
Featured AlumniHughes credits her creative streak and early interests in photography, theatre and film as the driving force to pursue a career in the film and entertainment industry. Hughes has worked on sets for major projects including, Marvel Runaways, HBO’s Perry Mason, and Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.
Phillip Bladh
Featured AlumniPhillip Bladh is an Oscar-winning production sound mixer who is most known for his work on the film Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed as Ruben Stone. Phillip Bladh graduated from The L.A. Recording School in 2008 and has been active in the film industry for more than a decade.
Samantha Wilkins
Featured AlumniSamantha (Pedregon) Wilkins has worked in the VFX industry for almost a decade. Samantha’s modeling and texturing work covers a broad range of impressive credits from commercials to video game cinematics.