Robert De Niro Makes Them An Offer They Can't Refuse

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 19, 2010 3:20PM

We jest, we jest; there's no indication that the final agreement wasn't anything other than amicable. But Reel Chicago is reporting that Chicago's Flashpoint Media Arts Academy has a new name after Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal's New York-based Tribeca Enterprises became a 50% partner in the school. Now known as Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, the institution has a cutting edge film/entertainment training facility located smack dab in the Loop, comprising 75,000-square feet of space on two floors.

No immediate changes in faculty or curriculum are planned. But undoubtedly the new partnership will encourage some fortuitous cross-pollination between Chicago and New York, and we'd be surprised if too much time passes before De Niro pays Chicago a visit.

Between Flashpoint's swanky digs and Columbia College's glittering new facilities, Chicago is becoming quite the grooming ground for young talent in the visual entertainment industry. But that industry is still firmly headquartered in LA and New York: students receive their training here and then take off for the coasts. There's still a sizable ad agency presence in Chicago, but even industrial media is going through some tough times. Post-production house Film & Tape Works is closing its doors after 30 years in the business.