Bruce Economou, a Los Angeles-based manager and screenwriter, will put on his workshop titled "Selling Your Screenplay: How to Pitch." During his seminars, which are free and open to the public, he'll cover selling and pitching screenplays to Hollywood. Economou's workshops are being sponsored by Ball State's Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education (IDEE).

The first seminar will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Ball Communications Building, room 129 at Ball State. The second will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ball State University Indianapolis Center, located at 50 S. Meridian.

"The seminars will help students and community members gain an insider's perspective on what it takes to successfully pitch scripts in Hollywood," said Rodger Smith, director of IDEE. "Bringing in Economou is part of our initiative to connect Ball State students with professionals to create a working environment that mimics Hollywood."

Economou works for Pine River Entertainment in Los Angeles managing writers, directors and actors. Some of his film credits include working as coproducer of "For Richer or Poorer," which starred Tim Allen, and associate producer of Disney's "Jungle 2 Jungle."

The Institute for Digital Entertainment and Education serves as a production house that will bring artistic vision to life and provide Indiana filmmakers access to a proven infrastructure and talent pool of students. The innovative partnership will benefit Ball State's students, who will be able to showcase their award-winning talents on a daily basis to up-and-coming filmmakers while building professional and artistic relationships that will grow as the students and filmmakers progress in their careers. The institute is one of three immersive learning institutes that opened this fall at Ball State through a $20 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.