Faculty
Michael Uslan
Professor of practice and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise
Michael Uslan, BA’73, MS’75, JD’76, Media School professor of practice and executive producer of the Batman movie franchise
“I’m a blue-collar kid from New Jersey. Most people ask me ‘What the hell are you doing in Bloomington, Indiana?’ And I tell them the story of my experience with IU and how it empowered me and gave me the tools I needed to succeed — how they bent over backward and catered to the needs of one weird, geeky individual student.
My journey from New Jersey to Bloomington was life-changing for me. I majored in history for undergrad. I got my master's degree in urban education, and then I stayed on campus for law school and got my J.D.
Today, I am now the originator and executive producer of the Batman film franchise. I’ve been in the movie and animation business for 46 years. It all started here in my junior year. In the ’70s, the College of Arts and Sciences had an experimental curriculum department. I became the world’s first college professor of comic books.
Two weeks later, I got a call from Stan Lee at Marvel Comics in New York City. At that moment, Stan Lee became my mentor, ultimately my friend and my creative associate. From Stan Lee and Marvel, that led me to DC Comics, which led me to Batman. I began producing dark and serious Batman movies, and my life was on a path of its own. It’s been awesome.
The reason I come back and teach here every year is to contribute experiential knowledge to the process of Hollywood. How do you prepare students for an industry that is 50% show and 50% business? Anybody can have creative ideas, but you have to take the time to master your craft.”
Written By Erin Stafford
Photos By Jordan Venckus