LMU Program Empowers L.A.’s Future Changemakers

LMU’s Applied Learning in Societal Transformation (A-LIST) program is an innovative marketing pathway created to “shape the changemakers of tomorrow” by helping students understand a wide range of consumer cultures and promote inclusive societal change. Founded in 2018 by Mitch Hamilton and Julian Saint Clair, associate professors of marketing, the one-of-a-kind program combines custom-built curriculum, hands-on experiential learning, and a triple bottom line philosophy that underscores the importance of “people + planet + profit.” 

“A key focus of A-LIST is looking at different intersections of culture and society,” says Saint Clair. “This can be difficult in places that only have certain kinds of diversity. No textbook exists for what we teach. By necessity we had to create this curriculum from the ground up. People in L.A. come from such widely different backgrounds— it lets us dig into various subcultures that coexist with and influence mainstream culture.”

A-LIST allows students to develop impressive marketing portfolios of work, collaborating directly with a range of influential L.A.-based industry leaders. “Imagine being in a job interview and explaining how you helped Snoop Dogg launch a vegan snack brand that you can find in hundreds of stores across the country,” says Hamilton, of students’ hands-on experience working with clients such as Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company, the National Basketball Players Association, Sony Pictures, the City of Compton, and others. “There’s so much value in unique portfolio pieces like this.”

Following a course previously co-taught by the late Grammy Award-winning rapper and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle, one recent upper-level marketing course honored the artist’s legacy and the lasting impact of his influential Marathon brand. The class, co-taught by Hamilton and L.A.-based music and entertainment business executive David Gross, fused scholarship with real-world experience to show students the power of culture and authenticity when building a brand.

“A-LIST is all about culture and diversity, and what city is more culturally diverse than Los Angeles?” says Hamilton. “We’re only a handful of years into this, and we already have former students that are true changemakers in their respective industries.”