Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: California State University, Fullerton

Title of entry: A Titans Steps Into a Galaxy Far, Far Away

About this entry: When Cal State Fullerton alumnus Omid Abtahi ’02 (B.A. communications-advertising) stepped foot on campus as a freshman, his acting resume was no more than one high school play. That was before he took an acting class at Cal State Fullerton. In the College of the Arts, Abtahi fell in love with performing. As an undergraduate, he had opportunities to work alongside faculty who had professional industry experience, including Professor of Theatre and Dance Svetlana Efremova-Reed, who acted in such titles as Apple TV+’s “For All Mankind,” Netflix’s original series, “Spinning Out” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.” While a student, Abtahi participated in regional and national acting competitions, worked with professional actors at the Sundance Theatre Lab and interned with casting director Mali Finn, who was known for casting such films as “Titanic” and “Avatar.”

Abtahi credits CSUF for preparing him to succeed in Hollywood. Throughout his career, he’s worked on such projects as “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” the Apple TV+ series, “City on Fire” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” This story looks at one of his iconic roles from “a galaxy far, far away.” Abtahi plays a morally gray Imperial scientist named Dr. Penn Pershing in all three seasons of Disney+’s live-action “Star Wars'' series, “The Mandalorian.” Throughout his time on the award-winning show, Abtahi has worked alongside a star-studded cast, including Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Katy M. O'Brian and the fan-favorite child, Grogu.