Monday, 6/9/97 UCLA graduates thriving in not-so-menacing job
market ARTS: Students find employment in entertainment industry,
credit school for enhancing prospects
By Vanessa VanderZanden Daily Bruin Staff After four or more
years in college, most arts majors have been tormented with the
sarcastic question, "Oh, so you’re looking for a career in food
service?" Yet, while they recognize the upcoming challenges the
"real world" will present, many UCLA graduating seniors are
tackling the job hunt head on. Some even have jobs lined up
already, proving that getting into the professional world of film,
music, art or dance is not impossible. It just takes a little
creativity. "There’s so many jobs available in animation at this
time. The field’s wide open," says Brian Wells, who is graduating
with a degree from the School of Theater, Film and Television with
a specialization in animation. "Last summer, I worked at ‘The
Simpsons’ for $900 a week, and they’ve asked me back for $75,000 a
year, (but) Disney’s willing to pay me more." In spite of these
offers, Wells has decided instead to venture off on his own into
the world of animation. He plans to start a studio in Berlin
because Germany currently imports all of its cartoons. Pitching the
project in late August, the creation could take shape as early as
the first of the year. "It’s a 30-minute animated film for their TV
which will hopefully evolve into a show," Wells explains. "I also
have a film-noir CD-ROM in production called ‘Sam Peckencluck: The
Barnyard Detective.’" Wells recently signed a contract to co-write
13 episodes. "Even that could turn into a TV show." Claiming that
most animators get hired at wages between $60,000 and $80,000,
Wells should have no problem making a living at animation. And,
though he could probably earn just as much money coming from any
other school, UCLA has provided him with the knowledge to further
his chosen career. Having gone to Cal Arts for a year, Wells
appreciates his Bruin experience even more. "You get more bang for
your buck at UCLA," Wells says. "Our department offers more true
creative freedom – from experimental film to classical characters.
It puts an emphasis on content and concept, the philosophy being
one person, one film." Theater student Julia Rosenblatt is equally
pleased with job prospects enhanced by her UCLA diploma. She will
begin an internship with the San Francisco Mime Troupe in
September, hoping to utilize the skills in acting, directing and
writing that she has honed on North Campus. Though she will
probably return to school one day to earn her master of fine arts
degree, the opportunity to tour with the Bay Area-based theater
group was one she couldn’t pass up. "I’ve been wanting to work with
them since I was 15," Rosenblatt admits. "It’s a political theater
comedia del art troupe working toward social change." Rosenblatt
plans to start off as an assistant director, possibly filling in as
an actor when parts open up. Before she begins working with the
mime troupe, Rosenblatt intends to return to her childhood summer
camp, coordinating an improv-based drama group. In this way, she
will continue to use theater as a means for social expression.
Fellow theater graduate Greg Ramos has similar goals. "I’d like to
make a statement in mainstream theater and bring up things like gay
and Chicano issues. Oftentimes, even in the realm of Chicano
theater, gay issues aren’t brought up." However, Ramos intends to
stick with the classics this summer when he directs "Ain’t
Misbehavin’" in upstate New York. Having already directed "Once on
This Island" last summer, he looks forward to returning to the same
location. "I want to concentrate on the flavor of the period,"
Ramos relates. "The music’s so good that it really doesn’t require
much more work. But my experience at UCLA has given me an exposure
to the arts, showing me that you can take what you’re given and
provide a new approach to a project." Similarly, world arts and
cultures (WAC) graduate Shyamala Moorty has learned to take her
education and use it as a tool in creating her own job. Currently a
member of WISE (Women in Support of Each other), a nonprofit
program that helps teenage girls, she hopes to expand the project.
Moorty awaits funding so that the organization can become a
full-time group. "We go to San Fernando High School, where we talk
with students about personal identity, gangs, eating disorders,
etc.," Moorty explains. "We do group sections and each UCLA mentor
also has a personal buddy. That’s my main cup of tea." Moorty is
also working within the WAC program to create a transitional
internship group where graduating WAC students could work for about
a year after getting out of school. This project will coordinate
performance pieces between senior citizens, Moorty and young women
from the WISE program. Moorty stresses that the work will
"definitely be a movement-based performance." Jeff Reyna, who is
graduating from the School of Theater, Film and Television, also
has a clear vision for his own project. "I have two goals for my
22-minute long film," Reyna says of his year-long project. "One is
to get it in as many festivals across the country as possible, and
two is to use it as a visual resume to get me a longer film." Reyna
foresees that he may be directing his first feature film by the end
of the year and is open to the idea of working with other people’s
projects. Having already made four short films, which have been
screened in New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Reyna hopes
to produce his feature "Porcelain Mary" sometime soon. Already
equipped with an agent from one of the nation’s top talent
agencies, he may be on his way to a bright future. "I don’t think I
could get where I am today without UCLA," Reyna admits. "Industry
people look at the top three schools, UCLA, USC and NYU, to catch
new talent. UCLA taught me the skills I need to be an independent
filmmaker. A UCLA diploma will get you in the door. From there,
it’s up to you." In a similar way, theater student Jami Brenman has
interned with the promotions department at Sony Records and the
publicity department at Atlantic Records. Hoping to get a job in
any section of the music industry, she suspects that mobility
within any particular company will be a gratifying experience.
Though she admits that a degree in communications may have provided
a closer match to her interest in the recording field, she
appreciates her time in theater. "I’ve always been into theater, I
just wanted a career in a different field," Brenman explains. "I’ve
had other internships and they’ve been really helpful. It’s a way
to sample different careers. I wish I’d done more." Likewise, world
arts and cultures graduate Kari Ann Henderson intends to play
around with a few career options. While hoping one day to start her
own dance company, she intends to get a survival job in the near
future while attending auditions and working on her own pieces on
the side. "I’m working on poetry this summer to create a
spoken-word album with a friend," Henderson relates. "I go to cafes
and read my stuff. I’ve read at a place on Third Street last year,
and when I was PA in the dorms I set up a poetry reading group."
However, Henderson’s plans also include returning to Africa, where
she spent a year abroad, and forming a band. She plays the flute,
drums, piano and French horn, while her roommate does keyboard
work. And, though disgruntled with UCLA’s bureaucratic
administration, she’s been happy with the people and the school.
"Luckily, by being a WAC major, I’ve been more involved with a
hands-on education," Henderson sentimentally relates. "These past
few weeks, I feel like I’ve been in a dream world. Everything’s
been a little brighter as I grow nostalgic." JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS
Brian Wells plans to pursue a career in animation after graduating
from UCLA. Previous Daily Bruin Story Running Down a Dream