Despite the stereotypical post-graduation occupations like investment banking and consulting, not all students at Princeton work in mainstream jobs after graduation.
There are a few ones who choose the unbeaten path, which is, namely, Hollywood, thanks in part to Princeton in Hollywood, a network founded by the Princeton alumni to help students and other alums who are trying to make it in the cruel and tough world of glitz and glamour.
Currently, Princeton in Hollywood includes about 600 Princeton alumni and a couple of hundred students, some of whom will take part in a film festival to promote the network.
The festival, the first in P.I.H. history thus far but which the organizers hope to make annual, will take place in September, though submissions for the event were due yesterday. It will be showcasing short films directed by, produced by or starring Princeton alumni or students.
All-Star Judge Panel
A panel of industry judges will select a winner in each of the six categories: drama, comedy, documentary, animation, experimental and undergraduate, and the lucky winner will get a pitch meeting with an agent or manager to further their project.
Even for those who do not win, the festival provides an excellent opportunity for the participants to get to know other people in the industry. It is a medium for undergraduates to get their accomplishments noticed by professionals and to showcase what they do on campus.
Some of the judges in the festival include Mark Feuerstein '93, the star of the new NBC sitcom "Good Morning Miami;" Craig Mazin '92, screenwriter of "Rocketman," "Senseless," "Scary Movie 3" and "Harvey;" Marc Rosen '98, the senior executive of Heyday Films, which have produced the two Harry Potter Movies, and Peter Safran '97, manager of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment.
These are some of the alumni, who "have found their way to Hollywood after graduation, even though Princeton doesn't have any sort of curriculum geared towards film or the entertainment industry," said Jerry Chan '01, who is in charge of the event.
"There is a thriving community of Princeton alumni here [in Los Angeles] pursuing the arts– directing, producing, acting, cinematography, etc.—and we want the current undergraduates to know that it is possible to pursue film after Princeton," he added.
"To that end, we have started a database of undergraduates interested in summer internships or even jobs in the entertainment industry and alumni who want to help those students get their start."
Rosen is spearheading this effort, which seems to be working well. Last summer 25 undergraduates got internships in the industry through this network, and some seniors even found jobs.
Harvard started a similar effort about 15 years ago, said Jon Leven '03, who is the undergraduate contact of P.I.H. and who interned in Los Angeles last summer, and now many major screenwriters and producers are actually Harvard alumni.
"No set curriculum"
Leven added that the Princeton alumni in the network are generally young, between the ages of 22-35, who are energetic and want to go ahead in the business, creating a lot of potential for the future of this networking effort and the future of Princeton alumni in Hollywood.
An architecture major, Leven noted that there is no film certificate at Princeton, which would be more amenable to job opportunities in Hollywood, although some students do pursue visual arts certificates with a film focus.
The three major problems of students interested in film are "no money, no equipment and no set curriculum," Leven said. "It will take about five years to establish a film certificate." The initiation has to come from students and has to be supported by a faculty member, he added.
Despite the lack of an official program or department devoted to film studies, the campus film community has been spreading. Last year the Princeton Film Foundation went through a revival under the presidency of David Brundige '04, yet, after he went abroad last semester, they seem to be less active.
A frustrated Brundige said, "It is almost impossible for a thriving filmmaking community to work on campus. The student group's money is geared towards speakers and onetime events rather than to purchasing equipment that student filmmakers would need, even for video production."
"There's basically one video class and one film history class in the entire Visual Arts Program whose faculty seem to care about any extracurricular goings-on at the University."
Faculty's support for viable extracurricular filmmaking is essential because the student efforts tend to be impermanent, since students keep graduating, going home for the summer, or going abroad, he added.
Brundige's self-written and directed show "Bums and Monkeys" is still being put on Theater Intime. The theater road is much more friendly and supportive," he said.
And of the alumni efforts, Brundige said, "P.I.H. has succeeded in Los Angeles at what PFF so far has failed to do on campus. I'd suggest that undergraduates focus their energy on Princeton-In-Hollywood and going out to L.A. to meet these supportive alums."
From Princeton to producing
Most Princeton graduates who follow career paths in Hollywood go into producing or directing, Leven said. "Producing is a more reliable career path in Hollywood," he said, "whereas for example, success in acting has more to do with luck."
Yet, for many Princeton students, the job of a producer remains a mystery. Producers choose what films to make, decide how they want to make the movie and set the tone of it by selecting the directors and actors. They are the ones who have an initial vision of the movie.
Leven also added that there are alumni who work in more mainstream jobs, such banking and consulting and quit such jobs after about six years to start a career in film industry.
The organizers of Princeton in Hollywood are "hoping to get as many undergraduates submissions as possible," Chan said, aiming to create great opportunities for all the future filmmakers who dream of big things. And Leven said, "If you have a dream, it is not going to dissipate, but instead grow stronger."
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