Meet the Editors: Brendan Hornbostel, Gail Acosta, Natalie Green and Asher Landau

Brendan Hornbostel, A&E editor

Having grown up playing drums and guitar in bands in San Francisco, I’ve always been one to over-scrutinize every song down to its notes and phrases to find that one lyric that captures the humanizing quality of a great piece of music. Here at Daily Bruin A&E, our commitment to presenting stories that are thoroughly reported and researched brings out this humanizing aspect of the arts and entertainment in the UCLA community.

As the editor of A&E, I am proud to lead a section that covers everything artistic at UCLA, from student musicians, dancers and directors to alumni leaders in film, fashion, dining and everything in between.

In every story we write, there is a sense of discovery. Whether we’re finding the personal journeys behind Westwood’s restaurateurs, unearthing the artistic passions of students and alumni or highlighting one of the campus’ biggest musical concerts, A&E is focused on providing balanced and detailed coverage of UCLA’s always-entertaining artistic community.

In the next year, we also hope to expand our coverage of arts and entertainment beyond the UCLA campus with our online blog, Spotlight, by taking a second look at pop culture in the L.A. area and beyond in an engaging manner. We hope you will join us for another strong year of arts and entertainment.

Gail Acosta, music editor

In the last scene of my favorite movie, “Almost Famous,” 15-year-old rock journalist William Miller asks rockstar guitarist Russell Hammond: “What do you love about music?” To which Hammond answers, “To begin with, everything.”

As cheesy as it sounds, I have an undying love for music like Hammond and Miller. Although I don’t play any instruments and I can’t write achingly beautiful lyrics no matter how hard I try, Daily Bruin A&E allows me to be more than just a spectator in the realm of music. It’s a platform for music lovers to further express their appreciation for music by delivering album reviews, exploring the art of live performances and finding interesting stories about musicians on campus. However, there is more to write about the musician than just the music, and this year, I hope we find out what that is and share it with others.

Natalie Green, Theater | Lifestyle editor

Having been dramatic since I came out of the womb, it only makes sense that I’ve made myself a home in A&E. After cracking notes at childhood choir recitals, acting out characters in body paint and drumming at too many band performances to count, I landed here.

Theater | Lifestyle encompasses food, fashion, art, dance, video games and basically everything else good in this world. With your help, I want to cover events on campus, around Westwood and across Los Angeles and feature students, faculty and UCLA affiliates doing artsy and entertaining things that you want to read about. Let’s help keep each other in the know: When you see me on campus, say “hi” and tell me an exciting thing you’ve heard about in the realm of A&E – whether it’s about how Starbucks is making mini Frappuccinos or how your friend won third place at a spoken word event. You can always sit with me, even if it’s Wednesday and you’re not wearing pink.

Asher Landau, Film | TV editor

At times, it can be difficult to rationalize spending so much time sitting in a dark theater and staring at the world through a bright screen. Yet, no matter how hard I try, I can’t quit watching movies. All my life, it has been so easy for me to become obsessed with consuming everything in film: the endless array of directorial styles, the complex and varied storytelling techniques of screenwriters and the breadth of actors’ emotions.

Cinematic talent is not only found in Hollywood, but it is also one of the greatest-kept secrets of UCLA. There are so many student filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, producers, set designers and special effects artists who fall under the radar. That is what I love about my job working for Daily Bruin A&E: I get to let UCLA students and the Westwood community in on UCLA’s enormous pool of hidden talent and, hopefully, inspire them to create great things too.