Alumnus begins new chapter in diverse career by publishing first novel
UCLA alumnus Neal Rabin wrote his first novel “23 Degrees South: A Tropical Tale in Changing Whether…” about Hart, a fictional UCLA graduate. (Courtesy of Nancy C. Grinstein)
By Daniel Maraccini
March 31, 2016 11:05 p.m.
Neal Rabin wanted to write about what he already knew.
For someone who has worked jobs ranging from Club Med sport instructor, to Hollywood set assistant, to CEO of a software company, he said writing a book about unexpected journeys felt like an appropriate choice.
The UCLA alumnus’ first novel “23 Degrees South: A Tropical Tale of Changing Whether…” is a comedic coming-of-age story. Releasing Friday, the book focuses on a character named Hart, a recent UCLA graduate who, along with his best friend Simon, ventures through the crime-ridden underground of Brazil in the days leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games.
Rabin’s time in Hollywood as a set assistant, as well as his stint as a scriptwriter for sitcoms like “Cheers,” allowed him to pursue his passion for comedy. However, he said working as CEO of Miramar Systems was the job that best prepared him for novel writing.
“When you have a startup, it is essentially a blank piece of paper, just like when you’re starting a novel,” Rabin said. “As the CEO, I was the one who really had to make up the story about the company.”
Intrigued by the journeys of young people, Rabin said he was inspired to write about a college graduate who was making his first steps into the working world. He set the story in Brazil partly out of interest in the country’s gang history.
With the country set to host the Olympics this summer, Rabin also saw Brazil as a place that readers would be interested in.
Rabin believes that creative thinking is required to keep employees engaged in their company and to figure out new ways to stay ahead of the competition. This skill proved invaluable when he was looking for ways to keep readers engaged, he said.
“More than anything, (Rabin) understood the power of storytelling, even in a work environment,” said Alex Stevens, a former Miramar Systems employee.
After his company was sold to CA Technologies, Rabin said he finally had the time to pursue writing.
“I just looked at (the sale) as that chapter is over. Fortunately, I have the latitude to pursue things on my own time that I wanted to do so that was great,” he said.
For Nicolas Nezhat, a startup founder whom Rabin mentors, this career switch is not surprising.
“(Rabin) is all about testing things out and innovating new ideas, which is why I think he was so ahead of his time in business,” Nezhat said.
Writing a novel might not have been possible if not for his varying experiences in the work world, Rabin said.
Creating an engaging story was the most important goal for this novel, Rabin said. With the book’s positive reviews, Rabin said he feels the work he put into his book has been validated.
When writing the novel, Rabin said, he tried to include everything he has learned from his many different experiences, and that in the process of writing he also found out something new about himself.
“I think comedically I learned that I had more to say than I actually thought I did,” he said. “My intention was to write an entertaining yarn, and it appears as if the underlying philosophy and the text peaks through, which is nice.”
