UCLA alum rises to executive spot

  NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin UCLA alumnus Geoff
Silverman believes "you have to have a thick skin" and not
let a challenge deter pursuits.

By Rachel Makabi
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

When UCLA alumnus Geoff Silverman interviewed with entertainment
executives, he warned his potential bosses his passion for the
industry was so strong that if they wouldn’t accept him,
someone else would.

Silverman is now the one interviewing entertainment hopefuls
after a 10-year journey that took him from an assistant at a small
company to an employee at FOX to his current post as head of
television for RAT Entertainment, under “Rush Hour “
and “Doubletake” director Brett Ratner.

“Ultimately, it’s all about putting something on the
screen that other people will enjoy as much as you enjoy bringing
it into fruition,” Silverman said. “I could never
imagine myself doing anything else aside from entertainment,
it’s just so great.”

An avid movie watcher and television fan in his youth, Silverman
always knew he would be a part of the entertainment industry one
day. And though he has no regrets about any decisions he’s
made, he said the climb to his current position was a difficult
one.

Silverman started his career while a UCLA student in the late
’80s with an entertainment internship he got through the
Career Center.

For two days a week, he worked in the company office and on the
set of the company’s new show “She’s the
Sheriff,” starring Suzanne Somers.

“I always knew I wanted to go into entertainment, but I
especially got the buzz when I was on the set,” Silverman
said. “I really love that I did my entertainment internship
because I knew right out of college that was definitely what I
wanted to do.”

After graduating with a political science degree from UCLA in
1989, Silverman worked as an assistant at a talent agency to gain
experience in producing, writing, acting, managing and
developing.

In the following years, Silverman held about six jobs, including
a job in the drama department for FOX.

“One of the most interesting things in my experiences is
being there in the early years and seeing a show like
“X-Files,” or “Party of Five” or
“Sliders” take off,” he said. “It was
incredible to hear the early views of how people thought the show
would be. At the time, I didn’t really see how successful
they would end up being.”

Though he lacked the entertainment connections others had,
Silverman said his aggressiveness and ability to network helped him
get the positions he needed. To establish the right connections, he
would accept offers for movie premieres, lunches and other
events.

But amid executive meetings and premieres, Silverman also had to
deal with the competitive nature of the entertainment industry and
criticism from his mentors.

“You have to have a thick skin and know it’s a
learning experience and that the person yelling knows a lot more
than you do,” he said.

In addition, Silverman said it is difficult to survive off the
hard work and meager wages the job entails in the early stages.

“In the beginning years, the pay is so horrible, it is
like slave labor,” Silverman said. “They can pay you
whatever they want because there are so many people who are willing
to take the job for less.”

But after “paying his dues,” he worked his way up to
a position that enables him to live a “pretty glamorous
lifestyle,” Silverman said from his office window overlooking
Los Angeles.

“Development is very cut-throat, but on the other hand,
every job is very cutthroat, and it’s a cop-out to not go
into something, because you think it might be tough,” he
said.

Though getting internships early enabled Silverman to launch his
career faster, he said working hard in college prevented him from
having as much fun as other students.

“Part of me wishes I spent a little more time around
campus and school, I don’t feel like I really took advantage
of all the groups and clubs UCLA had to offer,” he said.

But his hard work also had its rewards, and Silverman said he
doesn’t think anyone else in another job is having as much
fun as he is.

“What I love about entertainment is that it doesn’t
feel like a real job ““ it feels more like playtime,” he
said. “We sit around with a bunch of writers thinking of
ideas for television shows. It’s just so much fun.”

In spite of the hard work he puts in, Silverman said it is
important for anyone to make sure they really enjoy the field they
are going to go into and to gain a sense of accomplishment from
it.

“If you have a passion for anything, you just need to get
yourself out there and do your job,” Silverman said.