UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television launches new program to provide a networking group for graduates

The transition from being a student to a working professional can be both scary and difficult. Teri Schwartz, the dean the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, launched the TFT Young Alumni Leadership program in order to help students as they move into the working industry for this exact reason.

Schwartz said she remembers how difficult it was when she herself started out in the film industry after graduating from UCLA’s film school and how important it was to have a network of people.

“When I first got out of school, I didn’t have any contacts,” Schwartz said. “So now that I’ve returned to UCLA as dean at TFT, it is all about giving back.”

Schwartz said that when she came back to UCLA around two years ago, one of her main goals was to put force behind that idea, which is why she created the TFT Young Alumni Leadership initiative, which officially kicked off on May 11 with the event “Writing for “˜The Simpsons.'”

At the event were nine current staff writers from “The Simpsons,” including UCLA alumnus David Silverman and current professor of animation Chuck Sheetz, who has directed several episodes of “The Simpsons.”

The established comedic writers and animators of the panel told stories of how they broke into the industry and some insider anecdotes about what it is like to work on a show like “The Simpsons.”

Afterward, the audience had a chance to ask questions about the do’s and don’ts of becoming successful in the film and TV industry.

During the panel, it was actually panelist Tom Gammill, who perhaps voiced the concerns of an up-and-coming writer most clearly.

“So, how does one get to write on this show? Does one of you bastards have to die first?” he jokingly asked his fellow “The Simpsons” colleagues.

Brian Rosenberg, an associate director of development at TFT, said the TFT Young Alumni Leadership program will host two signature events each year, along the lines of the “Writing for “˜The Simpsons'” event. The network group will also meet on a monthly basis to get to know one another and develop the potential of the group.

“At the core, the group is designed for people who are alumni of TFT, but it’s very important to us that the group be open,” Rosenberg said. “We have several members who didn’t graduate from TFT, and even a few who didn’t graduate from UCLA at all, but who are in the industry and just want to be involved.”

Matt Wrather, a second-year graduate student in acting, said he was intrigued by Schwartz’s initiative when she first presented it at an orientation and did not hesitate to get involved. He is now part of the event group within the program, whose first task was to orchestrate the “Writing for “˜The Simpsons'” event.

“The question dean Schwartz is asking is, “˜How can this school serve not only its students, but continue to serve them in the first half-dozen years out of school?’ That’s what makes this initiative really interesting,” Wrather said.

According to Wrather, it is important to know that a network group such as this is not going to eliminate the fact that the entertainment industry is still a very risky business, but it can attempt to soften the landing and give people more knowledge and awareness of what to expect after graduating.

“I had some great years as an actor and some hard years as an actor, where I had to take on other jobs too to make my rent, and it would’ve been useful to know the alumni I’m getting to know now,” Wrather said.

Wrather said he expects the transition from graduate school to be a lot smoother than when he finished school as an undergraduate, because he is now coming out into a community that is committed to helping each other out.

“If you know what the opportunities are, what the jobs are, what’s coming down the road, you’re in a better position,” Wrather said.