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Hollywood symposium a success

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By ARTHUR PAGE
Published: July 22, 2009

More than 215 people attended the first annual UB Coast to Coast Hollywood entertainment and media symposium held June 27 and 28 in Los Angeles by UB’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

The two-day entertainment and media symposium was designed to bring UB students and recent graduates together with prominent UB alumni in the entertainment industry.

Eighty-six alumni participated in UBC2C as presenters, guest speakers, mentors or attendees. Joining them was President John B. Simpson and staff from CAS and the Office of Alumni Relations.

Donors gave $15,000 to provide stipends that allowed 19 UB students and 20 new UB alumni to participate in the event, designed to educate them on how to break into the entertainment industry and related fields.

“All of this was accomplished because of the cooperative collaboration of UB alumni, faculty, students and staff,” says Deborah Mckinzie Bristol, UB associate vice president for development, arts and sciences. “So many people worked so hard for so long; so many people did so much, so well.”

Producers of the event were two UB alumnae with successful entertainment industry careers: Christine La Monte, BA '69, and Rosalind Jarrett, BA '69, both members of the CAS Dean’s Advisory Council.

La Monte, a former film studio marketing executive, is a producer of theater, television and film. Jarrett is executive in charge of publicity for the Screen Actors Guild Awards® and has contributed to expanding the audiences for the SAG Awards telecasts on TNT and TBS since 1999.

“Among its many missions, UB Coast to Coast Hollywood was intended to create an environment in which alumni and friends would become engaged with UB in a meaningful and significant way—interaction with UB students,” Bristol adds. “This mission was more than merely accomplished. In fact, to the person, the presenters, alumni and non-alumni alike voiced enthusiastic reviews of the entire event, expressed their enjoyment at being involved with our students and shared with me their desire to make further and greater contributions of their time, talent and treasure to support similar programs in the future.”

CAS plans to hold its next UBC2C event in New York City next spring.

Along with Variety, the Writers Booth Camp, where the event was held, was a sponsor of UBC2C.