Ira Berlin, an American historian and author of The
Making of African America: The Four Great Migrations
spoke at Vanderbilt University on April 16, 2010.
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The lure of Hollywood is just as strong today as it was a
century ago when motion picture production companies from New
York and New Jersey moved west to take advantage of the warm,
sunny weather. Vanderbilt alumni have always had a presence in
Hollywood, from actress/singer Dinah Shore, BA’38, to
Oscar-winning director Delbert Mann, BA’41 (Marty),
to Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Schulman, BA’72 (Dead
Poets Society), to Fred Thompson, JD’67, who played the
folksy district attorney on television’s Law and
Order before making a run for the presidency in 2008.
In the early days movie-making was much simpler: Actors,
writers, producers, directors, cameramen, editors, and muscle
to move the equipment were just about all that was necessary
to take a production from the back lot to the big screen.
Today, with the advent of special effects, international
distribution, and as many cable channels as there are stars on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame, opportunities abound. Finding
them, however, can be tricky, and in Hollywood it’s not always
what you know, but rather who you know.
That’s where Vandy-in-Hollywood—and Chad Gervich—come
Gervich knew from an early age that he wanted to work in
television and film and was surprised that Vanderbilt had few
affiliations with the local entertainment business.
Read more here.