Rachel's Hofstra in LA experience

This past winter break I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of the inaugural Hofstra in LA program. I was one of 12 students chosen within the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication to attend the four-day program in LA.

Each day was jam-packed with meetings with well-established alumni at superior companies within the communications and entertainment industry such as NBC Universal, Dick Clark Productions, and ICM to name a few, and fun activities such as UCB West and a tour of DreamWorks Animation. In addition to meeting with alumni that have been in LA for an extended period of time, we had the opportunity to speak with more recent graduates out there and hear about their professional experiences and their transition from going to school on the East Coast to living on the West Coast.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the opportunity to attend a Jimmy Kimmel Live! taping and meet co-executive producer Jason Schrift ’92. A few of us got to watch from the green room, the control room, and some members of our trip had the chance to be a part of the studio audience. This was the first time I had ever been to a show taping and it was really exciting!

From the moment I received the itinerary for the trip I was most excited to meet Cameron Kadison ’03 and Bryan Diperstein ’09, two powerhouse alumni in the entertainment industry. Cameron is a manger and partner at Mortar Media and Bryan is a motion picture literary agent at ICM. As someone pursuing a career as a talent agent, I couldn’t wait to speak with these two alumni and hear about all of the experiences they have had and get advice that could help me in the near future. It was also really cool to have the meeting with Cameron at William Morris Endeavor – one of the biggest talent agencies in the world and somewhere I could possibly end up working. The first thing I said when I walked in was, “Where is Ari Emanuel?”

As a senior graduating this May, the biggest takeaway I received from this trip was realizing what a great network Hofstra has and what graduating, as a student from Hofstra University and the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, will do for me and my future. I returned home feeling confident and ready to finish senior year with the eagerness and readiness to move out to Los Angeles, knowing that I now have connections there who are kind, successful, and wanting to help students like me.

By Pride Guide Rachel Geller, senior public relations major