Alumni Network Provides a Preview of the Future When Linda Lachapelle ’77 left Colby, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life—or so she thought. An English major and art history minor, she moved to New York City after graduation and began her envisioned career in news broadcast production at NBC. About three years later, she realized that the reality of the career she dreamed of as a student just didn’t fit her. That’s why Lachapelle, now the owner of an artists’ representation firm in New York, has made it a priority to be part of the Colby networking community, filling Jan Plan and summer internship positions with Colby students looking for an opportunity in a field they may not have considered before. “When I was at Colby, I didn’t have these sorts of opportunities—the chance to go into companies and really get a bird’s-eye view of the sort of things that you dream about,” Lachapelle said. “I had a fantasy of what I wanted to do, but I had no idea what it looked like in real life, so I didn’t know that the job I dreamed of wasn’t a match for me.” After she left the broadcast world, Lachapelle spent some time in Paris with her sister, a model. Moving in the spheres of modeling and photography, Lachapelle met a woman who recommended an agent in New York looking for help starting a commercial production division within his photo representation company. He hired Lachapelle, and while the new division never came to fruition, Lachapelle learned how to book talent and become an agent. Her boss eventually left New York, leaving his clients without representation.
Linda Lachapelle ’77 In January of 1988, Lachapelle started her own company, Lachapelle Representation, Ltd., and picked up many of those artists who had been left at loose ends. Suddenly she had her own representation business, she said, “and I’ve never stopped doing it since.” Lachapelle Reps handles commercial art, matching photographers, designers and hair-and-makeup artists with clients such as J. Crew, Target and Blooming dale’s. Her clients shoot advertisements for magazines such as Elle, In Style and Décor. As an agent, Lachapelle said, “I get them work, I promote them, I do their billing; I essentially take care of their career. I do everything from soup to nuts. There’s a lot of psychology involved when you’re dealing with artists. That’s a big part of it, too.” As internships over summer break and Jan Plan have become increasingly popular and important to résumé building, the Colby alumni network has become a critical resource for students. Lachapelle has had dozens of Colby interns over the years—most recently Jessica Pilcher ’05 and Chelsea Downs ’06, who spent Jan Plan ’04 working in the agency’s office on East 54th Street in Manhattan.
The two Colby students happened to be there while the agency was moving from one office to another, so their duties included helping to set up the new Internet connection and unpacking and organizing portfolios as well as standard tasks like managing invoices, bookings and publicity mailings. “It’s busy,” Pilcher said. “The phones are ringing all the time and there’s always stuff going on.” Downs added, “The perks are great. We got to go to a shoot for Ralph Lauren Home and we met one of the artists that we represent. Last night we went to an event for hairstylists. It was like seeing models at play. We’ve gotten to go to parties and places that we definitely wouldn’t have been able to get into if we weren’t on the list.” The key to finding a career you love, says Lachapelle, is being open to new ideas and options. “If you stay open to it all, you don’t know what you’re going to find that you’re going to love,” she said. “I had never even heard of a job like this. And here I am, loving it. “I like being able to provide this kind of opportunity to Colby students, giving them the chance to work in New York City. If you’re a sponge, you just soak everything up.” Lachapelle has had interns from other schools, but she admits there’s something special about her bond with Colby students. “Part of it is just my continuing connection with Colby, how I keep it alive after all these years. Even though I’ve had other students from other schools, there honestly is a quality about the Colby students that is unmatched.” —Abigail Wheeler ’04
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