Assisting a Star Mike van Reekum ’09 graduated from HampdenSydney College with a BA in psychology, minor in rhetoric, summa cum laude. The following is an account of his activities since then:
I
moved to L.A. about two years ago because I needed a change of pace after I graduated from Hampden-Sydney. I knew I had sufficient accolades and recommendations to pursue a graduate degree; however, I felt the need to push myself outside of my boundaries after college. Thus, I packed three suitcases and moved to L.A. I got a job as the general manager of a nightclub, and after about a year, one of my fraternity brothers from Hampden-Sydney reached out to me saying that his friend was searching for an assistant. Turned out, his friend was Ashton Kutcher, and I got an awesome opportunity. Crazy turn of events. Working for a person like Ashton has been an experience that I can’t even begin to describe. I’ve gotten an in-depth look into the life of one of the busiest people in all of Hollywood and what it takes to be successful. From his work as an actor, to his non-profit foundation, Thorn,
and his incredibly successful investment ventures – I’ve been fortunate to be introduced to ma ny d if ferent aspects of the busi ness world. A s A shton’s assista nt, I have my h a nd s i n e ver y t h i n g. I maintain his information database for his investment funds, spend time on set, schedule his calendar, work directly on his social media sites, and lend another hand wherever he needs me. Above all, he’s taught me the importance of family, working hard and never giving up on your dreams. Ashton’s insight into building a brand on social media has helped me and my boyfriend organically build our YouTube channel to just over 100,000 subscribers. Our channel showcases our relationship and travels with one mission: to remind the world to smile (youtube.com/ pkcreedon514).
Coming Up Getting started in Hollywood, on both the production and on screen si d es, takes perseverance, resilience and r e s o u r c e f u ln e s s . These five recent graduates are living in LA and pursuing careers in “the business.”
Dylan Moon ’09 with a prop pen.
Lizzie Bassett ’07 (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) is a writer/ pr o duc er on t he daily YouTube show “ G o o d My t h ic a l Mor n i ng ” wh ich has nearly 8 million subscribers.
R ob Cave do ’ 0 8 (Jam es Ma di son University) works at animation studio Psyop in Venice on projects spanning VR, 2D, 3D and live action. “On fun days I write treatments or edit video for pitches, but most days it’s paperwork.” James Cogar ’07 (University of ColoradoBoulder) is a freelance film production assistant. He interned at The Traveling Picture Show Co., which produces commercials and feature films, and has worked on the crews of projects for French’s Mustard, T Mobile, Budweiser, MasterCard, Sleepy’s Mattresses and Funny or Die, and feature films Beyond Skyline and 31, directed by Rob Zombie. Zach Mendez ’06 (University of Virginia) appeared in a Subway commercial and has been acting in various short films. He’s also been participating in acting workshops, working as an ACT tutor with Compass Tutoring group and bartending.
Mike van Reekum ’09 (right) and his boss, actor Ashton Kutcher, in an appearance on Kutcher’s video channel A Plus
Cougar Connection In an odd twist, alums were recently involved in the same project without knowing it. In Los Angeles, James Cogar ’07 worked on a T Mobile cell phone commercial in December. Meanwhile, in Richmond, Kemper Blair ’01 and Stuart Holt ’04, both members of the band Sports Bar, sold the rights to use one of their songs – “I Was Going to Shave My Beard, but I Took a Nap Instead” – to T Mobile. Turns out the song is being used for the same commercial James worked on in L.A. It’s a very small world when you’re a Cougar!
Dylan Moon ’09 (Elon University), an actor, is represented by Avalon Artists Group and has attended casting director workshops, taken classes at Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), and booked a Brother Printer commercial. He writes for a “mildly successful YouTube channel” and recently returned to Richmond to direct a touring show for Virginia Rep. He’ll be directing a show in the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June.
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