Archive for the ‘ Hollywood Careers ’ Category

Dakota Fanning Set to Attend NYU in the Fall

For many of us, Dakota Fanning has grown up before our eyes. You may remember her in 2001′s movie “I Am Sam,” or from a more recent role in the “Twighlight” series. She’s also starred in a dozen other movies like “Man on Fire,” “War of the Worlds,” “Coraline,” etc… And now, we will all get to watch Dakota Fanning as she grows intellectually in her new endeavor: college.

Rumor has it that she is set to attend New York University this fall. According to some NYU students, they accidently stumbled upon her full name- “Hannah Dakota Fanning” -and her school email address while messing around with an NYU-email auto complete function.

So why do actors and actresses attend college? James Franco has more educational interests than you can count on one hand. Natalie Portman has a bachelor’s in psychology. They already have a career making tons of money.

Perhaps for them it’s not so much a need to earn a degree and improve their resumes as it is a chance to learn and take part in the journey of learning. And there very well could come a time when someone like Dakota Fanning decides to walk away from Hollywood and become, let’s say a teacher. It’s unclear what her major is, but yes, I could envision a room of students calling her Ms. Fanning.

So, perhaps she’s just out to be prepared. Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better equipped you are to handle many different aspects of life. Going to college is a valuable growing experience. Many young people go off to college and learn quite a bit about themselves and the world around them.

We at UniversityDecisions.com salute Ms. Fanning for deciding to earn her college degree! Congratulations on entering the class of 2015.  Ever think about changing careers? Explore your interests and career options with our free Career Assessment.

*Photo courtesy of The Washington Post.

2011
08/26
POSTED BY
Beth Wood
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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Making Coachella Happen

It’s finally time for music and mayhem. The 2011 summer concert season will kick-off tomorrow with Coachella in Indio, California. For three days, music lovers from all over the country will gather to hear dozens of their favorite artists like: The Black Keys, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Kings of Leon and The Chemical Brothers, to name a few.

Tickets for this annual modern-day Woodstock sold out faster than most people could log on to the Internet, but if you missed out there’s always Lollapalooza in August and Boonaroo in June.

For the lucky concert goers, Coachella and other music festivals present the opportunity to take in an amazing experience with friends while listening and dancing to familiar tunes. It’s a time to check out new bands and listen to some artists you have yet to discover.

Behind the scenes, there are literally thousands of people working to bring Coachella alive.

Besides the ticket takers, vendors and security teams- there are numerous highly-skilled marketers, designers and engineers that work together to pull it all off.

Graphic Designers: Graphic artists wield their talents months beforehand designing fliers, billboards, logos, and other branding assets for the festival. Landing a job designing for an event like Coachella begins with an education in graphic design.

Marketing Professionals: Major music festivals like Coachella require highly-skilled event marketers to rope in acts, distribute advertisements, and to communicate clearly with concert goers about cost and what to expect. Getting a degree in marketing or business teaches the skills necessary for getting your foot in the door.

Audio Engineers: With all that music floating around, you need people to calibrate microphones, adjust volume, and blend instrument outputs seamlessly and to the bands’ preferences. Audio technology degree programs provide an education in the science of sound and give degree-holders the skills needed to make the bands sound awesome live.

Visit UniversityDecisions.com to learn more about how you can advance your education and break into one of these exciting careers.

2011
04/14
POSTED BY
Veronica Bark
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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The Royal Importance of Public Speaking Skills

The King’s Speech swept last night’s 83rd Annual Academy Awards. The film portrayed King George VI’s struggle to overcome his speech impediment in order to motivate his country during World War II. The country-moving speech, given by Academy Award winner Colin Firth, demonstrated the power of the spoken word.

Last night’s Oscar speeches were a mix of The King’s Speech greatness and Inception-like delusions. Christian Bail gave a surprisingly sincere and tearful speech, thanking his wife and daughter. Natalie Portman also gave a heart-felt speech, thanking her team, fellow nominees and the often un-thanked film professionals, including hair and makeup artists and camera crew. Others like costume designer Collen Atwood, who starred down and read from a piece of paper, fell flat in her acceptance speech.

Memorable Oscar speeches are comprised of humor, grace and good storytelling. They are also articulately spoken, well-written and follow the basic rules of public speaking. Though some of the most talked about speeches are presented during award shows and political events, some of the most important speeches are given during sales meetings, office presentations and interviews.

Having a degree or training in the art of public speaking is valuable in nearly every career field. Liberal arts degree programs require courses in public speaking as do most general education curricula. For further training in public speaking, consider degree programs in journalism and communication which offer entry- to senior- level classes.

Regardless of your career path, you’ll need at least some basic public speaking skills. Head over to UniversityDecisions.com and explore schools and degree programs offering training in the art.

2011
02/28
POSTED BY
Rebecca Libby
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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Famously Educated – Degrees Behind the Stars

With all their fame, fortune and crazy antics, it’s hard to believe that some stars are actually well-educated college graduates. While some actors and actresses just have a few years of college, others have multiple degrees. Here is a glimpse at the degrees behind some of Hollywood’s A-Listers.

Jersey Shore Starlet, author and fashion designer Jenni Farley is known for revealing outfits and a fierce attitude. But the New York native, also known as Jwoww, is actually an accomplished programmer, businesswoman and graphic designer. Jenni studied programming for three years before becoming a professional computer programmer. After realizing her passion for the fine arts, Jenni earned a degree in graphic design and started her own design business. Before hitting the Jersey Shore, Jenni worked as a marketing director for a web development company.

Talk show host and funny man Conan O’Brien holds a bachelor’s degree in history and American literature from Harvard. While in college, Conan was an editor for The Harvard Lampoon. He graduated from the Ivy League school magna cum laude.

Though not a degree holder, Cindy Crawford has quite the educational accomplishments. The supermodel got all A’s in high school and was valedictorian of her class. She also got perfect scores on college calculus exams and earned a scholarship to study chemical engineering at Northwestern.

Californication and X-File star David Duchovny holds two degrees from two Ivy League schools. The actor has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a master degree in English literature from Yale.

Silver-screen hunk Matthew McConaughey has a bachelor’s degree in film from the University of Texas at Austin. The actor was a member of the Texas school’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Other degree-holding stars include: Brooke Shields, who holds a bachelor’s in French lit from Princeton; Tommy Lee Jones, who has a bachelor’s in English from Harvard; Natalie Portman, who holds a bachelor’s in psychology, and Jay Leno who has a speech communication degree from Emerson College.

Join the ranks of Hollywood’s educated. Visit UniversityDecisions.com and find your school and degree program today!

2011
02/11
POSTED BY
Rebecca Libby
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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Not Just a Dumb Blonde

dolly_parton_educationCountry music icon Dolly Parton will celebrate her 65th birthday today by opening up the national tour of her hit musical “9 to 5.” Known for her Southern drawl and flashy, over-the-top persona, little recognition has been given to the star’s humble beginnings, business success and advocacy efforts.

Born into a poor family of 12 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, a town known for its lack of literacy and education, Dolly escaped her circumstances by writing her own songs. She began her music career at the age of 11, singing her songs on local radio stations. After graduating high school, the future Queen of Country moved to Nashville to begin her groundbreaking career.

Dolly’s business success stems from her musical accomplishments; however, the star has also made her mark as an actress, philanthropist and business woman. Dolly has appeared in several films and has been the star and producer of several musicals. She is also the owner of two amusement parks and a chain of dinner theatre restaurants.

As an education advocate, Dolly started Imagination Library, an international non-profit organization that promotes early childhood literacy. She has donated more than 1 million books to preschool children and provides scholarships to high school students. Though she never went to college, Dolly received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee.

Despite her lack of higher education, Dolly has made it her mission to help educate the world. Dolly teaches us that while success is achievable without a college degree, a lack of education can limit your opportunities and keep you from exploring all of your options. If you’re questioning if going back to school or attending college for the first time is right for you, take a page out of the book of Dolly and just go for it.

Image courtesy of PR.com

2011
01/19
POSTED BY
Rebecca Libby
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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Golden Globe Careers…and How to Get Them

Last night, Hollywood’s elite stepped out and hit the red carpet for the 68th annual Golden Globes. While the glitz, glam and speculation of who’s going to win is the focus of the award show, the behind-the-scenes work is the real heart of the operation. From hair and makeup artists to sound technicians and Hollywood agents, the professionals required to produce the Golden Globes are the true stars of the show.

While most of us won’t be the Hollywood starlets and actresses accepting a globe, getting a career on the other side of the camera may be option. We’ve narrowed down the professions required to produce the Golden Globes as well as the education required to get one of these careers.

Hair and Makeup Artists

Red carpet hair and makeup can often determine whether Hollywood starlets make the best or worst dress list – making the job of their hair and makeup artist vitally important. Landing a career in Hollywood cosmetology starts with a beauty school education. Cosmetology school teaches the basics of hair styling, makeup artistry, esthetics and the salon business. Cosmetology students learn hands-on in student salon and are taught by industry professionals. Best of all, most cosmetology career training programs can be completed in about 18 months.

Sound Technicians

Though the speech wrap-up music annoys most award accepters, it is a critically important element to keeping the Golden Globes on schedule. Responsible for this controversial tune and all sound elements of the Golden Globes are sound technicians. To land a career in sound technology, especially in Hollywood, a degree in audio engineering, recording and/or production is required. Audio technology degree programs provide an education in recording procedures and technologies – from setup and preproduction to the recording process to mixing and mastering.

Hollywood Agents, Managers and Producers

If it weren’t for agents, managers and producers, most films probably won’t happen. These professionals work on the business end of film. Their job duties include negotiation, finance and sales. An educational background in business is required to land one of these coveted positions. Earning a business degree teaches business strategy, technique and practice. Most business majors also learn the field hands-on through an internship.

Camera Crew and Directors

The camera crew and award show directors are responsible for bringing the red carpet to your living room. Without them, the show wouldn’t go on. Getting one of these positions requires a degree in film. Film school will teach you camera operation, cinematography, production, editing and more. Earning a degree in film may also help you get on the other side of the camera as a filmmaker or director.

These are just a few of the professions required to put on the Golden Globes. Explore more potential Hollywood career options at UniversityDecisions.com.

2011
01/17
POSTED BY
Rebecca Libby
CATEGORY
Hollywood Careers
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