Rollins Students Head to "Tinsel town" for Alternative Spring Break

March 25, 2006

The Rollins students are pictured here with Janice Hirsch (Class of 1972), the producer of Will & Grace, and Asunta Fleming (Class of 1981). Hirsch is seated second from the left, and Fleming is seated far right.

Instead of heading to the beach, 10 Rollins students invested in their future by participating in an Alternative Spring Break trip to “Tinsel Town.”

The program was created by Asunta Fleming, a member of the Rollins College Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Class of 1981. Dubbed the “LA Mentor Trip,” Fleming wanted to use her experience and lessons learned in the entertainment industry to help Rollins students get connected.

“When you’re in a field as wide open as entertainment, you need some direction and a connection,” said Fleming. “You need a road map of how things are done. You can’t learn that in college. The college connection can cut out years of struggle.”

Fleming worked with Rollins’ Career Services office to put together the trip to Los Angeles for students interested in pursuing careers in various aspects of the entertainment industry. The jammed packed tour of Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills included meetings with producers, screen writers, casting agents, actors, music composers and more. Highlights of the trip included meetings with Janice Hirsch (Class of 1972) and producer of the hit television show Will & Grace, and a visit with successful music composer John Kavanaugh (Class of 1983). Students also attended a taping of one of the final episodes of Will & Grace and were treated to a personal behind the scenes tour of the Young and the Restless by one of the show’s stars, Christian LeBlanc.

The Rollins students, who were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Young and the Restless, are pictured outside the CBS studios. One of the show's stars, Christian LeBlanc, is pictured third from the left in the back row.

The trip received “rave reviews” by the students:

“One of the most important things I learned on this trip was the respect everyone had for theatre. Everyone I talked to said, ‘If you want to come to LA to be an actress, go to New York and do some legitimate theatre first. People will trust your talent more.’

"I didn't think I was going to have fun on the set of Young and the Restless, but it turned out to be my favorite thing. Christian LeBlanc was my favorite speaker of them all. He was really honest. I felt like I could believe everything he was telling me ... he shattered the stigma that ‘soap acting isn't real acting."

"Overall, the trip was such an incredibly entertaining, fun, and educational experience. I think it should be done every year!"
Carrie Bonnell, Theatre Major, Class of 2006

Music composer John Kavanaugh (Class of 1981) sits at his keyboard in his home in LA.

“From the Roosevelt Hotel to the Samuel French Bookstore, [Asunta] took us on a tour of LA that any aspiring entertainer would have given their eye teeth to experience. There were no glimmering rhinestones and cheap illusions on this ride—every aspect of our adventure was designed to show us the true nature of the Hollywood dream machine. It takes passion. It takes work. It takes discipline. Being in Hollywood requires all of your willpower if you are to succeed. As a result of this trip, any timidity that once was in me is now gone. My individuality, where it once was a distraction from my goals, is now an integral part of my focus. Role models such as Asunta and Janice Hirsch not only provide models of successful Rollins alumni, but successful women as well. They are living proof that my dreams can be made real. It will be a challenge to face Tinsel Town with all of my aspirations and not be buried amongst the visionaries, but I am prepared. I now look forward to the challenges that await me.”
Ebonii Foster, Philosophy Major, Class of 2006

“One of the most interesting days was visiting the set of the Young and the Restless at the CBS studios. It suprised me how intimate and theatrical the taping was. Our guide for the day, Christian LeBlanc, also one of the stars of the Young and the Restless, was very humble about all of his accomplishments. He was probably one of the most inspiring people that we met because he had so much passion about his job. A memorable moment was when he said ‘You have to be so good at it [your job] that it hurts to fire you.’

"I also really enjoyed meeting John Kavanaugh, a Rollins alumnus. It was great to see someone who had become so successful after graduating from Rollins. He was so welcoming to us and it was fantastic to see his amazing home in LA. I connected a lot with him because he could make references to events or people at Rollins that I have experienced or have heard of before.

"The trip to LA was helpful in the sense that I am looking to visit all the major cities where entertainment thrives (LA, NYC, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago). Thanks to this trip, I was able to come to some conclusions about where I want to go with my career and where I want to move when I get out of college.”
Yvette Kojic, Theatre Major, Class of 2007

“I was blown away by the number of speakers who were genuinely interested in helping students begin careers in Los Angeles. The effect of the trip for me was a removal of the magic curtain between production and consumers. Although I understand more than ever how hard it is to be successful in the entertainment industry, I can also see that there are many pathways.

"Despite the varying aspects of production represented by our speakers, I saw many common traits. Everyone who spoke advocated strict punctuality in a city whose apparent goal is to prevent that from happening. I now understand the importance of networking: it seems that almost everything that happens in entertainment is the result of favor from a friend. I think the overriding message I got from the trip was persistence (not pestering).

"Because I stayed a couple days after the formal trip was over, I really began to get a good sense of life in L.A. The city does not seem so unknown to me anymore, and I am less afraid about moving. I plan on attending USC’s film composition program, and now I know what I have to look forward to!”
Conrad Winslow, Music Major, Class of 2007