Quick Questions - Stephen Karam '02

By Sarah Coogan

So now that you're all grown up are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?

I am. But only just recently! At Brown, I was engaged in lots of theater and writing plays, but I had no clue how I would pay off all those gorgeous Brown student loans by working in a field that doesn't really offer any steady pay. So it took me a lot of years working as a paralegal, a temp, an editorial assistant (shout out to Free Press at Simon & Schuster), a few weeks wearing a blue jump suit and handing out raffle tickets in a Fleet Bank in Chinatown (it paid so well, for real!) and writing whenever I had time. I managed to start getting some of my plays produced in D.C. and in Portland, OR, where some '02 classmates had set up shop and finally landed an honest to God professional New York production in 2006 of a play I co-wrote called "columbinus", at New York Theatre Workshop. From there my next play, Speech & Debate got picked up for the inaugural production of Roundabout Theater Company's "Underground" initiative. Both plays are now published and being performed all over the country.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on the screen adaptation of Speech & Debate for Overture Films and a new play commissioned by Roundabout. I also just returned from a little research trip to Utah and Colorado City (yes, land of the mysterious FLDS) for the libretto of a chamber opera I'm working on, currently titled "Dark Sisters".

How did Brown help you get where you are?

Lowry Marshall (Theatre, Speech & Dance Department) believed in me and brought me back to Brown in the summers of 2005 and 2006 where she directed two productions of my work for the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep. Her great production of Speech & Debate in Leeds Theater kicked things into high gear by getting the show on its feet and in front of audiences and critics. That production also allowed my agent to see and understand the play in a way he might not have on paper and thus market it in New York really effectively.

My Brown connections are really what helped me stay focused and made me believe I could be a writer, even when I was getting rejected by pretty much everyone else. Darius Pierce, Sam Kusnetz and Kerry Silva welcomed my work at their theatre company in Portland and Darius came to Brown to perform in my shows in both 2005 and 2006. Sarah Coogan came and choreographed Speech & Debate at Brown and along with Anne Reilly read early drafts and encouraged me to keep going.

Wait a minute, I forgot Brownbrokers. Oh yes, I wrote a full length musical while at Brown. I love everyone who brought that massive beast of a musical to life. A great group. That's what was so humbling and fantastic about Brown--not only was the school crazy enough to produce a mainstage production of a student written show, but all of the amazing undergrad talent (actors, designers, musicians) climbed on board to make it possible. That was special.

Also, big shoutouts to Chicken William, Chocolate Seduction Cake, and the Sundae Bar at the Ratty and V-Dub. If not for the insane amounts of calories consumed at Brown, I might not have had the energy to write anything at all.

Quick Questions - Greg Machlin '02

Q: Now that you're all grown up, are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?
A: I don't know if I'd describe myself as "fully grown up" yet, but... Yes and no. I always thought (since I first caught the acting bug at age 12) I'd be involved in theatre & film in some way, but I didn't know I'd be pursuing playwriting to the extent I have, since I didn't really get involved in the writing side of things until my junior year at Brown, and I wouldn't have guessed I'd be able to meet and work with so many cool people while getting my work produced. And I couldn't have predicted teaching chess to K-5th graders--a very enjoyable side job. When the kindergartners aren't trying to eat the pieces.

Q. What are you working on now?
A: Most recently, my play "7 Days: A Fantasia on the Life of Miles Davis" had a sold-out run at the University of Iowa in January of this year. In May of 2008, I received my MFA from Iowa, and in August moved out to LA. to continue playwriting and pursue TV writing; last year I was commissioned to adapt a cult classic film from the 1960s for the stage. My short play "Family Portrait" was a Heideman Finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2008, and "Bloody Lies" was produced in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2007, where it was a finalist for "Best New Script." My work has been published by Smith & Kraus ("60 Seconds to Shine IV") and broadcast on NPR (his radio play "Who Killed Harry Park?") I have a spec TV pilot called "Greg Machlin's Absurdities" I'm currently submitting to places, about a writer who works in a bookstore; his fictional characters keep coming to life and wreaking havoc on his life, including the mad scientist supervillain he created a few years back. Also at Iowa, I would perform dementedly funny monologues by a writer named Jake Gontero; you can watch one of them, "Litterbox Greg," here. And I recently put a website up where you can download some of my plays: http://homepage.mac.com/gregmachlin.

Q: How did Brown help you get where you are?
A: It was at Brown where I had the chance to take writing classes with great instructors--Laura Zam, Ruth Margraff, Aishah Rahman--and hone my storytelling in great film and video classes with Tony Cokes and Lodge Kerrigan. The theatre department was a very welcome home, I learned an immense amount from Spencer, Lowry, and John; I learned the importance of hard work and discipline while still having space to express my creativity. And I made some connections with people I'm still friends with and have worked with since Brown, among them Kent Roberts '01.5: we collaborated on a TV pilot called "The Kent Show." (You can watch part of it here) I'm always looking to connect with fellow Brown alums; drop me a line at gregmachlin@gmail.com.

Quick Questions - Monica Herrera '02

by Leta Malloy '02

Where are you working now? What is your title? What does your job entail?
I am an Online Editor for Latina.com, the leading web destination for acculturated Latinas. Along with one other colleague of mine, I'm responsible for writing about 50-60% of the content that we publish online--which runs the gamut from entertainment, fashion and beauty to politics, food and travel--and editing the rest, which is written by staffers and freelancers. We update the site with approximately 18-20 stories per day, so it moves quickly! And my primary focus is on music and entertainment - I do Q&As with celebrities, write our bigger packages (holiday movie guides, fashion week packages) etc., and update my own music blog on the site twice a week. I also write for the entertainment section of the magazine pretty often, and I did my first cover story in the summer of '08.

Tell me a perk or highlight of your job
I'm a big fan of live music, so one of the best perks for me is the chance to see concerts for free. No matter how big or small the artist is, if they're Latino and playing in NYC you'll probably see me there, because I need to constantly keep tabs on the whole scene. And yes, I do get to interview and meet celebs...though the thrill of that has mostly faded. The biggest perk, though, is definitely seeing my byline in print and on our website and getting feedback from our readers. Nothing beats that.

How did you come to Latina magazine? What has your career path looked like?
Actually, my first full-time job was as a publicist. I was hired following a post-grad internship that I landed after attending, of all things, a Learning Annex seminar about PR. I worked at a pretty well-known agency in NYC that handles the media campaigns for music artists and executives, nightclubs, restaurants, non profit organizations, etc. After spending two years pitching my story ideas to writers and producers, I realized that what I really wanted was to be on the other side of the media industry. So through a friend at MTV who had previously worked at Latina, I was able to land an interview for a job as an Editorial Assistant. I had to take a pretty big step back in order to switch careers, but it was completely worth it. Even though I work just as hard as I did in publicity, I'm much more gratified by what I do, so it hardly even feels like work most days.

What experiences at Brown helped you to get to where you are today?
Well I did take advantage of the career counseling services at Brown--they truly go above and beyond there to help you--so that came in handy when I was trying to make my resume stand out from the rest. But really, I'm defined by my experience at Brown in ways that I think I'm still realizing to this day. The most valuable thing for me was my network of classmates and friends, many of whom are now working in NY and have always provided me with a support system. And with its open curriculum, liberal arts roots and just overall independent spirit, Brown gave me the courage to take an unconventional path towards discovering what's become my dream job. Not many people would think that doing a post-grad internship--or attending a Learning Annex seminar in order to get it--would be the smartest way to get started on a career in media. But I figured, why not? That spirit and sense of fearlessness is something I definitely discovered in myself while at Brown

Quick Questions - Annie Shapiro '02

by Jenny Lester Moffitt '02

Where do you work? What do you do?
I work at Fuse, a cable music channel that’s in about 70 million households across the US. I program the music videos and help book the music guests that make appearances on the channel. I split my time doing programming work and spending time in our studio during tapings. I have been at Fuse since graduating in 2002. Presently, I live in Greenpoint Brooklyn and work in midtown Manhattan.

What is the most crazy/memorable occurrence that has happened through work?
I am fortunate in that I get to see a lot of live music as a part of my job. But I think the most memorable experience so far was seeing Green Day play in our studio for less than 100 people.

Do you see any other 02'ers?
I see Becky Bass, who also works in the music industry. I also see Becca Shapiro fairly often. She and I were roommates in NYC.

Ratty food?
The first meal I would have upon returning to Providence would be a chicken pocket at East Side Pockets. But if I was forced to return to the Ratty, they better have chicken fingers and magic bars readily available.

Looking back, what was your favorite course at Brown and what course do you wish you had taken?
My favorite course at Brown was City Politics. That was the class that made me decide to concentrate in Political Science. If I could go back for one other class, it would either be the second half of Basic Architecture (it was never offered after I took the 1st class) or photo at RISD. I always regret not taking one class at RISD during my time in Providence.