Side-By-Side Vlogs: How Freshman Year Transformed Him

Last year, I covered a bunch of vlogs HERE documenting Kevin Shapiro's (C'12) freshman year.  He did a really good job documenting his transition from newbie at Penn to full fledged student.

I recently got Kevin's vlog he had posted from last May (which also qualifies it for being part of my "Delicious Leftovers" series) and it's amazing to compare his first freshman year video to his last freshman year video, and how freshman year can transform someone (physically and in attitude). I think it was probably true about all of us (or at least me  : ) ).

Check out the videos below!


Last Vlog Freshman Year:

First Vlog Freshman Year:

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Their "Love Notes" Film and Why I Couldn't Wait To Show You This

I could have saved this post for another "Love Week" series I'll be doing in February 2010, but I just couldn't wait.

Why? Well, you'll see when you finish this very smart film called "Love Notes".

This film was created by Erin Sougstad (C'12), Kyle Olson (C'10), Luv Patel (C'12), Abhay Sharma (C'12) and Shreyans Goenka (C'12) for their Writing class in Cinema- Witness Spectators and Voyeurism (Spring 09).

This film reminds me of the 1996 student film I did where one man runs through campus all in the name of love!

Keep up the great work undergrads!


Other impressive Class Project films

More of posts from my "Penn's REEL deals" series

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Penn Alumni Dish Advice in Cannes & What the Entertainment Industry is Looking for in Its Next Generation of Employees

All last week, I posted about Brian Tran's (W'10) inside scoop of his time at the Penn in Cannes Program.

 As our final "Cannes" post, Julie Blanc (W'12), another one of my great DT correspondents fills us in on advice given this year from Penn alumni:

-Rick Hess (C'84, Head of Creative Artist Agency’s Film Finance Group)
-Geoffrey Gilmore (C'74, Director of Tribeca Film Festival)
-and Penn parent Jeff Berg (Chairman, CEO of ICM)

Click HERE to read on about their advice including:

• what the key is to succeeding in this business
• what the entertainment industry is looking for in its next generation of employees
• why now is a great time to break into the film business

"Imagine a workday where meetings start at 8 a.m. Within a few hours, you have spoken with representatives from just about every continent. Every evening dressed in black tie attire, you attend two to three film screenings, and finish negotiations at 4 a.m. Wake up in four hours and be ready to do it again-for two weeks straight, all the while being in the beautiful South of France. That is what the Cannes Film Festival is like for those involved on the business side, like Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of International Creative Management Jeff Berg. On the surface, this international gathering at the Côte d'Azur offers a chance to bask in the sun, relax on yachts, see beautiful people, and watch groundbreaking films. The serenity of this beach city is just a mirage-for those on the inside of the industry it is non-stop hustle and bustle. The schedule is grueling for these twelve days because Cannes is at the epicenter of the entertainment world. This is one of the only times annually that everyone congregates in one spot, so all of the companies need to maximize each day to meet their goals.

One of the personal highlights of the Penn-in-Cannes program for me was the opportunity to meet with prominent figures of the entertainment industry connected to Penn. All self made success stories Jeff Berg, Geoff Gilmore (C'74), and Rick Hess (C'84) offered advice on the current state of the industry as reflected by the film festival, opportunities for change, and how we as Penn students can get our foot into the door of this exciting industry.

Our first meeting was with Jeff Berg; his expertise in his field was immediately evident for he had such a prevailing presence. He emphasized how the Cannes Film Festival is unique- it is truly the most important international film gathering for marketing, financial, business, and creative people. His description of his jam-packed schedule said it all-I was out of breath just after hearing it! Unfortunately, the global financial crisis has also hit the entertainment industry hard as fewer companies sent representatives to Cannes this year and several top banks have closed their doors to media lending. The world of film is interconnected, and he showed how important it is to “make money for your partners”-relationships are fundamental to this business. We were so fortunate to get the chance to speak with Mr. Berg during two of the busiest weeks of his profession. Eyes of the students lit up when he mentioned what the industry is looking for in the next generation of employees: individuals with an understanding of old media with new media skills. Media aficionados-take notes.

Our second meeting was with Penn alum Mr. Geoff Gilmore (C'74), former director of the Sundance Film Festival and current director of the Tribeca Film Festival. He discussed the effect of film festivals on the independent film industry from a creative and economic standpoint. The film market place is officially saturated as too many films have been produced in the past few years-everyone wants their shot at becoming a recognized filmmaker. This only makes it harder for films to succeed and make a splash. However, recently, another factor has come into the equation: the changing nature of media. Mr. Gilmore pointed out that the new generation watches film or television mostly on computers. Youtube and Google are becoming platforms for anyone in the world to publish a film. Mr. Gilmore asked the question facing everyone in broadcasting today, how do we capitalize on the Internet, the so-called “promised land”?  Mr. Gilmore was very blunt and honest about the business. It was important to hear his realistic perspective, because even though things may be broken right now, it is actually a great time to break into the business and make a change.

Penn alum Rick Hess (C'84) confirmed that this truly is a business of passion. His enthusiasm and love of movies shined through his upbeat voice and demeanor. There is no one set formula to getting an “in” to entertainment- every path is distinctive. His entrepreneurial spirit was evident, as he has had his hand in producing and is now the new head of Creative Artist Agency’s Film Finance Group. While at Penn, he read all of the materials Van Pelt had to offer on the history of the movie business and encouraged us to do the same. Our excitement for the industry needs to be consistent with our desire to learn about it. He told us to never accept “no” and to persevere. Meeting these three men with multifaceted careers and impressive resumes in entertainment demonstrated the diversity of opportunities this industry has to offer. Jeff Berg, Geoff Gilmore, and Rick Hess have successfully mastered the balance between extensive knowledge in art and culture with business savvy. These Penn alum made it happen-now go out and make your mark."

+ Read what advice these 3 above gave to Penn undergrads LAST YEAR!
+ All DT 2009 Penn in Cannes posts
+ All DT 2008 Penn in Cannes posts
+ More advice from Penn alumni in the biz from the 2008 Penn in Pictures (VIDEOS!)

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Their Brilliant Mockumentary: "Dungeons and Dragons" Meets "Waiting for Guffman"

A bunch of Penn undergrads including some of the talented actors from Penn's improv group Without a Net as well as some Drexel improv group students partnered together to create Wizards of West Philly, a mockumentary that can be best described as Dungeons and Dragons meets the TV stylings of "The Office" and/or the film Waiting for Guffman.  

Although instead of Dungeons and Dragons, this very well done short is about the followers of another (apparently) popular game called "Magic".  Producer Dave Farber (C'11) describes the game to me as "a newer generation thing, though there are adults (some as old as 40 we found) who play the game."

Per Wikipdeia, Magic can be described as

"Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game created by a UPenn Mathematics Graduate Student named Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993. It is loosely based on the game Dungeons and Dragons, where each player is a wizard who utilizes the magical spells, items, and fantastic creatures depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents. The game is intended for a younger audience, but has a large following among young (and not so young) adults. There are Magic grand prixs and tournaments in the U.S. much akin to Poker tournaments where players compete for cash prizes. In 2006, over $3 million was doled out in Magic tournaments across the U.S.

Watch the video above...it really is well produced!   And is it me or does Anthony Levy (C'11) remind you of Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader?

Penn actors:
Anthony Levy (C'11), Molly Mitchell (C'11), Joe Lawless (C'12), Lucy Wolf (C'12),

Drexel's actors:
Jake Beckerman - Drexel '09, Luke Giordano - Drexel '09

The crew that worked on it were from Prof. Ellen Reynolds Video 1 class:
Dave Farber (C'09), Tom Fang (W'10), Aliza Fischer (C'09), Jason Rasmussen (W'12), Kirstin Snyder (W'12)

Check out my other Funny Friday posts here!

More creative Penn class projects HERE

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These Penn Semifinalists Could Win $50,000 From Dell With Your Help

Matt Capeletti (W'12) & Diana Kattan (W'12) are about to present students around the world with a way to get help with their studies ..for free.

But they need your help.

Matt and Diana are semifinalists with the Dell Social Innovation Competition and are seeking support for their website http://www.tutorchatlive.org.

Per Matt and Diana,

"As high school students, we realized the struggle that many face in getting help and understanding material. The use of a tutor can be a very valuable resource but they are often very expensive and many therefore cannot afford one. We decided to create a solution to this social problem by creating TutorChatLive.org, an easily accessible FREE online tutoring resource where any student around the world can log on and receive free tutoring through our live chat software."

Anyone can register and vote to support Matt and Diana's idea HERE.

Matt explains that at present, they do not have tutors available on their site because they are working on updating it and securing necessary funding to properly launch the project. Their main focus now is spreading the word about supporting their project with the Dell Social Innovation Competition.

Regardless of winning, they plan on launching the site in September 2009.


Other great Website Wednesday posts

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He's Showing Us Penn's Evolving Dining Halls & An Overwhelming Locust Walk (VIDEO)

Check out Gyro, a clever comedic short film from Kevin Conley (C'12) about a Penn student who wakes up one Saturday morning to search for his favorite food: gyros.   No matter when you graduated, one thing that rings true in this video is Kevin's humorous depiction of Locust Walk!  Watch the video above to see what I mean!

Per Kevin's description, this takes place in the 1920's commons on a Saturday! Apparently since I've graduated, dining halls are now open on Saturdays!. I would have loved that when I was at Penn! Instead the default for me was Houston Hall's Skolnik Bagels and My Favorite Muffin (I loved me the amaretto raspberry muffin!).

This whole quest for food reminds me of the film I did in 1996 about a man who stops at nothing for love ...and his favorite food. See what I mean by watching below.

More of my Now and Then Thursday posts here!

Watch other creative class project videos here!

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Kevin's Vlog #6: He's on Sasha Baron Cohen Watch!

Over the past couple of months here on DT, Kevin Shapiro (C'12) has been vlogging about his experiences as a freshman at Penn.

In this recent Vlog above, Kevin talks about

• a possible rumored sighting of Sasha Baron Cohen as "Bruno" on campus (More here! ...Anyone know anything more about this? )
• the changing of a Fall campus
• his need for sleep!

Check out all of Kevin's Vlogs here

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His Penn Video Will Inspire You to Go Back for Homecoming!

For a class project, Mulu Habtemariam (C'12) created this fantastic video depicting Penn's lush Fall campus with what seems to be an overall theme of "actvitiy" on campus. From the constant construction and upkeep, to the movement throughout campus, Mulu depicts Penn in this video as the great campus we all know it as."

Look out for the following scenes:

• Campus
  
• The walk
  
• College Green
  
• Campus Tours
  
• Students studying
  
• Promoting on the 38th street bridge
  
• The Button
  
• Squirrels
  

The video is set to Linkin Park's "What I've Done", ...the music in the Transformers movie. Speaking of Transformers, did you see our photos from when Transformers 2 filmed at Penn this summer?

Check out the PHOTOS here!

...Did the above video inspire you to visit Penn? Check out all the activities planned for this Homecoming 2008 (October 31 and November 1) including:

• Celebrate Penn’s dedicated alumni volunteers at the Alumni Award of Merit Gala 
• Tailgate at Quakerfest on the Green 
• Cheer on Penn football against Brown (get tickets here)
• Take in the arts at the Gallery Hop I and II 
• Mingle with friends at Red and Blue Rendezvous and Taste of Penn 
• Beginning on Friday evening, join Dr. Gutmann and fellow alumni at the Alumni Award of Merit Gala for a spectacular evening celebrating alumni volunteer leaders, classes, and regional clubs, all of whom embody the true spirit of lifelong engagement with our University. Be a part of this 74-year-old Penn tradition as we applaud the commitment and dedication of all alumni volunteers who serve their alma mater.

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I Scream, You Scream, They All Scream for Econ! (VIDEO)

Another year, another Penn tradition rears its head: The Econ Scream!

This week, Class of 2012 students let loose their frustration in this long standing Penn Tradition as students prepare for their first econ 001 midterm the following day. Check out the video above! (Thanks to Nancy Zhang (W'12) for the video!)

And if you missed it last year, here was the Class of 2011 Econ Scream below:

Check our some other great Penn tradition videos here!

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Homesickness Sets In...And He's Still Not Really Running

As I've been posting here on DT, Kevin Shapiro (C'12) has been vlogging about his experiences as a freshman at Penn.  I think Kevin's vlogs have been a great way to document how someone new to Penn feels. Something for prospects to check out for sure and something for alumni to relive vicariously!

In Kevin's vlog below, he talks about getting kicked out of a lounge for talking about math and also discusses what activities he's gotten involved in so far.

In this second vlog below, Kevin continues by talking about missing home...something we have all felt at one point or another.

Check out all of Kevin's Vlogs here

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"Fizzix, UA and D*!#chebags"

I've posted two of freshman Kevin Shapiro (C'12) vlogs so far here and he's been having the time of his life.

But, uh oh.. work is settling in for Kevin and he's now talking about:

• not having enough time in class.
• The UA elections happening on campus (and 1/5 of the class seems to be running!)...And listen to Kevin's thoughts on why he thinks everyone’s running.

Speaking of UA elections, remember these videos from last year’s elections?  I haven't seen any videos from this year's elections, but freshmen, feel free to post here!

Watch Kevin's 3rd vlog here

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