No Mickey Mouse lecture: Disney exec. gives career tips to students

The Penn grad went to law school, but followed his dream and found a job in Hollywood soon after. Rich Ross understands the pressures Penn students face. And the Disney Channel senior vice president should know. After graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences with an English major in 1983, he attended Fordham Law School -- not because he wanted to be a lawyer, but rather so his mother could brag about her son's job. "The world around here is very pre-professional," Ross said, addressing a crowd of 100 students in Houston Hall Thursday on how to make a career in the entertainment industry. "When you graduate from here, you have a choice to run your life," he said. And, as Ross told his audience, he did just that. Following his dream, he entered the entertainment industry instead of law. He took his first job at Nickelodeon, and after 10 years at that cable channel and the Disney Channel, Ross was promoted to his current position. The Disney executive doled out advice liberally, aiming to help his audience get a jumpstart on a career. Entertainment is a tough field to enter, he explained, because only a few cities are involved in the industry, and the majority of the work is in Los Angeles. But he advised students not to get discouraged. "There are always entry jobs," he said. "Everybody has an assistant." Ross showed enthusiasm for the field, despite its reputation for cutthroat competition. "People give [entertainment] a rep that it's very unstable," he explained. "It is unstable. But that's what's exhilarating about it." Ross advised the many undergraduates in attendance to seek internships in the fields they would prefer. And he suggested sending concisely written resumes to a lot of potential employers. "Be a little left of obsessive," he joked. When applying for jobs in Hollywood, L.A. addresses give applicants an extra edge, he said. Find a way to put that local feel on at all costs, he warned: "If you have a friend and a couch, use that." If internships and entry-level jobs don't come through, aspiring Steven Spielbergs should look for whatever work they can find, Ross said. Noting that he once promoted a temporary assistant to full-time staffer, Ross told the audience that freelancing and temporary jobs can pave the way to permanent positions later. "You walk in the door, and it's like Mission: Impossible!," he added. "You're in. Your job is to get a job." Ross concluded by answering students' questions on topics like writing film scores,the job market and the look of his typical work day. "Life is gonna be a little tricky if you want this. Go for it," he urged.