Students advised on achieving fame

Future rock stars, record producers and big-shot lawyers got some helpful advice last Thursday night in the Hill College House Library. Lawrence Gelburd, a record producer and co-faculty fellow of Hill, Graduate School of Education student Greg Dubrow and third-year Law student Kathy Liu -- both Graduate Associates in Hill -- spoke to a group of about 30 students interested in careers in entertainment. "Not only have I played in bands, but I've worked for record companies," said Dubrow, beginning the discussion. Dubrow, who has been playing with folk rock-style bands since his undergraduate years, worked for A&M; Records and played bass on Dumb, Gifted and Beautiful, the 1995 release of the Idle Wilds. Dubrow warned that the road to fame is often a long and arduous process. "People will tell you, 'Wow, signing a record deal is like the best thing that could ever happen.' It's the first step." Continuing with the talk, Liu, who will pursue a career in entertainment law, gave a legal perspective of the entertainment industry. Liu has already been hired by the New York City law firm Lobe & Lobe, which she will begin working for after she graduates. The fact that Lobe & Lobe's entertainment department handles Internet companies, music groups, movies, television and theater interested Liu. "I looked for the law firms that had entertainment departments and put them down as first choices," she explained. Finally, Gelburd presented the audience with the production end of the business. Gelburd, who graduated from Brown University with a degree in electrical engineering, found that he was much more interested in entertainment. "I decided that what I really wanted to do was make the records," Gelburd said. Gelburd then offered various strategies on breaking into the record business. "For those of you who are from big names in the entertainment business, you are probably not here because you don't need to be," he joked. Continuing on a more serious note, he gave advice to students not privileged to have a family already in the business. Gelburd stressed that budding entertainers should never be disappointed by hearing 'no,' which, he noted, is heard all too common in the process of finding work. "The Beatles were originally turned down by every major record label in Britain," he said. The discussion attracted students interested in a variety of aspects of the industry. "I have a strong interest in music and I'm at a point right now where I'm just looking for future jobs," College sophomore Adam Toro said. Regardless of how applicable the information will be in the careers the students plan to pursue, audience members said they still enjoyed receiving inside information from those who have been there. "I don't know if it's good advice or not," College freshman Scott Greenwald said. "Hopefully one day I'll find out."

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