A full crowd was in attendance yesterday afternoon to hear tales of Sigourney Weaver's expensive hair and makeup tastes, Hilary Duff's quarrels over pop star Aaron Carter and Kim Possible Happy Meals.
Students packed Logan Hall to hear 1983 College graduate and Disney Channel President Rich Ross share anecdotes and advice about working in the entertainment industry.
He touched upon the business, marketing and sales aspects of the TV and movie-making process.
Ross described his ascent from his first mailroom job to higher positions at FX, Nickelodeon and, finally, Disney seven years ago.
The jump from Nickelodeon to Disney was an especially controversial one, because, as Ross said, "When we worked at Nickelodeon, Disney was the antichrist."
Ross overcame the switch and went on to become "the person in America singularly responsible for creating a market called 'tweens,'" according to Peggy Curchack, associate director of Career Services at Penn.
The introduction of original Disney programming that targets tweens, aged 9-14, has helped to make Disney the top network for kids in that category for the past 58 months.
However, when Ross decided on his career choice 17 years ago, not everyone could envision his successful future.
"People looked at the entertainment business as 'why would you do this?'" Ross said.
But he advocated the field as a way to express creativity.
"Take a step back from the sea of doctors and lawyers and do something that you love," he said.
For those starting in the business, he encouraged students to be assertive, stating, "I'm a big believer in living it and seeing it."
He said his job enables him to make people more open-minded through diverse programs such as That's So Raven and The Proud Family.
"I can do what I do and influence people to think differently," Ross said.
Ross also shared a list of life lessons with the crowd.
"The greatest skill you can possibly learn is listening," he advised, also stressing "finishing what you start."
He described himself as a "big believer in karma," noting that, "If you give to people, hopefully you will get back."
On a lighter note, Ross suggested checking underneath the stalls before discussing anything private in a bathroom and said that Wal-Mart was key in dominating the children's toy and clothing industry.
"If you fail at Wal-Mart, it's tragic," he said.
The audience seemed enthralled by his stories, laughing frequently during his speech and bombarding him for contact information afterwards.
"Even Stevens is my favorite television show," said College sophomore Jimmy Fanelly.
Other students, such as College senior Zuri Rice, said they came because of an interest in pursuing a career in entertainment, and because they heard Ross was a good speaker.
Curchack said Ross has had a very good reception from students over the past 12 years he's been speaking on campus.
"He's very real," she said. "He loves Penn and cares to see good talent nurtured."
