Oscar season is upon us, and AU alumna Rachel Newlander will be there - working behind the scenes. The School of Communication aluma is the publicity logistics coordinator for the Academy Awards.
After Newlander received her master's in Journalism and Public Policy in 2004, she landed her first job at Discovery Communications Inc. as a production assistant. Two years later, Newlander was offered a position with the Academy Awards. Her responsibilities entail coordination of the nominations announcements, the nominations luncheon and numerous other events.
"It is interesting to hear how members of the press react to the nominations and the winners," Newlander said.
When "Crash" won Best Picture last year, "The mixtures of gasps, claps and boos were entertaining," she said.
This will be Newlander's second year as the Academy Awards' publicity logistics coordinator. This year, she said things are easier.
"Last year was surely a learning curve," Newlander said. "I spent a lot of my time researching and reading files of years prior, studying how other publicity logistics coordinators handled the event."
"It was a lot of work, but the time I spent researching really helped me tackle the Oscars last year. My work from last year has made this year pretty comfortable."
Unfortunately, Newlander didn't say much to quell the fear many communication students have: that their degrees will result in financial instability and hardship.
"Working in the film industry sounds glamorous, and it is glamorous, yet stable is something this industry is not," Newlander said.
Still, she said AU prepared her well for the fields of journalism and public policy.
"The biggest thing instilled in me by AU was the need to hustle," Newlander said. "You cannot mess around. You have to do what you have to do to get the story."
Newlander had some advice for college students interested in breaking into the film industry.
"Work hard," she said. "Nobody owes you anything. Nothing. You have to go out and get it. You have to be willing to work hard. Willing to do things that are not glamorous - things you never pictured yourself doing."
"You have to be willing to take out the trash. But do not fret, because people will notice"
