November 21, 2001: Class Notes

Class Notes Profiles:

L.A.'s little orange book
Alison Graham ’84 establishes showbiz network for alumni

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L.A.’s little orange book
Alison Graham ’84 establishes showbiz network for alumni

There’s a little orange book floating around Los Angeles, and it’s got people talking. Published by Alison Graham ’84 and the Princeton-in-Hollywood organization, it’s a directory containing contact information for more than 130 Tigers working in the entertainment industry, from actors and agents to musicians and studio executives. In a town where connections are key, getting your hands on a copy of the directory is akin to tapping into a high-powered executive’s Rolodex.

Graham, who founded Princeton-in-Hollywood three years ago and is its chair, first hit on the idea of an alumni-based showbiz network in the midst of a career transition of her own. She had trained with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center while a student at Princeton and went on to study acting in London at the Central School of Speech and Drama. After several years of pounding the pavement as an aspiring actor in New York, she moved to Los Angeles in 1998 and landed a job as an agent’s assistant at Creative Artists Agency.

Soon she set out to organize a series of panel discussions about the entertainment industry for the Princeton Club of Southern California. The events, held on the Paramount studio lot, featured such industry heavyweights as Frank Biondi, Jr. ’66, former chair and CEO of Universal Studios, and Winnie Holzman ’76, executive producer of the television show Once and Again. When the series attracted audiences of more than a hundred people, Graham knew she was onto something.

Later that year, Graham along with Alisa Matlovsky ’76 compiled the first Princeton-in-Hollywood directory, which soon sold more than a hundred copies at $15 each. The latest version was published last month. (For a copy, contact Graham at aligrahm@aol.com.)

Princeton-in-Hollywood also offers a series of events, mainly talks by established writers, producers, and directors.
“The directory is a great resource, primarily as a networking tool and a way for Princetonians to seek information and advice,” Graham says. “What it represents is a willingness of graduates in the entertainment industry to be accessible.”

By Tamar Laddy ’94

Tamar Laddy is a film student at the University of Southern California.