42 minute read
Progress Toward Equity
Celebrating BIPOC Alumni and Beloved Administrator Patricia Redd Johnson
BY CATHERINE CALAMÉ
THE HOTCHKISS ALUMNI
Association Board of Governors recently celebrated BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) alumni during a special two-day event on The Hotchkiss School campus and chose this special occasion to honor Patricia Redd Johnson, former senior associate dean of admission, director of multicultural programs, and advisor to the Black and Hispanic Student Alliance (BAHSA).
The highlight of the event was the heartwarming announcement of a scholarship in her name thanks to a gift from Andre Swanston ’99. The scholarship is a permanent endowment that supports students receiving financial assistance from Hotchkiss. In addition, more than $235,000 was raised by alumni and friends.
According to Swanston, the creation of a scholarship is a fitting tribute to the impact Johnson had on students’ lives, including his own. “Ms. Johnson was the most influential person in getting me and many other diverse students from across the country and the world to attend Hotchkiss. She told me it would change my life, and it did!” he says. “I feel a sense of obligation to pass that good will forward, and couldn’t think of a better way to honor the legacy and impact of Patricia Redd Johnson than to start a scholarship in her name to help afford the Hotchkiss opportunity to aspiring students for decades to come.”
Johnson, currently an educational consultant, made a difference in the lives of students well beyond those who identify as BIPOC. She designed the first Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at Hotchkiss as well as the BAHSA Mother’s Day Picnic, during which parents were invited to cook foods from their own cultures in an event held at the Hotchkiss boathouse.
“How proud I was to be honored at an Award Dinner by so many BIPOC alumni of The Hotchkiss School,” says Johnson. “I am so proud of who they are and what they have accomplished since they left Hotchkiss. This distinguished group brought back so many fond memories of the time we spent together. What could be more thrilling than to have the BIPOC alumni endow a scholarship that will be held in perpetuity in my name? I grew tearful: The Pat Redd Johnson Scholarship honors me and continues the legacy of my grandparents and parents, who valued education so highly.”
Johnson was raised in Philadelphia, PA, and holds an M.S. from City University of New York, an M.A. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, an M.A. from Middlebury College, and an A.B. from Lincoln University. In addition, she holds a certificate from Exeter College at Oxford University, earning an Elizabeth Treadwell Fellowship from the English Speaking Union.
Recruiting for Hotchkiss at schools and special programs around the world, she conveyed a genuine sense of interest to prospective Bearcats. “I remember the day she interviewed me in middle school,” said Brandon Ortiz ’14 at the time of Johnson’s retirement in 2014. “It was after classes, and I was extremely unprepared and underdressed. But none of that mattered to Ms. Johnson. She took the time Brian Lee Young ’05, left, attended the BIPOC reunion in May and during our interview to get to know fondly remembers Patricia Redd Johnson, right, as a main reason why me and my story. Upon entering he succeeded at Hotchkiss and later at Yale and Columbia University. Hotchkiss, she welcomed me with open arms and the most caring and warm heart. She made sure every time we crossed paths that I was okay and was becoming accustomed to the Hotchkiss life. She is my Hotchkiss mother in every sense of the word.” In paying tribute to Johnson at the BIPOC reunion, Nailah Ellis ’00 described her as someone who made a difference for everyone she met. “She told us dreamers that we were strong. She told us to be patient, that our success would come. And she told us to follow our passion because we would absolutely, one day, change the world,” said Ellis, adding, “I think of a leader, a protector, an innovator, and at the end of it all, I think of love. Ms. Pat loved us, and still loves us, and it’s reciprocal.” The Event Committee (chaired by Nailah Ellis Timberlake ’00 and including Isaac Alicea ’20, Larry Braithwaite ’99, Chris Cowherd ’96, Sheria Smith ’01, and Steven Turner ’94) would like to thank everyone involved in helping to produce this important recognition of BIPOC alumni. H
Olivia Taylor ‘22 “learned so much about the history of the NAACP” through her participation in the Troutbeck Symposium.
The Troutbeck Symposium
Hotchkiss Students Elevate Knowledge of Local History
BY LINDA DUNBAR
ADOZEN HOTCHKISS STUDENTS
participated in the Troutbeck Symposium on April 28-29 at the 250-acre Troutbeck estate in Amenia, NY. Inspired by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) conferences held in 1916 and 1933 at Troutbeck, the symposium was conceived by Rhonan Mokriski, a history teacher at Salisbury School, as a student-led collaboration focused on uncovering erased local history through research, art, and conversation.
This year’s event was the culmination of a nearly yearlong project involving more than 150 students from regional public and independent middle and high schools, including Hotchkiss. Student work from the symposium has enriched the scholarly understanding of local history and its ties to the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement by elevating previously unexplored paths.
Mokriski encouraged a multidisciplinary approach focused on “making students learners by doing.” Participating students presented historical research that explored stories of the Spingarn family, who owned Troutbeck at the time of the original conferences and played a pivotal role in the development of the NAACP and the Harlem Renaissance, as well as other famous and lesser-known activists. This student work revealed largely untold narratives centering on the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community in the local region.
One of the first Hotchkiss staff members to join in planning the symposium was Joan Baldwin, Hotchkiss’s curator of special collections. Baldwin was instrumental in bringing the initiative to the School and recruited additional staff to participate, including Kim Gnerre, assistant director of the Edsel Ford Memorial Library. Gnerre was the force behind the LibGuide, a
research resource designed to be a hub for inquiry. Another faculty member who enthusiastically joined the initiative was Brad Faus, Marie S. Tinker Chair, director of the art program, instructor in art, visual and performing arts, and 30-year veteran of the School. He encouraged his students to lend visual interpretation to their investigation of the history of the NAACP and Harlem Renaissance.
Visiting speakers and special guests shared reflections and work throughout the symposium, including Pulitzer Prizewinning author Dr. David Blight, artist Nona Faustine, author Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and Silas Munro, assistant professor at Otis College of Arts & Design and Vermont College of Fine Art, and a partner at Polymode Studio.
In conjunction with the symposium, Dr. Lisanne Norman, Ph.D. ’94, co-director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and instructor in humanities and social sciences, created the course “Early Years of the NAACP and its Local Historical Roots” as an upper-level humanities elective. “My students have done a phenomenal job restoring lost history in a thoughtful, scholarly way,” says Dr. Norman. “They are contributing to changing the narrative of who we are and reconnecting it to what really happened. Students dug in, asking ‘what have we not heard about that we should have?’ and exploring how we open the conversation around American history and enduring elements such as race.”
Critical student questions that explored intersectionality included, “Where are the women?” and, “How has the LGBTQ community participated in civil rights?”
“I centered my research around using art to create political change,” says Billy Meneses ’22. “I focused on the NAACP’s 1935 exhibition, An Art Commentary on Lynching, which was part of the organization’s push for a federal antilynching bill. I was moved by art that could be used to sway crowds of people to support civil rights, a phenomenon that is equally important now as it was back then. I was inspired to create my own piece about
HOTCHKISS STUDENTS SHARE THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF THEIR ARTWORK
OLIVIA TAYLOR ’22 I had a fantastic time taking this NAACP research class. My focus was on Marcus Garvey and his relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois, which played out not only in The Crisis but also in letters written by NAACP members who regularly wrote in to The Crisis and wrote directly to Du Bois. I learned so much about the history of the NAACP, and the Troutbeck conference was fantastic. I loved seeing other student presentations and documentaries.
EMILIANO LEAL ’23 My project was a children’s book about Ida B. Wells’s life story. When I was first deciding what I wanted to do, I had a conversation with my mom, who is an educator. In that conversation, I came to the realization that Troutbeck is surrounded by schools, but I doubt many of those schools know about Troutbeck, or even use it as a resource. I thought that making a children’s book, with accessible language and vibrant pictures, would be the best way to educate younger students about such an impactful, important, yet often forgotten woman.
AMBER BRETZ ’23 I created a documentary that examines the dichotomy of W.E.B. Du Bois’s identity as a New England aristocrat and Black man. Du Bois had an indelible impact upon African American history, and I sought to highlight the influence that his collegiate experiences at both Fisk University and Harvard University had upon his choice to pursue social activism as a vocation.
FATOUMATA BAH ’22 I explored the presence of the arts, specifically dance styles, in The Crisis’s portrayal of Black rights and the impact this had on readers. I wanted to understand how receptive the viewers were to the usage of dance and its influence on the growth of the NAACP, as well as the impact of the arts and its role in advocating for Black civil rights. It was important to see how Du Bois connected the arts to further his message. It is my hope to shed more light on another [approach] Black people used to share their message and fight for equality.
the history of lynching, how far we have come, and how far we still have to go in the fight for civil rights.”
“The symposium was an amazing, enriching experience,” says Anika Balwada ’23. “I learned so much from the presentations by both my peers and students from other schools. My project was about Lillian Alexander, who was the treasurer for The Crisis, the NAACP’s official magazine. She was on the board of the NAACP as well as the YWCA. She also founded a housing development in Harlem. The point of my project was to bring light to her work and who she was, as there was very little ever written about her.”
“I am so proud that my students used Troutbeck, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights movement as a touchpoint to concept-driven art that demonstrates a point of view, creating art infused with meaning and depth,” says Faus. “Their artwork is multilayered, taking into account ideas that include uncovering previously erased history.”
During the early decades of the 20th century, Troutbeck was a hotbed of intellectual and cultural change for such influential leaders as W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Virginia Alexander, and Ralphe Bunche, among others.
At the time, Troutbeck was owned by Joel and Amy Spingarn. Joel, a founder of Harcourt, Brace & Co. and one of the most respected literary minds of his day, served as treasurer, president, and chairman of the NAACP from 1913 to 1939. The Spingarn Medal, named after Joel, is the NAACP’s highest honor. Amy, who felt she could be more effective in her work by staying out of the limelight, was also highly active and influential in the work of advancing the cause of people of color. Troutbeck is currently the home and convening place of Charlotte and Anthony Champalimaud, who are passionate in their exploration of the site’s history and importance and were instrumental in creating the symposium.
According to Annie Dong ’23, her greatest lesson from the Troutbeck Symposium was understanding the importance of collective learning. “While it may be time-consuming for one individual to obtain all the knowledge shared at the conference, the collective efforts of the students there allowed us to learn, listen, and reflect together,” she says. “The sum of all the presentations covered a tremendous amount of breadth and depth, providing me with a much more nuanced understanding of the lives, dreams, obstacles, and tensions of the figures whose names I’d always known but never had time to research. I truly believe that this model of learning must be explored further, particularly for topics related to identity, as it invites critical thinking and collaborative learning, while encouraging students to ponder with empathy and humanity as they consider the works of their peers.” H
LEARN MORE! Read our in-house guide to Troutbeck and supporting resources in the Edsel Ford Memorial Library by scanning this code.
Students decorated the Main Building with information on the contributions and experiences of Asian Americans as part of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.
AAPI at Hotchkiss: Amplifying the Voices of Pan-Asian Students
BY DARRYL GANGLOFF
HOTCHKISS STUDENTS CELEBRATED
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May by hosting a series of informative events on campus, and their important work extends far beyond those 31 days. Their ongoing mission is to foster healing, unity, and visibility for their Pan-Asian peers.
“We must normalize the presence of a vocal AAPI community at Hotchkiss and beyond to truly establish the fact that anti-Asian hatred is unacceptable in all its forms,” says Annie Dong ’23, who identifies as Chinese and founded the Pan-Asian Affinity group last year to create a safe space solely for Asianidentifying students. She felt the urge to act following the Atlanta spa shootings where eight people were killed, including six Asian women. Triple A—the School’s separate Asian American Advocacy club that is open to all students—held a virtual meeting the day after the tragedy, and the emotional discussion inspired Annie to create the permanent affinity group for her Pan-Asian classmates. “It was tremendously healing to witness our shared pain and the nuanced impact the shooting had on all of us,” she says.
This year, members of the Pan-Asian Affinity group, as well as Triple A club participants and supportive faculty, set to work planning programs leading up to AAPI Heritage Month. The events kicked off with powerful All-School and faculty meetings that featured anonymous testimonies from Pan-Asian students. “I wish you understood that I need patience and love when I try to switch between two cultures for my friends,” one student wrote. “I wish you understood that just because I’m less talkative in class doesn’t mean I care any less,” wrote another.
Other AAPI events included students participating in the virtual Asian American Footsteps Conference, where Marcus Lam ’23, Jonathan Cheng ’23, and James Yae ’23 presented a workshop titled “It’s Okay Not to be Okay—A Reflection on Masculine Binaries Within Asian Cultures”; decorating the Main Building with information on the contributions and experiences of Asian Americans; and hosting an AllSchool talk with poet and Bard College Assistant Professor of Written Arts Jenny Xie, whose discussion on multiculturalism and multilingualism was “tremendously insightful,” Annie says. The group also raised more than $900 for the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.
Ella Yu ’24 helped organize the AllSchool and faculty meetings, and the wide variety of testimonies taught her that “the Asian community cannot be represented by one voice, as we come from a vast range of cultures with different experiences. All of us need to be heard.” She emphasized that the affinity group has helped her feel confident in her Chinese identity—a feeling she wants to inspire in other students. “I’m proud to say that I have become confident in my Asian identity throughout my years at Hotchkiss,” says Ella, who will soon co-lead the Pan-Asian Affinity group. “I developed a deep appreciation and respect for my culture, something I didn’t have before coming here.”
Parth Jain ’24 was drawn to Hotchkiss due to its diverse student population. He identifies as Indian American, and he immediately felt welcomed and comforted by the Pan-Asian community. He joined the affinity group to make sure that “PanAsian Bearcats can appreciate that they are not alone.” He wants to continue amplifying the voices of students. “My first year being involved in the club’s activities proved that we can create tangible impacts at Hotchkiss,” he says.
Chemistry instructor Pierre S. Yoo, P’21,P’23, is the associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and he offers guidance to students working on AAPI programs with the help of Hotchkiss faculty and community members such as Senior Associate Director of Admission Peggy Hsia, Physics Instructor Anju Taneja, and former faculty members Nora Yasumura and Annu Dahiya. Yoo admires the leadership, dedication, and bravery of the School’s young advocates. “It is important in my role to give students space and empower them,” says Yoo, who identifies as Korean American. “This work is an example of what can happen if they are given that opportunity.” H
SCAN THIS CODE TO READ STUDENTS’ IMPACT STATEMENTS
Celebrating Philanthropy at Hotchkiss
The School is celebrating another successful fundraising year, with $40,716,765
raised—surpassing our goal. The continued support from alumni, parents, and friends ensures the excellence that defines Hotchkiss. Students now and the generations that follow will benefit from your generosity.
Moniti Meliora Sequamur
Guided by each other, let us seek better paths.
Ninette R. Enrique Chief Advancement Officer
GIVING OVERVIEW
Total: $40,716,765
l Facilities: $21,796,305 l The Hotchkiss Fund: $6,469,850 l Financial Aid: $5,612,086 l Other*: $4,102,371 l Unrestricted Endowment: $1,545,138
*This includes multi-year pledges. l Program: $1,024,564 l Faculty Support: $166,450
Hotchkiss donors... 922
Donors increased their giving
296
Donors made their first gift
562
Donors made a gift after not giving in one or more years
PARTICIPATION MATTERS!
Alumni participation: 30% | Alumni donors: 2,678 Parent participation: 85%* | Parent donors: 466 *Highest percentage among our peer schools!
Volunteers raised $4,405,920!
Members contributed $29,647,029!
GIVING CHALLENGES TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!
Day of Giving Exceeded our goal!
1,138 donors | $799,532 raised
Taft Day We were victorious!
404 donors | $15,882 raised
Todd ’89 and Janice S. Pitman Fund 23 donors | $22,475 raised
Gifts by classmates and friends to memorialize Todd ’89, who passed away on 9/11.
50th Reunion Fundraising | Class of 1971 Scholarship 44 donors | $608,148 raised
LEADERSHIP GIVING
100%
of our Trustees and Board of Governors gave last year!
177 new funds established to
donors gave $10,000+ support students, faculty, and staff at Hotchkiss
11
9new members
included Hotchkiss in their estate plans
662 total members!
A Little History: 1920 Capital Campaign $20,000
Planned gift from Gerold Hinkley, Class of 1910
is now worth...
2021: $5,000,000
SENIOR PARENT GIFT
Class of 2022 Memorial Hall Renovation funding the first floor faculty apartment.
$784,820 was raised against a $500,000 goal!
Your Impact
THE HOTCHKISS FUND 3,551 Donors | $6,469,850
Area of Greatest Need
2,629 Donors | $5,218,603
Financial Aid
300 Donors | $829,371
Academics
123 Donors | $122,981
Athletics
186 Donors | $105,090
Arts
74 Donors | $77,402
Faculty Support
54 Donors | $56,672
Conservation & the Environment
68 Donors | $31,913
Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives
117 Donors | $27,868
Thank you!
Your gift truly made a difference in the lives of Hotchkiss students.
REUNION 20
WEEKENDS 22
Welcome back, Bearcats! Hotchkiss was thrilled to host the Classes of 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016 from June 10-12 for a special celebration. The Class of 2020 also had a fantastic time at their unique two-year reunion June 14-15.
CELEBRATING
THE 2s AND 7s!
The beloved tradition returned as we welcomed classes ending in 2 or 7 for a weekend full of memories from June 17-19.
SCAN TO VIEW MORE REUNION PHOTOS
COMES TO HOLLYWOOD HOTCHKISS
BY JULIA ELLIOTT
The inspiration:
DAVID THOMPSON, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS,
NOT ONLY LOVES MOVIES, he loves to watch the credits. After watching the 2021 smash Apple TV+ hit Ted Lasso, Thompson immediately made note of one name: Supervising Producer Kip Kroeger ’00. With the help of the alumni office, Thompson reached out to Kroeger to tell him how much he loved the show (when Kroeger was a senior, he lived in Thompson’s dorm). During the conversation, Kroeger mentioned that he and screenwriter Taylor Materne ’99 had discussed talking with Hotchkiss students, and the idea for a panel was born.
“They were eager to demystify the experience of working in Hollywood,” says Thompson. With the input of film instructor Ann Villano, Thompson put together Hollywood Comes to Hotchkiss, a virtual event featuring Kroeger, Materne, producer Claire Brooks D’Oench ’07 and screenwriter Carla Frankenbach ’12.
Several themes emerged during the panel, which was held on April 5. All four alumni agreed that there is no right or wrong way to forge a path in Hollywood—both Brooks D’Oench and Frankenbach attended film school, while Materne and Kroeger did not. They noted that often the lowest-level industry jobs, like working as someone’s assistant, can be the most instructive by showing how all the pieces work together. Hard work is an absolute must. “All those late nights, the discipline required to find success, juggling various commitments—those skills that they learned here at Hotchkiss paid off in Hollywood,” says Thompson. Passion and an excitement for the work are necessary ingredients. So is finding a mentor, especially when that mentor is Chris Melendandri ’77, founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment. Both Brooks D’Oench and Frankenbach were especially grateful for Melendandri’s support and encouragement.
The panel was a meaningful opportunity for students and young alumni to hear stories from inside the industry. “A lot of times that one conversation can open up doors and new ways of thinking for students,” says Thompson. “I think it inspired some kids. Here are these really fascinating, dynamic graduates of the school doing really interesting work. They also heard that there is a network of Hotchkiss people out there who are willing and able to share their experiences. It’s humbling and wonderful when members of the larger Hotchkiss community contribute in this way.”
KIP KROEGER ’00 on How He Amassed a ‘Bag of Tricks’ to Give Him a Competitive Edge
EVER SINCE HE STARTED WORKING IN
HOLLYWOOD, KIP KROEGER ’00 has wanted to attend the Emmys . In 2021, the Apple TV+ series for which Kroeger was supervising producer, a comedy-drama about an eternally optimistic American football coach who leads a struggling English soccer team to success, was released to much acclaim. “We were proud of the show,” says Kroeger, “but you never know how people will receive it.” That series, the wildly popular Ted Lasso, was nominated for 20 Emmy Awards and won seven. Not only did Kroeger get his invitation, he took home his very own trophy. When Kroeger was a student at Hotchkiss, he had no idea he’d end up in television. He enjoyed his science classes and thought he’d probably pursue a career in tech or computers. The closest he got to media studies was one digital photography class in his senior year. He graduated and attended North Carolina State, where he studied computer science and then biology. His summers, however, were spent with Hotchkiss buddy Charlie Ebersol ’01, making music videos, interning in the film industry in Los Angeles, and even shooting a documentary in South Africa. Kroeger had plans to become a computer programmer or maybe a doctor like his father, but he really enjoyed the creativity and community he found in film production. As the end of college and the MCATs approached, Kroeger realized that he needed to follow his passion. Two months after graduating in December of 2004, he drove to LA.
His first job was working as a production assistant on a TV pilot produced by Doozer, the company founded by legendary producer Bill Lawrence. Kroeger’s principle responsibilities were coffee runs and guarding the set, and he loved every minute of it. “I was working with people who were creative, having fun, and loved their jobs,” he says. “And they taught me so much.” The pilot didn’t get picked up, but Kroeger eventually made his way back to Doozer when he was offered the job as a post-production PA on the beloved medical comedy Scrubs.
“The joke about post is that it’s a garbage disposal,” says Kroger, describing work in post-production. “The writing, the producing, the filming, it all lands in post. And sometimes, because of budget or schedule, what was filmed doesn’t totally match up with the original vision, so you have to take what you get and make it into the best possible show.” As an assistant, Kroeger watched every single cut of a show and saw first-hand how editing, color correction, special effects, soundscapes, and music shape an episode. “I learned a lot about the process of making a television show, and I found little pockets of creativity and ways to make an impact, no matter how big or small.”
After 77 episodes of Scrubs and several other series, Kroeger worked his way up to producing TV for Lawrence. His credits include such shows as Undateable, Whiskey Cavalier, The Conners, Roseanne, and Home Economics. The bag of tricks he learned in post-production gives him a helpful edge as a producer—he knows when not to waste time or budget on
Kip Kroeger ’00 and his wife, Tara, attend the season two premiere of Ted Lasso flanked by a giant soccer, er, football—as legions of fans would say.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes a minute to figure out how to take control of the journey. . . There’s a lot of luck involved, but you can make it happen.”
—KIP KROEGER ’00, SUPERVISING PRODUCER OF TED LASSO
Kip Kroeger ’00, supervising producer of Ted Lasso, prepares for the many Emmys his team will receive at the 2021 ceremony.
costly production challenges that can be shined up in post.
When Kroeger talks about what he loves about his career, he adopts a feel-good tone that would make Ted Lasso proud. “It’s all about the people,” he says. Working for Lawrence has meant being part of what Kroeger describes as a family of producers, editors, and writers who have grown together through many projects. “The way Bill approaches the show,” he says, “there’s room for everybody to share their creativity and infuse a little bit of themselves. Plus, we have a good time.” Kroeger’s advice for aspiring producers: “Don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes a minute to figure out how to take control of the journey. I floated around a bit. Once I figured out where I was having the most fun and tried to grab a hold of it, that’s where I was able to make my career. There’s a lot of luck involved, but you can make it happen.” H
CARLA FRANKENBACH ’12
on Connecting Daily Themes to Her Success as a Writer
CARLA FRANKENBACH ’12 GOT HER FIRST BIG
BREAK AS A WRITER in middle school. She was an eighth-grader at the Indian Mountain School (IMS) when she won a short script contest sponsored by IMS alumnus John Avildsen, director of Rocky and The Karate Kid. Avildsen returned to IMS for a day to film her script, acting as Frankenbach’s assistant director. Frankenbach doesn’t remember much about her script, but the experience left its mark. “I’ve always been writing since I was very little,” she says. “That experience showed me this could be a job.”
After graduating from Hotchkiss, Frankenbach attended USC’s film school. While at USC, she also interned at Illumination Studios, headed by Hotchkiss alumnus Chris Meledandri ’77. Still, she saw herself as a scriptwriter, and she aspired to get into a writers room on a TV show. She knew that the best way to do that was as an assistant—writers’ assistants take notes in writers rooms, research new episodes, fact-check, and basically get to witness the entire process of crafting a TV episode. But those positions were nearly impossible to get.
For a year and a half after USC, Frankenbach worked as an assistant for a manager who represented writers. “When you’re an assistant, your boss is your life and it’s a 24/7 job. It’s the hardest job in the industry,” says Frankenbach.
But the job gave her access to coffee dates with her boss’s writer clients and a huge network of other assistants working all over the industry. One of her many networking meetings was with the assistant to John Wells, one of the biggest TV writer-producers in the industry (ER, West Wing), who mentioned that she would be giving her notice that very day. Frankenbach applied for her job and got it.
If Frankenbach has any advice for aspiring TV writers, it’s to check your ego and be prepared to work as an assistant—and work hard. “You can’t come in and ask for favors. You have to find someone who seems like they will be able to help you and prove yourself in a way that may not be related to writing. That’s how the industry works.”
Of course, it helped that Wells was an excellent boss. “There are many bad bosses in Hollywood,” she says. “Because it’s such a high stress industry, you expect to have people yelling at you and general craziness. But John is the opposite. He is such a great mentor.” Another Hotchkiss alum, Cheo Coker ’90, also worked for Wells as a writer on the series Southland.
As Well’s assistant, Frankenbach finally got into the writers room. Her responsibilities included writers’ assistant duties on the Showtime series Shameless as well as Animal Kingdom, a dark family crime drama on TNT. After two years, she was asked to write her first episode on season five of Animal Kingdom. “I was so anxious about it,” she says, “but the writers in the room were so supportive.” Production for her episode was put on hold when the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, and Frankenbach had to rewrite the episode to adjust for a cast member who wasn’t available. “It was an interesting first experience!”
— CARLA FRANKENBACH ’12, WRITER FOR ANIMAL KINGDOM
Carla Frankenbach ’12 worked on TNT’s Animal Kingdom (above) and was promoted to staff writer for the final season.
For season six, the final season of Animal Kingdom, Frankenbach was promoted to staff writer and wrote two episodes. Animal Kingdom is a masculine, action-packed show and its tone and subject matter are not instinctual to Frankenbach, but she loved working on it. “As a writer, I get to inhabit these different worlds. Surfing and robbing banks—I would never do that, but I get to drop into that world with Animal Kingdom. Getting paid to come up with these ideas and being part of this group of great people has been amazing—and rare in Hollywood.”
Now that Animal Kingdom is over, Frankenbach and Wells are co-writing a new show that they hope will sell. With the TV industry in flux, it is an anxious time to be working as a freelance writer. Frankenbach says she draws on the discipline she learned through Hotchkiss’s rigorous academic demands and the experience of putting pen to paper in the daily themes writing exercises in her lower-mid year. “Being a writer in this industry requires creativity, but it’s also the routine of writing every day and finding what you can out of that.” H
TAYLOR MATERNE ’99
on How Writing Consistently Brought Him Up the Ladder
POST-COLLEGE, TAYLOR MATERNE ’99
WOULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED himself as the writer of a Netflix hit starring Adam Sandler. He was living in Atlanta, selling insurance to restaurants, when, over drinks at a bar, he and Hobson Brown ’93 convinced themselves that they could write a better boarding school drama than what they saw in the movies. At Hotchkiss, Materne hadn’t seen himself as a particularly skillful writer, but, he says, “I found joy reading and analyzing books and storytelling. I spent a ton of time in the library, reading whatever I found there, probably not doing my homework. I would just get lost in those worlds.”
Materne and Hobson teamed up with writer Jardine Libaire ’91 and wrote the treatment for a TV series about a fictional boarding school that ultimately got picked up as a YA book series, Upper Class. Together, the three co-wrote four books and, although the series never made it to TV, they did get an agent in Hollywood. Materne was excited by the prospect. “I thought, ‘This will be easy. I will go out to LA and write movies or TV shows.’ I look back and think, ‘What a moron.’”
If you’ve seen Materne’s 2022 Netflix release Hustle, a drama about a down-onhis-luck basketball scout played by Sandler, you’ll know that he is no moron. The New York Times called it “a terrific crowd-pleaser” that, according to Variety, “often feels like a true-life drama.” But getting to all those good reviews hasn’t been easy.
When Materne first moved to LA in 2008, he landed a job with another Hotchkiss grad, Stone Douglass ’95, who was financing independent movies. Materne worked as his right-hand man, reading scripts, meeting with actors, weighing in on edits, and attending film festivals. It was an excellent way to learn the industry, but he wasn’t
writing. “I was like, ‘I have to buckle down and make this happen.” Materne embarked on what he calls his “hermit time.” He cut down on socializing and focused his energy on writing. “I wanted there to be no excuse for failing.”
Between 2015 and 2017, Materne sold several film and TV scripts, but they all died in development. “It’s heartbreaking,” he says, “but you are always one of five projects in the studio’s world at a time.” A producer friend mentioned he wanted to make a basketball movie, and Materne, a self-described basketball obsessive, wrote a script on spec. “At Hotchkiss, we used to read Slam magazine and watch streetball mixtapes that we snuck into our dorm room,” says Materne. “At Wake Forest, I was friends with a couple of guys who went on to the NBA.” He infused his script with the language of the game, wanting it to feel, above all else, authentic. His script told the story of a washed-up basketball scout, Stanley Sugarman, who discovers a star player in China and brings him back to the U.S. to train for the preNBA draft showcase.
In 2018, LeBron James’s SpringHill Entertainment signed on to the project. A bidding war ensued, and, in May of 2020, Adam Sandler joined the cast, bringing Netflix on to distribute the film. With Sandler behind the project, Hustle was ushered through production, despite the pandemic shutting down everything around them. The China setting was changed to Spain, numerous basketball stars were brought in for cameo roles, and Sugarman became a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, something Materne never would have presumed the NBA would agree to. Sandler, who had just played a dark, complex character in Uncut Gems, also softened the character of Sugarman. “Adam carries the movie and brings it heart,” says Materne. “The response has been well beyond what I ever imagined.”
Selling Hustle led to a flood of work for Materne. SpringHill hired him to write the script for the NBA 2K20 videogame (“I had no idea what I was doing,” says Materne, “but I had fun and it was glorious!”), and he has several scripts in various stages of progress, none of which have anything to do with basketball. “I’m constantly trying to learn about new people and be inspired.”
When asked to give advice to aspiring writers, Materne jokes, “Do not do anything that I did!” But then he ticks off a list of suggestions: “Write all the time. Don’t be sacrosanct about your writing— let people read it. Take the criticism and work from there. Find a partner to balance you out and help teach you things. You don’t have to move to LA, but it does help. Get a job working at an agency or management company so you have a network of people your own age who can help you.”
In the end, though, he moves away from the pragmatic: “There’s something beautiful about delusion and chasing your dreams.” H
Taylor Matern ’99 with his wife Lindsey, daughter Emme, and son Arlo at the premiere of Hustle.
— TAYLOR MATERNE ’99, SCREENWRITER FOR HUSTLE
CLAIRE BROOKS D’OENCH ’07
on Why It’s All About Hard Work and Being Rewarded
CLAIRE BROOKS D’OENCH ’07 HAS
KNOWN SHE WANTED TO BE a film producer from the time she was 15 years old. She discovered her “artsy” side at Hotchkiss, where she was a member of the Hotchkiss Dramatic Association for four years, stage manager of 11 theatrical productions, and co-president of the radio station. She describes the scene in the radio room, then newly renovated, as being like a John Hughes movie. “Radio was this very special community,” she says. “We hung out there during lunch and at night. I loved the freedom of being on air, not knowing who was listening, running my mouth with my friends, and playing music we love.”
During her time at Hotchkiss, two summer internships—one at HBO and the other with theater producer Eric Falkenstein ’87—helped cement her desire to become a film producer. She studied film, storytelling and comparative literature at NYU and, in her senior year, she reached out to Chris Meledandri ’77, producer and founder of Illumination Entertainment, about her desire to produce. Meledandri didn’t make her any promises, but he was impressed by her work ethic— Brooks D’Oench managed to complete 12 internships while in college (“In hindsight, I would ask myself, ‘Are you insane?’”). Later that spring, she again reached out to Melendandri to ask for backing for a friend’s senior thesis film. Melendandri agreed and became one of her first financial backers. “It was a very magical moment where I felt very much like a producer,” she recalls. Brooks later invited Melendandri to breakfast to thank him for the support, and he surprised her by offering her a job at Illumination. “Chris was the start of the wildest professional trajectory I could have imagined for myself,” she says.
Brooks D’Oench headed to LA to work at Illumination, first as an assistant and eventually as marketing and advertising coordinator on The Lorax and Despicable Me 2. After two years and with Melendandri’s blessing, Brooks left to pursue independent producing in the film and event space. She produced her now-husband’s first short film, worked odd jobs in marketing and advertising, and pursued her MFA in film from Columbia University. Along the way, she met Jeremy Kipp Walker (producer of indie favorites The Big Sick and Half Nelson), who invited her to join him in running the Emerging Filmmaker Initiative at Netflix where she produced four short films, three of which are on the streaming site now. Alongside Walker, she also co-produced a Netflix feature film starring Rob Lowe in Atlanta last summer that will come out in 2022.
Brooks D’Oench’s path to producing may seem a little “scatterbrained,” as she puts it, but it may also be what makes her so good at her job. “My producing partner [Walker] told me, ‘You are a diplomatic individual who can talk to anyone.’ The last fifteen years of my life have been training in what some people call professional code switching, from talking about art to someone with a net worth of a billion dollars to talking to a transportation coordinator about rates. If a producer is meant to be a jack of all trades, I have literally done that.”
This fall, she is set to produce a quirky horror feature that Walker is directing. “It’s like horror meets reality TV show—like Love Island meets Scream,” she describes. She’s thrilled that the shoot is set in Mauritius and that, after her family-friendly work with Illumination, this is a movie for the 18-and-over crowd. “If this film is rated R, I would be very happy,” she jokes. Most of all, she is happy that she has made it to her goal of becoming, as she puts it, a “capital P producer.” To aspiring film producers, she says, “Stay humble but hungry. That’s a hard balance to find, but this industry rewards the longest careers and best reputations to those who do good work with good people.” H
The last fifteen years of my life have been training in what some people call professional code switching, from talking about art to someone with a net worth of a billion dollars to talking to a transportation coordinator about rates. If a producer is meant to be a jack of all trades, I have literally done that.”
—CLAIRE BROOKS D’OENCH ’07 PRODUCER OF THREE CURRENT NETFLIX FILMS
The First Family of Ultimate
TITCOMBS ’00, ’01, ’03, ’05 & ’11
BY DANIEL LIPPMAN ’08
Many sports games these days are rough-andtumble with referees required on the field to keep athletes in line, make sure they follow the rules, and don’t hurt each other (too much) as they try to dominate their opponent. Not so with ultimate Frisbee, which is self-officiated and where being a good sportsman is not only important but also rewarded.
One family that has played a leading role in making ultimate an increasingly prominent sport comprises five Titcomb siblings: Zahlen ’00, Xtehn ’01, Vehro ’03, Rohre ’05, and Qxhna ’11, all of whom attended Hotchkiss and found their love for ultimate.
Driven by passion for the sport, they own two top ultimate professional teams in Seattle, the Seattle Cascades and the Seattle Tempest, which went undefeated during this season and won the first ever Western Ultimate League championship this past spring. The siblings have also racked up medals and media attention over the years.
Rohre, whom USA Ultimate Magazine once called the best women’s player in the world, is one of the Tempest coaches. Qxhna is a starting player for Tempest and has won renown for her ultimate career, even garnering the cover of USA Ultimate Magazine. Both Rohre and Qxhna have won Beach Worlds gold medals. All three male siblings have taken home several medals as players for the U.S. Men’s National Team and gold medals for Beach Worlds.
—QXHNA TITCOMB ’01
While there had long been an ultimate club at Hotchkiss, it was only once the Titcombs came to campus that ultimate became a varsity sport.
“The boys and Rohre and Qxhna were all remarkable athletes, and they really believe in and embody and promote the spirit of the game,” says David Thompson, director of international programs and varsity ultimate coach.
The Titcombs’ success and love of the sport also led them to found the Five Ultimate apparel company in 2006, which came to life in their parents’ garage and expanded to a full-fledged company with manufacturing in Asia and an office in Europe. The siblings ran it until 2019 when they sold it to another apparel company in their sport.
Growing up mostly in Seattle but partly in Italy and France, their lawyer-investor father John Titcomb ’68 and artist mother Linde Behringer saw ultimate as a way for their children to bond while keeping them occupied.
“When you have five kids and you’re trying to coordinate activities, having something where many kids can participate is a pretty nice thing,” says Qxhna. “My dad was never the type of person who said, ‘let’s throw a baseball in the backyard or kick a soccer ball;’ he was like, ‘let’s throw a Frisbee.’”
Hotchkiss Magazine talked to all five siblings about their careers in ultimate.
Career Aspirations Growing Up
ROHRE: When I applied to Hotchkiss, I had to write an essay about my dreams. What I wrote about back then was wanting to compete in the Olympics and be on the first team when ultimate was in the Olympics. VEHRO: I knew I wanted to be in business, as cheesy as that sounds. I never knew what form that would take until starting this business with my siblings became a reality.
How Hotchkiss Helped Them Succeed
ROHRE: It instilled in me rigor and discipline. And I think that really has helped me be successful as an athlete. And just in life, I think the people around me would describe me as a very resilient person who can take on any challenge and will succeed. And my experience at Hotchkiss was definitely one where I was constantly being challenged. I remember getting to college and thinking, “this isn’t that hard.” And that’s because Hotchkiss really pushed me. ZAHLEN: Hotchkiss gave me the clear understanding to seek knowledge and try to understand how the world works. For me it’s the idea that you can always learn something. And if you have a question, there’s someone willing to answer it for you. It showed me the path that lifelong learning was possible and a yearning for knowledge was something I enjoyed.
Why They Love Ultimate
VEHRO: The best part of playing ultimate is everyone gets to be the quarterback. QXHNA: It gives me a competitive outlet. And it allows me to develop skills that are related to confidence building and leadership skills and being part of an environment where you can fail without consequence. XTEHN: It’s a really accessible sport. You need a Frisbee, you need a mostly flat space, and it’s no contact. It rewards strategy and skill.
From left: Rohre, Vehro, Qxhna, Xtehn, and Zahlen Titcomb
ZAHLEN: One of the core elements of the sport is a strong belief in the idea of selfofficiation and integrity coming onto the field. And when you have players that all respect each other at a high level, you can actually achieve great things. You can take that concept into everyday life and solve a lot of problems. How Equity is Shaping Ultimate
What Made Ultimate a Great Business
VEHRO: For us, it was a product-market fit. And I think that really boils down to the fact that we spent so many years in the sport. As players and consumers, it’s almost impossible to not understand who your target audience is, what they care about, what’s important to them, and how to be helpful and be valuable. ROHRE: When we started, our mental model at that time was Burton. And we saw what Burton did for snowboarding and what snowboarding did for Burton. Burton is synonymous with snowboarding, and we wanted to create a brand that was synonymous with ultimate.
“The best part of ROHRE: A lot of the global conversations playing ultimate about gender equity, specifically in the sports world, translate very directly into the ultimate is everyone community. We wanted to create access for gets to be the putting women on the professional field, as quarterback.” close to the beginning of men being on the professional field as possible … to really not create this lagging kind of younger sibling, smaller secondary dynamic that you see in a lot of the other professional leagues out there. QXHNA: There’s been a lot of conversations within the sport, not just about gender equity, but also about the intersection with racism, classism, and ableism. And honestly, those are conversations that are never ending. We’re at just the start of conversation and starting to figure out how to include social justice and anti-racism in all the work that we do as a sport. What’s in Store in the Future? ROHRE: Well, I still have my Olympic dream. So maybe someday? H
Daniel Lippman ’08 is a POLITICO reporter covering the White House and Washington and can be reached at daniel@politico.com.
