Posts published in “Follies 2021 Issue”

How did you guys get into the performing arts/theatre? 

Morgan: I don’t know that I really have had a formal foray into the performing arts/theatre, but I did work in advertising before Stern, where I cast and produced a few commercials. Additionally, I used to work as a camp counselor and would write the lyrics to end of year parody songs for an annual event that would take place. Does a bunch of Jewish kids singing songs with inside jokes as the focal point count as performing arts?

David: I spent the 10 years before Stern working in the TV industry, most recently doing comedy development at CBS, so I have a lot of experience reading and critiquing other people’s scripts – though we can all agree nothing on CBS is actually funny.…

Tell us about yourselves! Where are you from and what brought you to Stern?

Ketriel: I’m from New Orleans originally. A real Horatio Alger story. I overhead some MBA students partying on Bourbon that Follies was the greatest thing that they’d ever seen and from there, my life’s path was set.

Lesley: I’m from Hawaii and Texas, and I lived in Washington, D.C., before coming to Stern. I always knew I’d pursue an MBA, and I was drawn to the career opportunities in New York.

When and how did your passion for theatre/ performing arts begin?

Ketriel: Once I was told that I could horde attention, there was basically no way that I wouldn’t sign up.…

How did your career in entertainment begin and how have your goals evolved over the years?

My first job after college was as a production assistant on Grown Ups 2 where my date to the wrap party accidentally pushed Adam Sandler, so my career could really only go up from there. An early boss of mine discovered that I could understand the financial side of the film’s purchases (aka play with Excel), and so I worked as a production accountant from then on for almost 8 years before coming to Stern. I’ve tried to spend my MBA building my strategic tool kit as well as learning more about the entertainment industry outside of production, so I’ve had internships in business development for a small production company led by a Stern alum and in streaming operations on the Paramount+ team for ViacomCBS.…

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what brought you to Stern?

I grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, a small town in Westchester right outside of New York City and then went to Kenyon College in Ohio. After graduating with a double major in Music and Political Science, I moved back to New York and pursued a career as a professional singer, producer, and semi-professional fantasy sports player (code for me supporting my music and borderline making a living via DraftKings). For my solo singing, I specialized in the genre of “Whatever I Could Get Paid To Sing” and frequently performed at venues like Carnegie Hall and 54 Below as well as on some TV programs.…