et al.: On Our Short List

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he 1996 film That Thing You But back then he w as just Tom Scott. That Thing Dol hits video stores this The Screen Actors Guild doesn't allow spring and stars Sy racuse two union members to have the same T drama grad Tom Everett name, so w hen he registered and found He Does! Scott '92 as goofY good-guy there was already a Tom Scott, he had to Guy Patterson. It's a light-hearted movie go w ith his full name. "For a while I about the fast fame of a fi ctional sixties thought, 'This is my chance to change Tom Everett Scott u rock ba nd called The Wonders. Oscar my name, be something cool like Tom winner Tom Hanks, who wrote and H endrix, or just be one w ord, like on the ja.1t track to directed the feature, handpicked Scott to Flash,"' he say s. In the end, though, the play the band's drummer and on-screen more sedate Tom Everett Scott won out. HoLLywood c1tardom love interest opposite actress Liv Ty ler. Things went more smoothly after Scott is adapting to That Thtizg'.J $25.5 that; Scott started w inning roles after only four months of serving w ings and beer. First came a Diet Coke ad w ith Victoria Secret model Stephanie Sey ­ mour: "It ran for a week," h e laments. Then came commercials for a fast-food chain, toothpaste, and a furniture store in M ary land. Sitting on a sofa with 18 other people during the furniture shoot, he feared: "This is going to end me. I'll just be Furniture Boy. You have these nightmares y ou'll be st uck as Orville Redenbacher's grandson for the rest of y our life." During this period Scott found him­ self fending off an avalanche of advice from a dozen would-be agents. "A lot of small agents w anted me to sign for a year. They were telling me w hat to do. Cut y our hair. Grow your hair. And I was being an idiot thinking they were my lifeline." But Scott decided to be true to himself -if he w anted film he should stick w ith film; m eanw hile h e w ould ask casting directors w hich agen ts wer e worth their salt and ditch the others. Eventually Scott signed w ith J . M ichael Bloom, one of the top casting agencies in N ew York City. At a bout the same time he and some buddies, frus­ trated by bad acting op p ort unities, began a nonprofit stage group called TheatreCo in N ew York 's East Village, Tom Everett Scott '92 (front row, right) starred in the 1996 film That Thing You Do!, which was written and w here Scott directed and acted in a directed by Oscar winner Tom Hanks (front row, left). Scott also has a role on the TV sitcom Grace Under Fire. num ber of offbeat productions. "We tried to be as cutting edge as we could ­ and y ou know it's tough for a b unch of million box-offi ce success w ith grace and w hite kids from middle-class b ack ­ humility, w hich isn't easy considering grounds to be very cutting edge," he that at 26 he has already been profil ed in says. To pay the bills, h e worked on a TV PeopLe, featured on the cover of Enter­ p ilot that didn't get picked up, gu est­ tainment WeekLy, and appeared on the starred on t he television series Law d Late Show with Dav/2 Letterman. C learly Order, and did an after-school special. he's come a long way since his days as a But it was a recurring role on the TV first-year S U communications major w ho sitcom Grace Under Fire-playing a son worked nights on security at H aven H all. that Grace gave up as an infant for adop-

8 Published by SURFACE, 1997 SYRA C USE UN I VER S I TY MAGAZINE 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 13, Iss. 3 [1997], Art. 5

Big Brother Is from their p laying schedules. T he actions of the poli tical science student Watching proved successful. Overall, his SU expe­ rience was memorable. "There weren 't BiLL Hunter '65 many places black athletes could go to school, " H unter recalls. "Syracuse was a at do Nationa l Basketball haven for us." W;Association (NBA) forwards When Hunter went on to a profession­ Grant H ill, S hawn Kemp, al football career w ith the Washington and Scottie Pippen have in common? Redskins and Miami Dolphins, he also Aside from th e fact that they guard one learned firsthand there's more to being a another on the court, they are also professional athlete than performance on watched over by S U a lumnus Bill the field . Today, he ensu res that N BA H unter '65. p layers succeed off the court through Hunter is director of th e NBA seminars on substance and spousal abuse, P layers Association, the labor union relationships, H IV awareness, and finan­ t hat looks out for its 400 members. cial planning, as well as continuing edu­ "Just as N BA Commissioner D avid cation programs that help players com­ Stern represen ts the teams, I represent plete u ndergraduate stu dy or p ursue the players," H u nter says. "I am like a graduate degrees. "Everything I do for b ig brother to them." this association is focused on developing A sixties-style crusader for socia l an organization that is respected for its change, Hunter is no stranger to chal­ competence, integrity, and interest in the Tom Everett Scott, who played a goofy good-guy pop lenging injustice or motivating others to success of its members," he says. band drummer in That Thing You Do!, performed opposite actress Liv Tyler. do th e same. As captain of the 1964 Alth ough professional sports was Orangemen football team, he encour ­ Hunter's passion, he also realized he need­ tion w ho shows up at her door as an aged athletes of color like Dave Bing ed a backup plan in case his athletic adult-that grabbed Han ks' attention. '66, F loyd Little '67, and others to sign a career faltered. To that end, he enrolled Scott was offered a five-year contract petition removing segregated schools at Howard University Law School to with the show. "The money was more than I ever thought of making, b ut I turned it down so as not to be locked into something," he says. It was a wise m ove: Turning down that contract left the door open when he was approached to star in That Thtizg. A week after That Thing wrapped up, ~ After earning a degree in broadciUt jour­ Scott was cast as the lead in An American nalilm from the S.l. Newhouse School of Public Werewolf in Pari! (due in theaters this Communications, Holly Lehr '88 hoped to become May). After that he filmed an Red River, the next Diane Sawyer. Four years after gradua­ independent film that's still awaiting a tion, however, her career plans took an unexpect­ d istributor. ed turn, and Lehr found herself working in pub­ Scott hasn't found his next project yet. lic relations. One of her primary tasks: giving He will leave for Europe to promote away millions of dollars a week to some very happy recipients. That Thing for a few weeks and use that As part of her job, the New Jersey Lottery public information officer time to mull things over. In the mean­ hands over the big bucks to lucky winners and changes their lives for­ time, catching up on some much-needed ever. As the lottery's spokesperson, Lehr also coordinates all media sleep and puttering around the house relations and sets up press conferences and photo opportunities for appear to be a top priority. America's newest millionaires. "The best publicity for the lottery is for "''m trying to find time to do things I people to see others who have won," she says. "It happens to normal want to do," Scott says, "like I just put a people every day." cabinet up in the bathroom and towel Lehr has seen firsthand the dramatic effect money can have on peo­ hooks on the back of the door; things ple. Some quit their jobs and end up in financial trouble, she says, while I've been needing to do for me and for others are cautious with their newfound wealth and invest it wisely. my sanity. "Winning is a wonderful experience, but you have to be smart about "Oh, and I have to go pick up my it," Lehr says. -Elaine Cipriano laundry." -NANCY CHAII'IBERS

9 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol13/iss3/5 SPRING 199 7 2 et al.: On Our Short List

CaJjfornia, he handled major drug cases, the Hell's Angels, and was involved with Spreading the Word the infamous Patty Hearst trial. As Shanti Da.J '95 president of the Port Commis­ sion for the city of Oak­ hanti Das has a mission at LaFace land, California, he neg­ S Records in Atlanta: Spread the otiated contracts with sound of new music being generat­ shippers throughout the ed by the highly successful label that's world. When partner in been called the "Motown of the South." a firm, he made sure en­ As LaFace's national director of street tertainers like MCHam­ promotions, Das doesn't have any prob­ mer and Babyface, and lem stirring up interest in the label's lat­ companies like Philip est productions. After all, LaFace was Morris, were well taken founded by Antonio "LA" Reid and care of. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, two With Hunter's track re­ acclaimed artists and producers who cre­ cord, it's no surprise that ated one of the country's premier R&B Dave Bing recommended and rap labels in LaFace. "That's been he pursue the NBA post. one of my blessings here at the label," says "During Coming Back To­ Das, a 1993 graduate of the S.I. New­ gether Y, Dave and I talked house School of Public Communica­ about my getting involved tions. ''I've been fortunate enough to with pro sports behind the work with artists w ho produce great scenes," says Hunter. "Neither music. It makes my job a lot easier." one of us knew that the posi­ Among the celebrated chart-climbing tion with the Players Assoc­ stars in the LaFace stable are the Gram­ iation would become vacant." my Award-winning trio TLC, the rap Following a nationwide group OutKast, and pop sensations search, the NBA's 29 player Toni Braxton and The Tony Rich representatives chose Hun­ Project. W hen LaFace artists step out of ter last July as their point the studio ready to la unch their latest man. "I was very busy try­ creations, it's Das w h o markets the ing to tie up loose ends with music to the masses through promotion­ my firm in California and al giveaways at clubs, concerts, beauty getting adjusted to my new salons, high schools, and other venues. role," Hunter says. "Within a 'Tm the person who gets the buzz going week of the appointment I on the street before the product is sent was involved with making to radio," Das says. "It's really about decisions about Alonzo Mourn­ getting in tune w ith the consumer. You ing's contract a nd Juwa n Howard's have to give away some of y our music so trade. I even attended the Olympics and it can trickle dow n by word of mouth. met the Dream Team as the new head of Then w hen the radio stations get the New York Knicks forward John Wallace '96 (left) is their association." music, there is already a level of famil­ among the NBA players guarded by Bill Hunter '65. Hunter realizes his job is more than iarity w ith it." contracts, rookie transition programs, and It also means that in the fast-paced earn a juris doctor degree. "I didn't want good seats at games. As their new big beat of the music entertainment indus­ to be a schoolteacher and unless you were brother, his quest is for players to believe try, Das is constantly on the go. She a business major, graduate school seemed in his abili ty to keep their best interests a attends such award ceremonies as the to be a good option," he says. "Law is an top priority. "My greatest chall enge is American Music Awards, the Soul Train extension of political science, so it seem­ gaining player trust and confidence," he Music Awards, a nd the MTV Video ed natu ral for me to go to law school." says. "But, as I get to know them, I'm Awards. She journeys frequently from Extending it even further, Hunter earned sure that w ill happen." Atlanta to Los Angeles and New York, a master's degree in law in 1969 from the With a six-year commitment to the home of Arista Records, LaFace's par­ University of California at Berkeley. NBA, he's hoping for a lasting relation­ ent company, and to other cities that ap­ During his years in the legal field, ship. "This is a great job and I would pear on the itineraries of touring g roups. Hunter has watched over many different like to be here fo r as long as the players When LaFace artists go on t he road, people. While a presidentially appointed will have me," Hunter says. Das often travels with them or does pro­ U.S. attorney for the northern district of -NATALJEA. VALENTINE motional work connected to the tour.

10 Published by SURFACE, 1997 SYRt\ CUS E UN I VER S ITY MAG t\ Z INE 3 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 13, Iss. 3 [1997], Art. 5

"In 1995 I was on tour for three months with TLC," she says. "I traveled on the bus and set up meet-and-greets where radio programmers got a chance to come out and meet the group." In addition, Das arranges radio interviews, retail appearances, and autograph sessions, and attends con­ certs. Her responsibilities also include producing weekly promotional mail­ ings that might track a single's status on various charts or feature a video call-in request number. "It's important to get the music out to as many people as pos­ sible and to try to get as many radio sta­ tions as possible to play it," say s Das, an Our Time Has Come Scholar who majored in telecommunications man­ agement at SU. "But the music has to be a hit. I think people put a lot into promoting a particular artist or a single, but if the music isn't there, then the bat­ tle is lost. You must have a hit record before you can promote it." And what's the key to producing a chart-busting hit? "The creativity of the Shanti Das '93 (left) of LaFace Records in Atlanta shares a hug with award-winn ing recording artist Toni Braxton. producer and the artist in the studio," says Das, w ho traces her love of all kinds of good music, ranging from rap to classical, back to her childhood. At Syracuse, she honed that love through three years of work at student-run radio station WJPZ, which provided excel­ lent hands-on training and gave her insight into dealing with radio stations; > Two Syracu.Je Univer.Jity graduatu are helping to make our and Newhouse classes, which enhanced fast-paced world move even more quickly. Naresh Sehgal G'87, G'94 her technical understanding of radio, {below, left) and Amaresh Kumar G'85 (below, right) are enterprising she says. Das also polished her knowl­ young businessmen working for Intel Corporation. edge of the music business with summer Sehgal, who joined Intel in 1988, manages a group that creates jobs at SONY Music and Capitol software for the computer-aided design of microchips. Currently he is Records in her hometow n of Atlanta. working on Pentium chips that will process more than a billion instruc­ Four months after graduation, she tions per second. He also helps with the planning and layout of where joined LaFace, w here she's been ever devices are placed in the microprocessors Intel produces. "It's just since. ''I'm loving every minute of my like when you plan a city," he says_ "You have to figure out where work. I love the opportunity I get to trav­ to put the train station, where to put the grocery store, where to el all the time and put the bank, and you have to make the roads connecting them." meet new p eople," Kumar, who previously designed high-speed she says. "Even microprocessors, now serves as program manager though the enter­ for Intel's video products. "Management allows you tainment indus­ to broaden the scope and impact of your work," try is a business says Kumar, who also enjoys the challenges of first, it's very working at a prestigious corporation and on the cut­ creative and I get ting edge of technology. "In the past few years, Intel a chance to use a has risen from the seventh or eighth to the premier lot of my creative semiconductor company in the world," he says. energy." "It's great to be part of that." -Tara Gelsomino

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