Alumni Entertainment Industry Mixer Brings Industry Leaders and Newcomers Together | Chapman Newsroom

In April, a sold-out crowd of 300 Chapman alumni attended the 2024 Alumni Entertainment Industry Mixer at Lionsgate Entertainment in Santa Monica, Calif. The event, which has become an annual tradition over the past decade, provides an opportunity for alumni in the entertainment industry to catch up with old friends and make new connections with shared experiences. 

“What I love most about this event is the gathering of our alumni from different years. It’s like family,” Akin Ceylan ’90, COO of Home Entertainment at Lionsgate and Chapman University Trustee. “It’s a nice time for people to get together and enjoy themselves … community is so important and [this is] an opportunity to build relationships.”

This year, recent graduates from the past three years were invited to attend a special industry roundtable session before the main event and were given the opportunity to talk in small groups with leaders in their chosen fields. 

Dave Bushore ’04, vice president of franchise creative, marketing and immersive development for Marvel Studios, was one of the industry professionals who spoke with recent graduates about how the industry is changing with the development of new technologies such as AI.

“I’m here to try and get back into the Chapman community and would love to be able to do something that teaches about the things that I’ve learned in the industry,” he said, adding that he enjoyed hearing the perspectives of recent graduates. “Those are the people coming up now that are going to lead the industry for the next 20 or 30 years.”

Other participating alumni leaders included:

• Kelly Galuska ’06 – Writer, “The Bear” and “Big Mouth”’
• Casey Kasprzyk ’01– Supervising Producer, “The Bold and the Beautiful;” Vice-Chair, Chapman University Board of Governors
• Katie Mathewson ’11 – Writer/Producer, Showtime 
• Melissa McCoy ‘ 07 – Editor, “Ted Lasso”
• Kaitlin Peterson (MBA ‘16, JD ’16) – Lead Counsel, Entertainment & Gaming, Meta Platforms, Inc., Meta
• Suzie Strosin ‘08 – Owner and Supervising Casting Director, Casting Empire
• Yasu Tanida ’01 – Cinematographer, “This is Us”
• Tashi Trieu ‘10 – Colorist, “Avatar: The Way of Water”
• Dana Volkmer-Jones ’05 – Director of Development and Programming, Warner Bros. Discovery

“We felt it was important to offer these young alumni a chance to have their questions answered in an approachable environment without feeling intimidated by others with more experience,” said Kala Kardan, Chapman’s director of alumni engagement. “It was rewarding to see the alumni – both emerging and experienced professionals alike – listening and learning from one another.”

The opportunity to connect with and learn from experienced professionals was particularly valuable for recent graduates such as Brandon J. Somerville ’19, an acting major and full-time actor, producer and writer, who was attending for the first time.

“I came here tonight because I believe it’s about the depth of the relationships you form with your colleagues in the industry,” he said.

Attendees represented a wide range of entertainment careers and a variety of undergraduate degrees. Suzie Stosin ’08 was a political science major and is now a supervising casting director for unscripted TV.

“This is the first time at a Chapman alumni mixer, and it’s great,” she said. “I remember when I first graduated, so many unknowns … I wish I had gone to something like this back when I first graduated.”

Juliana Almario (JD ’ 24), who just graduated from Fowler School of Law with hopes of pursuing entertainment law, said she enjoyed meeting with entertainment professionals who are not lawyers.

“It’s cool to talk to the creatives and to see all the stuff that they’re involved in and they’re working on. It’s awesome to see Chapman have such an impact in entertainment,” she said.

Austin Gingold ’16, was a strategic and corporate communications major before joining Amazon Studios as a marketing campaign manager. He’s been to the mixer before, stating, “I love to reconnect with old Chapman friends and colleagues, and meet the new alumni, as well.”

Chapman faculty and staff were also present at the event.

“I love catching up with students I know… hearing about what they’re up to [in the] entertainment industry,” said Dean of Students Jerry Price. 

He added that networking is important in every industry but particularly so in entertainment, and not just for the connections that can lead to the next job opportunity.

“Talking about it with other people about the highs and lows and realizing that everyone goes through it … that’s an important part too,” he said. 

Enjoy these photos from the event. To learn about future alumni events, update your contact information.