The GRAMMY Awards

Belmont West students had the opportunity to be talent escorts on the red carpet for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday, January 31. Volunteering for the PR firm that handles the awards, students ran talent down the carpet with more than 200 media outlets.

Select talent the Belmont West students escorted down the carpet included:

• Akon
• Bon Jovi
• Chick Corea
• Clive Davis
• Dierks Bentley
• Elvis Costello
• India Arie
• Jeff Bridges
• Jennifer Hudson
• John Primer
• Katy Perry & Russell Brand
• Liz Rose
• Melanie Fiona
• Miley Cyrus
• Pleasure P & Bria Murphy
• Roberta Armani
• Trey Songz
• Zac Brown Band

Aside from working the arrivals for the telecast, students volunteered at multiple events during GRAMMY Week. GRAMMY Career Day, held on the USC Campus, had GRAMMY Award-winning talent such as Justin Timberlake hold workshops for Los Angeles area high school students.

Students also volunteered to work on the production of The GRAMMY Foundation’s Annual Music Preservation concert. Performers included GRAMMY-winning legend Solomon Burke, GRAMMY-winning artists Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz, R&B vocalist Melanie Fiona, pop/rock band the Fray, and Latin GRAMMY winner Jorge Moreno.

Jorge Moreno is escorted down the red carpet by Belmont West student Angelica Placido during the GRAMMY Foundation's Music Preservation Concert.

L.A. pop radio station, KIIS-FM, held a gifting suite during GRAMMY rehearsals where students worked. Some of the brands at the gifting suite included C&C Clothing, Ed Hardy, Erge and Too-Faced makeup. Seen hanging out in the suite were Justin Beiber, Jessica Sutta (Pussycat Dolls), Ludacris, Jason Derulo and Trey Songz.

These GRAMMY experiences are made available to Belmont students thanks to alumni and supporters working on many of the events during the week.

The L.A. Assistant

Entertainment in LA instructor Chad Greer brought in a panel of assistants to meet with the class and offer advice on landing and handling that entry-level job in Los Angeles.

Robyn Booker from Paramount, Oliver Marler from Wikked TV, Hayley Dickson from Reveille, and Mallori Kirchenschlager (Belmont ‘07) from Creative Artists Agency, shared how they got their foot in the door and how they have been climbing up the ladder through hard work, luck and networking. The panel agreed that everybody has their own path to success, whether through an internship or relentlessly marketing yourself.

To get a recruiter’s attention, “put something catchy in the subject line of the email to differentiate your resume, rather than just listing the job title you are applying for,” offered Dickson, a Vanderbilt University alum. Other practical tips included getting the weekly UTA job list and paying attention to rumors in order to hear about jobs before they are officially put online.

And the work doesn’t end once you land that first job. Don’t expect to be immune from the daily minutiae of entry-level work just because you have a degree and internship experience. “Your boss wants to see you can handle the details before giving you more responsibility,” and in some company cultures, like CAA, their aspiring agents go through training which includes doing time in the mailroom. But keep your head up and take advantage of every opportunity because, “you aren’t really going to know what you like, or what you’re good at, until you have those experiences.”

A warm welcome in LA

Students participating in the Belmont West program were welcomed in Los Angeles by local alumni, adjunct faculty and The Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business staff. Many young alumni and former Belmont West participants were in attendance and offered advice on careers and life in Los Angeles. Belmont West Advisor Val Vanderwest and The Recording Academy's Daniel Mendoza hosted the group at their home on January 9.

Twelve local alumni showed up to welcome the group. Celeb sightings included Dean Wes Bulla on a stopover from Hawaii, Strategic Programs Director Sarah Cates with her husband, Chad Cates, and Legal Issues professor Tom Cavanaugh of 20th Century Fox.

L-R: Sarah Cates, Mallori Kirchenschlager ('07),

Janeal Bernhart ('07), Kelsey Dewald ('07) and

Belmont West student Madison Ciccone

L-R: Belmont West students Kyle Shearer, Melissa Cardwell,

Angelica Placido with Josh Eddy ('07) and Lisa Klingensmith ('09)

L-R, Back: Val Vanderwest ('01), Belmont West student Melissa Carwell,

Lisa Klingensmith ('09), Dan Smith ('84), Belmont West student Latrice Newsome,

Taylor Begert ('08), Sarah Cates

L-R, front: Belmont West students Angelica Placido, Allie White, Kristin Adams

L-R: Belmont West students Kyle Shearer, Adam Sample, Madison Ciccone and Noel Pipkin