The MHC SoCal Digest Issue 2
A Message From The Board
Here is your sneak peek into the March MHC SoCal Digest. Featured this issue are Club members associated with theatre arts, film, and entertainment.
Leading Lights: Debra Martin Chase, renowned Hollywood and Broadway producer shares her insights.
Spotlight on Young Alums: Joey Haley, class of 2020 graduate, a movie camera operator, Grace Kimball, class of 2016, a PhD graduate student in Theatre and Dance at UCSB, Rose Donahue, class of 2015, actor, producer and stand-up comedian, and Maegan La Trese Philmore, class of 2000, production director at Paramount introduce us to their experiences.
Interim MHC College President Visits LA: Dr. Beverly D. Tatum, Trisha Tanner, Executive Director of the Alumnae Association, Kelly Uccello, Associate Director of Groups and Clubs at the Association, Kassandra Jolley, Vice President for College Relations, and Cheri Butler, Senior Leadership Giving Officer visited Los Angeles in early February, so enjoy the review of Dr. Tatum’s remarks and the pics from the event held at The Luxe Hotel!
MoHo Buzz: The college announces the 20th President, and a virtual tour of a current art exhibit at the College Museum focused on the works of Vanessa German.
SoCal Club News: We are pleased to unveil the new Young Alum Strategic Plan designed to serve the over 170 young alums in our membership. And we offer you an opportunity to review what we have already accomplished this past year relative to the goals of our overall strategic initiatives for the Club.
As you can now appreciate, gifting to the Club is important to sustain the Club’s future. Champion our Moment(tum) by giving a charitable donation via the Club website.
LEADING LIGHTS
More than one alumna of Mount Holyoke College has achieved a “first.” Debra
Martin Chase was the first female African American producer to have a deal with a
major studio and to produce a movie that made over $100 million at the box office.
Her company, Martin Chase Productions, has an overall deal with Universal
Television, a division of the NBCUniversal Television Group. It previously had one with The Walt Disney Company from 2001 to 2016.
The significance of that accomplishment became clearer to the alumna that had interviewed Debra 5 days after that interview. That was the holiday celebrating the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. On that day, one channel on cable TV referred to Oscar Micheaux as the “Superhero of Black filmmaking.” He had started producing and directing films back in the 1920s. Ms. Chase is 2023 Oscar D. Micheaux Memorial Award Recipient at the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards.
Debra graduated from Mount Holyoke in 1977, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude. She then attended the Harvard Law School and graduated from that institution in 1981. Following her graduation from law school, she took a job at a law firm in Houston, TX.
By 1989 she had moved Los Angeles, where she had accepted a job in the legal department at Columbia Pictures. The tasks that she took on, while working in that department, pushed her closer and closer to the career that she has today. That is one in which she has made good use of 2 skills that she acquired at Mt. Holyoke: those of writing strategically and thinking analytically.
Today, Debra produces films, TV shows and Broadway productions. She finds and develops materials for such forms of entertainment. She searches for material everywhere - by reading books, articles, old movies and TV shows, and original ideas.
Debra has chosen to focus on stories that empower women and people of color. She produced Courage Under Fire in 1996 and Harriet in 2019 among many other feature film projects over the years. Once Debra has discovered material that seems to match with the focus of her efforts, she then hires the necessary creative team to bring the project to life.
Debra continues to produce on the television series, The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah which airs Sunday nights on CBS. She also produced True Spirit, which was released on Netflix on February 3rd where it earned a spot on Netflix’s Top 10 movies in its first week. She has also produced a documentary with Lena Waithe on the iconic Mary Tyler Moore which will air on HBO in May of this year.
In addition to her work on TV and in the film industry, Debra is producing shows on Broadway. She has produced the Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop, which won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical, and Topdog/Underdog, a revival of a Pulitzer Prize winning play written by Suzan-Lori Parks, another alumna of Mount Holyoke College.
Somehow Debra Martin Chase still finds time for volunteer work as a Board Member of both the New York City Ballet and The Second Stage Theater. She has said that she is constantly trying to balance personal life and career. Moreover, she has recognized the importance of the ability to achieve the right balance.
SPOTLIGHT ON YOUNG ALUMS
Perspectives on the Theater, Film & Entertainment Space
Joey graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2020, and now freelances full time. He is a Steadicam operator
in the film industry. In general, he composes shots so that they make sense for the final edit of the
project. As a specialty operator, Joey delegates safety between the actors’ movements, his own
movements, and the movements made by the rest of those on the set to create unique, steady, and long
camera moves.
Joey has served at a professional level for the past 2 years. He has indicated that he cannot predict their future plans at this time due to how much has changed and he has grown within the past couple years alone. Though his goal is to work up to Director of Photography for the past few years, the push and pull of his present career path may indicate a different role down such as directing or producing. But until then, a creative effort between writing and dancing has filled at least some of their free time. He has written a feature screenplay he is currently fundraising for, and has begun working on his next one. When working on set, he feels that some of the projects don’t say anything in the end, motivating his writing to fulfill what others have not fulfilled in him.
Although Grace, like Joey has pursued work in an area of entertainment, each of them has taken a
different path, after graduating from Mount Holyoke in 2016. Earlier, Grace spent 4 years working in the
field of secondary education. Yet for the past year and a half, she has been a graduate student at UCSB,
where she does some work in the theater.
As a graduate student, Grace has completed her course work, and now contributes to the performances staged by members of the University’s Theater and Dance PhD program. She also oversees work on the productions at her own theater company in Los Angeles. She does not get paid for her work at her own company, so she views it as a volunteer effort.
When Grace began her program at UCSB, she envisioned a future that focused on teaching work at an R1 institution. Now, though, she has learned about all the avenues that could be open to her, once she has received a PhD. Her awareness of those various avenues grows, as she attends conferences and interacts with professionals in her chosen field.
At Mt. Holyoke, Rose took a number of the classes that were offered by the Theater Department. After
she had graduated in 2015, she continued to work in theater. Today, however, she is an actor and
producer in the film industry.
She has taken on other roles, as well. She has served as a MC/host at live events, where she has supplied
talk show type of content. She has also assumed the responsibilities of a stage manager. That role has
allowed her to gain experience in performance of tasks, such as organizing productions, managing
props, making schedules, and coordinating wardrobes.
Rose’s future plans indicate that she will continue to have a full schedule. She wants to continue acting and directing. She already directed one short film in 2021. That went through the festival circuit and won some awards. At this time, she has another short film in pre-production, and 2 in post production. Meanwhile, she has started doing stand-up comedy.
Despite her full schedule, Rose still finds time for doing volunteer work. She volunteers at FIRST Robotics an organization that host robotic competitions at elementary, middle and high schools and is a member of the Board of the SoCal Club!
Maegan, class of 2000, is Director of Production Management at Paramount here in Los Angeles. She
supervises third party producers while they create movies for television that will air on MTV, VH1,
Paramount, and Comedy Central. She also has a new production company, Hudson Philmore, where she
produces and directs stories that challenge exclusion in Hollywood much like Angela Davis challenges
the prison industrial complex.
She describes her role as similar to a Chief Operations Officer. During pre-production, she oversees the assembly of the shooting company, recruits key personnel and services, and organizes the production for shooting the script and transforming it into a movie. As line producer she oversees joint planning, negotiations, implementation, and accounting for the entire production.
Where does she see her career moving in the future? She anticipates tremendous opportunities with Hudson Philmore and wants to become a major leader in Hollywood like ARRAY and Macro. She rates networking in the industry as highly important and credits Carey Dietrich, Mount Holyoke College Class of 1977 with giving her first job in Los Angeles!
How did the time at Mt. Holyoke benefit these 4 young alums?
When asked that question, Joey Haley pointed to his opportunity to enjoy a year abroad. He also indicated that his professors had helped him to grow creatively, and had taught him how to ask questions. Grace Kimball has linked her acquisition of valuable skills to her 4 years at Mount Holyoke. She has given a shout out to the Five College Dance Production Office. Rose Donahue expressed gratitude for assistance from The Network and Student Programs. She also pointed to one particular skill that she acquired, while at Mt. Holyoke. That is her ability to carry out research thoroughly and efficiently. She claims that the same skill helped her to locate and join a talent agency. And Meagan praised her opportunity to meet Suzan Lori Parks, a fellow alum, for whom she worked on two projects as part of her Theatre Arts major at the College. She also credits faculty member, Robbie McCauley, from the Theatre Department who mentored her artistic life. She adds, “both women taught me to tell my story and never give up on my artistic pursuits.”
MHC VISITS SOCAL
Trisha Tanner, Beverly Tatum, Andrea Lange
On the evening of February 2, 2023, 75 Mount Holyoke alums gathered at The Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles, in order to enjoy a visit from Beverly Daniel Tatum, the interim President of Mt. Holyoke College. Those alums heard a talk from Beverly Tatum, and took part in a question and answer session, moderated by Trisha Tanner, Executive Director of the Alumnae Association.
Beverly Tatum shared with her audience the three items that she has chosen to prioritize during her 1-year stay on campus. Those are the recruitment of replacements for the empty staff positions, a study of potential improvements to the campus’ infrastructure, and creating programs that meet and feature the offerings most desired by the students.
What are those offerings? They are experiential education, a connection between courses and career, thematic connections throughout the curriculum, and a gender diverse environment. Members of the audience had a chance to ask questions about the Interim President’s priorities, or any other subject, relating to Mount Holyoke College. For those that still had questions, at the end of the scheduled program, discussions followed, as everyone socialized in one of the Hotel’s adjoining areas.
MOHO BUZZ
The Mount Holyoke College Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee on February 7, 2023 announced that Danielle Rey Holley will become the 20th President of the College beginning July 1, 2023. A scholar of education, law and civil rights, President-Elect Holley is currently a law professor and dean at Howard University in Washington, DC. Review the live stream introduction of President-Elect Holley to the college community here.
For those of you interested in the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, check out the exhibit of works by Vanessa German on display until the end of May.
MHC SEEN AROUND SOCAL
The club visits the Vincent Price Musuem, tour arranged by Leslie Ito.
Santa Barbara Holiday Party in full swing!
From left to right: Barbara Hauter '63, Sara Monroe '84, Paula Bruice '63, Marcia Pressman '57, Susan Carty '59, Kim Holquist '61, Pattie Firestone '72
Upcoming Events
February 25: Marython Hike at Corral Canyon Loop Trail
February 26: Mary Lyon’s Riverside Birthday Brunch
February 26: Mary Lyon Birthday Celebration in Culver City
February 28: Mary Lyon’s Birthday Party in Santa Barbara
March 5: Book Club - Costa Mesa
March 18: Armory Center for the Arts Private Tour
March 18: Songs of Shanghai Sonatas
March 19: Book Club - Chatsworth
April 22: Celebrate Earth Day at Ganna Walska Botanic Garden in Montecito
April 23: Feria de Abril en Los Alamitos
April 29: The Leigh Purtill Ballet Company Gala
May 6: SoCal Club Annual Meeting
SOCAL CLUB NEWS
Serving our Young Alums
With over 170 members from the classes of 2010-2022 residing and/or working in Southern California we reached out to them last October to learn about their current interests and how best the Club might engage them in the future. From that work, the Board learned:
There is a high level of interest in affinity groups - Young Alum, Outdoors, Arts & Entertainment
Young Alums are interested in in-person weekend events
Top professional industries: Arts, Education, Entertainment
Like the rest of the club, Young Alums are spread out all over SoCal. There is an interest in events across the region.
With these insights, a Board appointed sub-committee, drafted a Young Alum Focused Strategic Plan emphasizing 5 major goals:
Provide opportunities for networking and ensure overall young alum engagement
Increase young alum participation in the Club’s Affinity Groups for Arts and Entertainment and for Outdoor Activities
Provide support/resources to young alums new to SoCal
Ensure Club communications reach young alums on familiar platforms
Create sense of community among SoCal’s Young Alums!
For details on the plan and the strategies that will be pursued see the Young Alum page.
Invited Collaboration with the MHC Penisula Club – Young Alum “Financial Literacy 101” Webinar
The MHC Penisula Club invited the SoCal club to their virtual event - Financial Literacy 101. The event, lead by Laura Donovan ’13 and Catherine Geeslin ’14 from Sonder Financial, focused on personal finances best practices. We look forward to collaborating with other clubs to provide future events!
Our SoCal By the Numbers
You may recall we sent the membership a strategic plan for the overall Club. So here is our progress to date!
Please save the date for the annual club meeting on May 6. More details to follow!
Gifting to Champion our Moment(tum)
Alums are enthusiastic about the SoCal Club’s future. And with the assistance of fabulous volunteers, we can proudly report accomplishments to date. But there is much more to do to ensure we are self-sustaining in the future.
Did you know: MHC does not provide financial assistance to local Clubs? Therefore, the SoCal Club’s capacity to organize events, secure venues, engage speakers, communicate, build out the regional concept, and provide members with assistance for fee- based events rests with you!
Please make a gift at any of these levels: -$500- $100- $50-$25
The SoCal Club is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. All gifts may be tax deductible to the extent that the laws provide. If your employer provides opportunities for matching gifts as part of charitable initiatives, please let us know by contacting mhcalumssocal@gmail.com.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!
VOLUNTEER WITH THE CLUB
The club is looking for volunteers for a Marketing/PR board member and additional Regional Connectors. If you’re interested in helping the club, please email: mhcalumssocal@gmail.com