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Trent Alum Bring Hollywood to Trent

Jim Maxwell and Jason Gaetan deliver talk on careers in TV production

Trent Alum Bring Hollywood to Trent
Trent Alum Bring Hollywood to Trent

When it comes to the entertainment industry, buzz is essential.  And there was definitely a buzz in the air leading up to “Careers in TV Production” talk at Traill College this week.  Industry insiders (and Trent alumni) Jason Gaetan and Jim Maxwell took turns showcasing their respective careers and offering advice to a full room at Bagnani Hall.

“We’re excited to bring together Trent undergraduate and graduate students,” said organizer Professor Stephen Brown. “As well as students and faculty from local secondary schools. It’s an exciting topic that is sure to resonate.”

Both Mr. Gaetan, an assistant production coordinator currently working on Degrassi, and Maxwell, a digital matte artist, took time to map their career trajectories and give tips on how current students can prepare themselves for work in the film industry. Each sprinkled their presentations with anecdotes about working with movers and shakers of the entertainment sector.

Mr. Maxwell’s work has been acknowledged by the Emmy Awards and the newly established Canadian Screen Award for Visual Special Effects. He is presently engaged with The Vikings and has just finished working on Guillermo Del Toro's film Crimson Peak.  For him, perseverance is key.

“In a career like this, you have to be persistent,” he noted.  “You have to learn from your mistakes, and keep moving forward.  But if you are following your dream, you’ll eventually succeed.  The more you put your mind to it – the more you pursue what you want to do – the more of the essential skill sets you’ll gain.”

While Mr. Gaetan also urged persistence, he added that newcomers need to be flexible.

“Take whatever opportunities you get,” he explained.  “And if that means being a coffee boy, then be a coffee boy.  That’s how people start out.”

According to Mr. Maxwell, the skills you gain at university, and specifically at Trent, are integral to success.

“The ability to communicate – to be succinct – is essential in a setting where deadlines loom and stress is a reality.  Trent taught me to communicate effectively.  It also taught me to research – a skill I use daily,” he said. “If you want to create a realistic version of, say, Vatican City, you need to know what it is that Vatican City may have looked like.  Trent taught me that, to succeed, I need to continue to learn.”

Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.

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