Newsroom

CORVALLIS - Hollywood screenwriter and former Oregon State University business student Mike Rich will give the community an inside look at "The Business of Hollywood" during his talk as part of the College of Business' Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series on Friday, Oct. 31.

Rich's 90-minute talk is free and open to the public. It begins at 10 a.m. in LaSells Stewart Center's Construction and Engineering Auditorium.

A Portland resident who attended OSU in the early 1980s, Rich created a buzz in Hollywood with his first screenplay "Finding Forrester." His other works have included "The Rookie" and a new screenplay released in October, "Radio." During his talk, he plans to outline his path as it led from the College of Business to fulfilling his passion for writing.

Rich said he plans to share the ins and outs of creative writing, how costs affect movie scripts and production, and how Hollywood ultimately makes its money.

On Friday Rich is scheduled to be honored with a 2003 OSU Alumni Fellows Award during a 3:30 p.m. ceremony at LaSells Stewart Center. Also honored as Alumni Fellows will be Donald Pettit, an astronaut and 1978 OSU College of Engineering graduate; and David Wong, co-creator of Prozac, who is a 1964 College of Science graduate.

Rich said he was a radio news reporter for a Portland rock station when he decided to search for a more creative outlet for his writing. That first foray into screenwriting earned him an Academy of Motion Picture's Nicholl Fellowship and, in 2000, the script became a successful and acclaimed Hollywood movie "Finding Forrester," starring Sean Connery.

The second lecture in the College of Business' Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series, "From the Firing Line: A CEO's Perspective on Leadership," is scheduled on Nov. 14. Chris Marsh, chief executive officer of Unicru, will share his insights and experience in acquiring leadership skills and identifying potential leaders - and his own strategy for filling a successful management team.