Finding Success in Hollywood

ATHENS, Ga. – The most important thing to know about the path to the entertainment business, according to Norman Aladjem, leading agent and attorney at the Paradigm Agency, is that “there is no one path to success in the entertainment business.” 

The real way to break  into the entertainment industry, Aladjem said, “is somehow.”  Although this may not have been what the nearly 60 University of Georgia students expected to hear Thursday in an intimate room in the basement of the Law Building, understanding the tenacious and scattered career path of Aladjem gave credit to his credo.

Aladjem worked his way through the UCLA School of Law as a stand-up comic in the early 80s.  He initially had no intention of becoming an agent; however, it was through the friendships he had made with fellow Los Angeles comedians such as “Seinfeld” creator Larry David and actor Robin Williams that gave Aladjem his first taste of the industry.

“I think I had 15 clients before I even passed the bar,” Aladjem joked to the amused audience about his early legal representation of his comedian friends. 

By 1987, Aladjem had made a strong list of connections and created his own management and production company, Innovative Talent Inc.  “We really struggled for the first couple of years,” Aladjem said about his entrepreneurial risk-taking that proved to be a necessary step in his career.

In 1992, however, Aladjem decided to take a break from Hollywood to work on the presidential campaign trail for Bill Clinton.  Following Clinton’s election, Aladjem stumbled into the directorial position of the World Cup USA Legacy Tour before returning to LA with empty pockets to begin working as an agent in 1995.

“Everything is a big scavenger hunt,” Aladjem said referring to his string of jobs and connections that led to his success.  “You go to one place, find a clue -- go to the next place and find a clue.  Your job is to connect all the dots.”

When he first started working as an agent, there were three main agencies in LA surrounded by a sea of smaller ones.  Aladjem said he decided to go with a small company so he could have more of an impact than he would at a larger company.  All it took was just getting into the industry.

“I knew that if I could get into the arena, I could compete with anybody,” said Aladjem who eventually became the CEO of the Writers and Artists Agency in 1999.               He encouraged students eager to get involved with film and music to follow a similar approach by becoming “students of the industry you want to be in.”

“If you work on a set, then you are in,” Aladjem said because of the constant interaction that a production assistant has with producers, directors, and actors.  He gave similar advice to a public relations major interested in moving to Nashville for the opportunities in the music scene. 

“Find who the labels, talent, and PR people are of that area and talk to them,” said Aladjem to emphasize the importance of networking.

Aladjem made it clear that success is not achieved through one single path and that it will certainly not come without hard work, but he encouraged the audience to not be disheartened by it. 

“Making it is brutally brutally hard and yet it happens everyday,” said Aladjem.

Following the discussion, Aladjem stayed after to talk with a number of students that formed a line down the center of the room.

Chris Clark, a third year drama major, was pleased to hear Aladjem’s advice.  “There’s not a lot of talent stuff that comes to UGA,” said Clark, “It was good to have the perspective of an actual agent.”