Hollywood Agent and Attorney Advises Students On Achieving Their Career Goals

Athens, Ga.--“Just keep pushing, just keep pushing, just keep pushing,” advised leading Hollywood agent and attorney Norman Aladjem, in an attempt to explain how to succeed in a career within the entertainment industry. Employed by Paradigm, a leading entertainment talent agency which represents television shows such as “America’s Next Top Model”, “Dexter” and “24”, Aladjem gave a speech Thursday at the University of Georgia’s School of Law. Aladjem spoke to approximately 60 audience members about his path to success and encouraged students to get their “tentacles out there” and become a student of the business they want to go into.

“In the entertainment industry, there is no one path to success, but there are many paths to failure,” Aladjem revealed. “The real way to break into the business is ‘somehow.’” Growing up in Cleveland, OH, Norman Aladjem moved to Los Angeles to attend the UCLA School of Law. Aladjem spoke candidly about his work ethic in law school and how he never let himself get overwhelmed by his school work. “I was never the guy who studied 12 hours a day. I was the guy who answered all of the questions,” he said. The audience chuckled as Aladjem admitted, “I knew so little law that I had to ask myself, ‘Okay, how can I apply the little law that I do know to answer this question?’”

“Everything is one big scavenger hunt. You get one clue here, one clue there, and your job is to connect those dots,” Aladjem said. Connecting the dots is exactly what Norman Aladjem did. Working his way through law school, Aladjem performed as a standup comic at the Comedy Stand in Los Angeles. “Lots of the comics I met became my clients when I graduated because we were friends,” Aladjem said. Before he passed the Bar Exam, Aladjem already had 15 clients, including actor and comedian Robin Williams. Aladjem did not go into law school thinking that he would become an agent, and stressed the importance of networking. He recommended to the audience, “If you want to work on a movie set, start off as the gopher that makes the coffee runs. Once you make it on the set, you’re in! You’ll meet people and potentially strike a bond with a great connection person.” “I practiced law for seven years, left the business to produce, and then started a personal management company with a friend, which was like starting all over again with no clients and no money,” Aladjem said. Five years after he founded his company, Innovative Talent, Inc., Aladjem left the entertainment industry to work on Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign in 1992. In 1994 he was hired by a fellow campaign worker as the Director of the World Cup USA Legacy Tour, before reentering the entertainment industry. “For me, being an adrenaline junkie, being an agent felt like it would be a lot of fun,” he reasoned.

Norman Aladjem encouraged students willing to have commitment to excellence and a strong work ethic to follow their dreams and go for it. “If you are willing to work hard and subordinate your ego for a minute to learn something, you can do it,” he said. “If there is one thing you need to succeed in this industry, it is tenacity,” Aladjem announced.

UGA senior, Samantha Kacho, a Broadcast News major, attended tonight’s speech because she is “seeking a job related to casting, acting, or hosting a television show.” “I am very happy I came out tonight. He gave a lot of great advice and inspiration,” Samantha said. Aladjem closed his speech by reminding students that “if they reject you, the good news is they probably won’t remember you.” After bowing in namaste, a peaceful Hindu salutation, Aladjem stayed after to greet audience members and even encouraged students to email him if they had any further questions.