A group of University of Pittsburgh alumni are helping current students break into the film, television, and music industries through the Pitt in LA program. The initiative, launched in 2019 by teaching professor Carl Kurlander and John Dellaverson, aims to provide students with firsthand experience in Hollywood and connect them with industry professionals.
During a recent summer session in Burbank, California, Kurlander was lecturing students when he received a message from Judd Nelson, known for his role as John Bender in “The Breakfast Club.” Nelson offered to speak to the class. He arrived on his motorcycle and shared stories about his career in Hollywood.
Kurlander described the event as a significant moment for both himself and the students. “The program is just 5 years old, but considering its age, it’s been remarkably successful, with Pitt in LA alumni landing jobs at places like Skydance, ‘Saturday Night Live’ and Capitol Records,” he said.
Students participating in Pitt in LA attend classes with Kurlander, intern at film-related companies, visit entertainment offices such as Lionsgate—where Dellaverson once served as executive vice president—and meet established alumni working across the industry.
Adam Fasullo is one such alumnus. After interning at “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” during college—a position that led him to an agency job—Fasullo went on to work at HBO and Paramount before cofounding Anomaly Pictures alongside Michael Waldron. The company has partnered with Glen Powell for Hulu’s series “Chad Powers” and is developing additional projects.
Fasullo remains involved with Pitt students seeking advice about entering show business. “I will get on a Zoom with anyone who needs advice,” Fasullo said. “I think a lot of people don’t even consider asking for advice or don’t know how, and that’s the thing I can offer. Me showing up is saying, ‘I’m here. What do you need? How can I be helpful?’”
Recently, after interviewing student Aden McGlynn for a podcast related to film studies at Pitt, Fasullo helped secure McGlynn an internship at a talent agency.
“I want to be that Pitt alum who helps start that pipeline from Pitt to Los Angeles,” Fasullo said.
According to Kurlander, more than three dozen former University of Pittsburgh students now work in Hollywood thanks to connections fostered through this program. He added: “It’s a cutthroat industry, but these kids keep paying it forward. It’s Pitt students helping Pitt students; it’s like a real-life ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.’”
