Opportunities in the Entertainment Industry for Communications
Professionals
Dreaming of a job in the entertainment industry? Hear from the experts on September 29 at IWPA’s Kick-Off Event.
If you have ever felt a magnetic pull towards the entertainment industry, dreamed of a job as a publicist, promoter, producer or a playwright, but felt confined by longitude and latitude, think again! On September 29, learn how our panel of professionals made their dreams a reality right here in Chicago.
Julianne Hill, Jackie Taylor and Cheryl J. Lewin are women of vision and talent, who created their own opportunities.
Julianne Hill says she learned a lot from newsman Bill Kurtis, when she began work with the KP Peabody Award-winning series, “The New Explorers,” in 1993, Currently Hill’s work focuses on “Investigative Reports,” hosted by executive producer Kurtis on A & E. Her work is featured on TV, radio, and in print and her honors and awards are numerous. Her documentary subject matter is diverse, from a showcase of a national park to a look at troubled hydraulic systems on the Boeing 737. Hill maintains her ties to print journalism and is a contributing editor and columnist for Writer’s Digest.
For Jackie Taylor, founding the Black Ensemble Theatre Company 24 years ago was a way to preserve African-American history and showcase the greatness of the African-American people. The company’s mission is to produce plays that are positive, uplifting and educational. Taylor has written 35 of the more than 100 plays she has produced and directed. An accomplished actress in her own right with theatre, film and television credits, she brings her talents to the community of Chicago, teaching in its public schools, several colleges and serving on arts councils. Earl Calloway of the Chicago Defender states, “more than any other actress, producer, singer, Jackie Taylor, is a virtual genius of our generation.”
Taylor is currently the president of the African American Arts Alliance. She is the part Artistic Director of the New Regal Theater. The city of Chicago recently honored her by naming a street after her, Jackie Taylor Street, in honor of her numerous cultural contributions to the city of Chicago.
Cheryl Lewin’s career in the entertainment industry began in 1987 when she formed her own company, Cheryl J. Lewin Associates. Today, Lewin is in the middle of the entertainment scene-whether it’s a theatre production in the heart of Chicago’s commercial theatre, a concert at the United Center, or a television syndicated program. Lewin’s client list includes an impressive line-up of performers, including Lou Rawls, Placido Domingo, Lisa Minelli, Eartha Kitt , TV’s Judge Greg Mathis, and the late Frank Sinatra. Lewin’s company is now an affiliate of John Iltis Associates.
From the not-for-profit risk taking Next Theatre Company and the acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater of Chicago, to Chicago’s premier commercial theatre productions to the classical Shakespeare Repertory, the legendary Second City/Chicago, Russia’s Tanyev String Quartet and the ever-innovative Museum of Science and Industry, Cheryl J. Lewin Associates has become one of the most respected agencies in Chicago. Among current clients are Chicago’s Black Ensemble Theatre, The Dearborn Diner and the new Center for Jewish Life, to be built at Clark and Chestnut in the Chicago’s River North area.