News Summary

SPRINGFIELD — For about an hour Thursday night, Wittenberg University students were able to get career advice from a producer from from the television drama ER, an award-winning playwright and a former Wittenberg graduate who wrote for the show "The West Wing."

Lauren Schmidt, a 2000 Wittenberg graduate and a writer for "The West Wing," talked to students at Wittenberg's Ness Family auditorium about how she began her career, the difficulties of writing a show and the not-so-glamorous side of Hollywood.

Along with Schmidt, students were able to meet with Michael Hissrich, who produced shows such as "ER" and "The West Wing" and Dan Stroeh, an award-winning playwright who graduated from the college in 2001.

Schmidt caught a break when she interned on "The West Wing" between her junior and senior years of college. Regardless of their career goals, Schmidt said students should do whatever it takes to pursue their craft.

"My first job, which was getting coffee for people, led to my second job, which was a writer's assistant," she said.

Stroeh acted as a moderator throughout the discussion, and clips from "The West Wing" periodically played on an overhead screen highlighting examples of Schmidt's work.

Hissrich provided a glimpse into the business side of television. His job, he said, is to make sure the right people are hired to do each job, and that each show comes in on budget and on time.

"$100 million may seem like a lot," he said, "but over 22 episodes and with everything on screen, everything has to be paid for."

Through Stroeh, students asked questions ranging from where Hissrich and Schmidt drew inspiration to where she got her shoes.

Michael Hall, a Wittenberg senior majoring in English, said the discussion allowed students to get a better view of what goes into creating a television show, noting Schmidt, Hissrich and Stroeh seemed approachable and engaging.

"It was more friendly than I thought it would be,' he said. "Our vision of Hollywood is tainted a little bit."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0355 or msanctis@coxohio.com.