Ready to where?

There are as many theories about how to break into the film industry as there are people who failed to do just that. Some say make your presence known in your local area first; others say head straight to Hollywood. Some say good writing will always get noticed; others say good writing is secondary to good packaging. Some say talent is vital; others say a good agent is just as important. Some say there is no conventional way to break into Hollywood; do whatever you can to draw attention to yourself. There are so many more. All of them are right, and all of them are wrong. The closest anyone ever comes to the truth is to say that it's all luck. But judging from the lineup at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, it seems there might be one foolproof method not only to get a foot in the door in Hollywood, but also to become well-established, steadily working and well-respected.

Get a degree from Wesleyan University

This year, seven Wesleyan graduates have films at the festival, which finishes up today in lower Manhattan. Jeanine Basinger, head of the film studies department at the Middletown campus, says it isn't just the quality of the film school, but Wesleyan's emphasis on well-rounded liberal arts education that makes its graduates sought out in Hollywood. She also credits a time-tested network of graduates all ready to help each other. In a business where "It's not what you know; it's who you know" is a rule, this is invaluable."We are one of the only schools I know of that gives exit interviews with job references," Basinger says. "When they go out there, they have people to call, and I have never known any of our graduates to refuse to help a fellow Wesleyan graduate."We have about 400 people now working out there," Basinger says. "They call them the Wesleyan mafia. And I'm the godmother". ctnow.com