TelevisionAcademy.com 99sonallyknownsomanypeoplewhocouldhaveused
MPTF’sservices,butdidn’tknowtheywereavailable.”
BOARDDUTIES:“Ioverseethepublicityeffortsfor
theboardandcochairtheeventscommittee.The
NextGenBoardmembersplanquarterlynetworking
eventstoeducateandengagewithourpeers.We’re
taskedwithraisingawareness,aswellasmuch-
neededfundingforMPTF’smanyservicesand
programs.”
HANDS-ONHELP:“I’vedoneluncheswithresidents
andparticipatedinboththeplantingdayoncampus
andtheInstantFilmFestival.AnytimeI canbe
there,I’mthere.WhatI likemostaboutMPTFisthe
communityaspect.Forexample,JenClymer,whois
MPTF’sdirectorofmedia,dida fundraiserforRuthie
Tompson,whowantedtogotoa DodgersWorld
Seriesgame.AGoFundMecampaignwaslaunched,
andthemoneywasraisedinlessthana fewhours.
Everyone came together as a group and helped
when they were asked, just like a family.”
PERSONAL IMPACT: “As a publicist, I understand
how important it is for great stories to be told and
shared. I want to let our peers know that MPTF isn’t
just a plan for the future, but something you can
participate in now — whether you’re in the position
to lend support or are in need of support.”
ANNA MUSKY-
GOLDWYN
PROFESSION: A writer, her
credits include Supergirl.
Her father is Tony Goldwyn,
and her great-grandfather’s
foundation helped establish
and still supports MPTF’s
Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center, a
west Los Angeles daycare center for industry mem-
bers’ children aged eight weeks to six years.
HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED: “My family had always
been involved in MPTF, but I didn’t really know what
it was. A few years ago, I met Bob Beitcher, the head
of MPTF, and other people at a party. They wanted
to get me involved, but I was a selfish twenty-three-
year-old in grad school then. A couple of years ago, I
went to the NextGen Summer Party. Hearing people
talk about MPTF really moved me. I got on the phone
with Brian Toombs of the NextGen Board and said, ‘I
want to be involved.’”
BOARD DUTIES: “I work with Cate Adams, vice-
president of production at Warner Bros. We are the
chairs of the membership committee. We’ve tried
to specifically outline what it is to be a member of
the NextGen community, what this community is,
as a way to make people aware. We’ve restructured
the way the board works, so that when people come
to a party, there’s a system in place to talk to them.
People are easily distracted — young people are
hustling for work. We want to get them involved, get
them into the fold.”
PERSONAL IMPACT: “As a writer on a show, you
work with the same people, and your network can
be limited. Working with NextGen has made me
hyper-aware that it’s so important to be part of a
community.”TARA SCHUSTER
PROFESSION: Vice-pres-
ident, talent and develop-
ment, Comedy Central.HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED:
“One of my best friends was a
former board member — she
moved away — and told me about MPTF. I’d never
heard of it before.”
BOARD DUTIES: “Part of my mission is to make
sure other people don’t lack the information I did. I’m
always dragging my assistants here to see what’s
happening on campus. I took my entire team there.
My time is best spent getting the word out, getting
the stories out to the entertainment community as
to how we’ve helped.”
HANDS-ON HELP: “I’ve gone to replant the garden. I
think it’s important for the residents to live in dignity.
I’m not a gardener, but it sounded like fun. And I
helped spearhead last year’s ‘Reel Stories, Real
Lives.’ The stories are so compelling. I go to a lot of
the bingo games. The residents are serious about
their bingo.”
PERSONAL IMPACT: “The board is a really diverse
group of people I never would have met otherwise.
I work exclusively in television. It’s a great place to
learn how people approach problems. That’s been
really rewarding.
“Being involved with NextGen has made me a
kinder person, a more empathetic and compassion-
ate person. It’s built my character. I’m really privileged
to have the job I have now, but it could all be taken
away. In entertainment, you think you’re important.
You’re not. You can get really lost in the gloss.”CARLY STEEL
PROFESSION: A host-pro-
ducer and correspondent, her
credits include Entertainment
Tonight and The Insider.HOW SHE GOT INVOLVED:
“My interest started with
Allison Gorsuch, whose mom, Wendy Stark, is
involved with [her late parents’] Fran and Ray Stark
Villa [a residence] on campus. Then I attended
The Night Before and covered MPTF’s ninety-
fifth anniversary celebration. The testimonials
they played from people they had helped were
captivating. When I took the campus tour, Mikko
Sperber [MPTF director, resource development
and major gifts] told me about a publicist who had
cancer. The organization supported her and worked
with her insurance to try to get her the surgery she
needed, which was not covered.”
BOARD DUTIES: “I work in media and publicity with
Lyndsey Miller. We had the best turnout ever for lastyear’s Summer Party and the most press — Variety,
The Hollywood Reporter, Us Weekly. I helped with
talent and brought Drew Scott [of The Property
Brothers] to support.”
“The point of NextGen is to be the next genera-
tion. I bring in people I know, and make connections
with people I’ve worked with and interviewed and
am friends with. You have your sector where you can
help.”
HANDS-ON HELP: “I hosted a beauty panel with
makeup artists at Bloomingdale’s. Ten percent of
shoppers’ proceeds went to MPTF. I also hosted the
backstage and red carpet interviews at ‘Reel Stories,
Real Lives.’ We got good [video] content that we can
use both internally and externally. The board has
meet-and-greets and lunches with the residents
as well.”
PERSONAL IMPACT: “My job is very talent-focused.
Getting to know people on the board has given me
a broader understanding of how the entertainment
industry works.”BRIAN TOOMBS
PROFESSION: He’s vice-
president of digital at Funny
or Die, a comedy studio
whose credits include Ameri-
can Vandal, Brockmire and
Between Two Ferns. Toombs
is cofounder, with Natalie
Bruss, of the NextGen Board.HOW HE GOT INVOLVED: “Natalie Bruss [now a
partner in a venture-capital firm] is a really good
friend of mine. She used to work in public relations.
Her boss was involved with MPTF, and she went
out on a campus tour. MPTF asked her, ‘How do we
engage the next generation of Hollywood people?’
There had never been an organization for them.
“Natalie said to me, ‘You like this stuff.’ I then
took a campus tour and fell in love. That was four
years ago. Natalie is really good at connecting
people. We set out with Yvette Nicole Brown and
said, ‘What do we do here?’ We decided to start a
board; it took about a year. When MPTF Foundation
chair Jeffrey Katzenberg spoke at our first Summer
Party, it gave us legitimacy.”
BOARD DUTIES: “I spend a lot of time on adminis-
trative matters. We have a lot of exciting things com-
ing up for NextGen, which the cochairs will oversee.”
PERSONAL IMPACT: “Funny or Die has been sup-
portive of MPTF financially. Being on this board has
helped me take a longer view — of my life, my job,
my family. On tough days, it makes you feel good
about the industry you’re in.
“NextGen is more about looking ahead, rather
than looking back. We’re excited about looking
ahead, and about how our group can contribute.”For more information about the NextGen Board or
its events, contact Jen Clymer at jennifer.clymer@
mptf.com.