Our Wildwood, Summer 2017, Volume 41

c l a s s n o t e s

Alumni

Gabriel Strick ’10 works as an assistant at Creative Artists Agency in the Television Literature/Packaging Department. Emma Gail ’10 recently graduated with a master’s degree in bioinformatics and theoretical systems biology from Imperial College London. She began her Ph.D. at Monash University in Australia this summer. Nick Fistanic ’13 started an online lifestyle, arts, and culture publication at Northwestern University called Scene+Heard , where he also served . as editor-in-chief until this year. Nick was instrumental in creating a new website for Scene+Heard , which will be launched soon.

Olivia Mell ’05 recently moved back to Los Angeles after spending 12 years on the East Coast, working as an actor, singer, and teacher. Her first original album as a solo artist under the name Olivia Jane was released in July. Olivia also teaches theater and audition preparation to kids, and she is beginning a coaching business to help children hone their skills and prepare for theatrical auditions.

Rachel Karten ’09 is the senior social media manager at Bon Appétit and Epicurious, two Condé Nast brands. She oversees both brands’ presence across all major social media platforms, creating social content for a collective audience of more than 9 million people. Max Halpert ’09 graduated from the University of Denver in 2013 with a degree in marketing and theater. Max lives in New York, where he studies the Meisner acting technique at The William Esper Studio. A stand-up comedian by night, he performs constantly, most notably at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He also performs improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade and The Peoples Improv Theater, where he is a featured artist. Max is the creator and host of Tinderella , a stand-up comedy dating game show that attempts to navigate the labyrinth of modern mobile dating. It has been successfully running for more than a year. He also stars in the web series Mitchell Hates You All.

Jeff Ponchick ’05 was featured in the 2017 Forbes “30 Under 30,” a yearly list highlighting young entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers in a variety of fields. As a cofounder of Repost Network, a Los Angeles–based startup, Jeff helps thousands of musicians monetize their music on various platforms such as SoundCloud, Pandora, and Spotify. Repost Network also offers an array of resources to musicians, from publishing to marketing to content protection.

Keanu Heydari ’13 is a senior at UCLA majoring in history and minoring in French. He is focused on the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe with an emphasis on French social and cultural history, including the growth of European nationalism, as well as the social history of religion, anti- clericalism, and civic republicanism in ancien régime and post-Revolutionary France. After graduating from UCLA, Keanu is planning to pursue a graduate degree.