On Dinner for 12 Strangers

Last night I was fortunate enough to participate in an event called Dinner for 12 Strangers. Every winter, UCLA's Student Alumni Association brings together a group of twelve people, comprised of students, faculty, and alumni. The event was hosted by a couple alumni who work in the television production business; this dinner's theme was theater, film, and television production, and the faculty member was a professor from the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television. I had heard of this event before, during my first three years in LA, but was never really interested, probably because I didn't take the time to find out what it entailed. I'm glad that I finally took the initiative to apply and was lucky to be selected to attend one of the dinners.

The event was a lot of fun- I met some nice people and had many good conversations (I also got to talk a lot about TV, which is always fun). They had Rubio's cater food so I was happy, and we all ate and talked in the host's living room on couches and chairs- it made everything feel less formal and allowed us to feel more comfortable (versus sitting around a table). The hosts were super cool- one of the guys works on the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition so it was interesting to talk to him about reality television. He told me a lot about how the concept for the show was developed and gave me the inside scoop about how things work on set.

The main host works on CBS's Rules of Engagement, which is one of the many, many sitcoms I regularly watch. It was awesome hearing him talk about how all the actors are off screen. We then got to talking about other shows I like and I mentioned that my favorite show is How I Met Your Mother. Not long after, he asked me if I'd like to go to a taping of the show. My jaw dropped- I was so excited about the offer and I'm actually going to call him tomorrow to find out exactly when the taping would be. I really hope it all works out (and I'll keep you posted).

Spending four plus hours at an alum's house in Manhattan Beach with eleven other strangers, talking about such an eclectic array of topics, was not something that I would have wasted my time with a few years ago. However, after going through all these experiences in college, I got really excited to be involved with this dinner. I am so happy I did this and I encourage all of you to take advantage of opportunities like this because it's not often that these chances come around. Meeting new people, networking, good food, and good conversation- can't beat it.