"I was working on a show called Save Our Streets and before that had interned in the writers' department at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," says Eolin, who had attended the Park School's Los Angeles program. "George was already working at Seinfeld, and when a job for a writers' assistant opened up he called the L.A. program, where they knew I was interested in that kind of position. They told me about the job, I put in a résumé and went through the interview process, and . . . I won!"

Just as Doty helped Eolin, both he and Rogers had learned about the openings that led to their own Seinfeld jobs through classmate Steve Mesner '92, the postproduction supervisor on another Castle Rock sitcom, The Single Guy. Originally hired as a writers' assistant himself, Doty was later promoted to script coordinator. ("It's basically the same job," he says, "just a different title.")

For Rogers, who was doing freelance work editing movie "coming attractions" when Mesner called with the job tip, there was no question about his interest. "Steve said it was 'just an assistant editor position' and he didn't think I'd really be interested," says Rogers. "Are you kidding? A chance to work on Seinfeld? I told him if he could get me an interview I'd be there that day. I came in, I was qualified, they liked me, and that was it.

"The networking is great," Rogers adds. "I know about 25 people from my year who are out here, and lots of them have even stayed in my apartment while getting started. But I don't recommend people [for jobs] just because they are from Ithaca. It's because I can count on them to know what they are doing. We're all climbing the ladder together, not climbing over one another to get ahead."

Doty says that at one time there was even a "Little Ithaca" -- a street in Burbank where 11 Ithaca grads working in the entertainment industry lived in the same apartment complex. Even coworkers who didn't have the good sense to attend Ithaca College don't have to feel left out. "There are so many IC people who get together that when people we work with come out with us we make them honorary Ithaca alums and give them an IC identity."

As if on sitcom cue, moments later Seinfeld production coordinator J. T. Krul, a University of Michigan grad, walks into the room. Before he can even be introduced, Doty questions him: "Where did you live freshman year in college?" "The Towers," comes the answer. "And when we went out, we'd go to the Dugout or Micawber's."

As other coworkers stroll in and out of the room during the course of the interview, it is clear there is a camaraderie amongst the crew. Good thing, since putting together what TV Guide has hailed as the best comedy ever takes a lot of effort by a lot of people every week. What it boils down to for the Ithaca trio is that they help ensure that what we see each Thursday night is the vision that the writers, producers, directors, and -- most especially -- Jerry Seinfeld wanted us to see.

  

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Web pages created by Andrejs Ozolins. 19 Oct 1999