May 9
Another Profile by Rutgers University
A third profile on me and New Growth Media was also published by the New Brunswick Media Relations Department.
Rutgers Class of 2008: Ten Graduates to Watch
News Release Published: 09 May, 2008
Robin Laverne Wilson
Hometown: Converse, Texas
Major: Interdisciplinary, with concentrations in media and business, Newark College of Arts and SciencesMedia Student Performs Art, Pursues the Art of the Deal
There is nothing conventional about Robin Laverne Wilson, starting with the unusual academic journey she began at the University of Texas at age 16 and resumed more than a decade later at Rutgers-Newark.
Returning to school in her 30s, she continued to carve her own path, creating an interdisciplinary major that includes MBA-type business seminars, performance art and production internships at underground film festivals.
At this juncture in her life, Wilson had clearer goals, but she had to work her way back to acquire the skills. “As a creative person, I knew I needed the business savvy to create and close deals,” she said. “I needed to empower myself as an artist.”
A Texan with a great love for New York, Wilson was well positioned on the Newark Campus to seize opportunities across the Hudson River. She was an artist-in-residence at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center and held internships at New Line Cinema, the New York Pops, the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival and VH1.
For her senior Honors College project, she started her own production company, “New Growth Media.” She is producing a short documentary about the burgeoning arts scene in Newark and another, more experimental piece on unspoken thoughts among strangers. Last year, she won a Michael S. Libretti Scholarship Award from the New Jersey Broadcasters Association for her earlier work.
Wilson’s goals following graduation are twofold. She plans to start work at a production company while also developing her own projects around what she calls “experimental work, personal work.” As a producer, she hopes for just enough success to “be on stage someday at the Academy Awards.”
