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Spartan Bill Mechanic, ’73, who
allowed both of them to give
brief acceptance words). “There’s
no denying it was a thrill to win
it,” says Murawski. “But it was
a thrill just to be nominated.
Remember, The Hurt Locker
could’ve gotten a small release.”
Bob is especially proud to have
won the American Cinema
Editors award—“It means a lot
because basically it’s by people
who do the same thing,” he
explains. Winning the Oscar has
increased his demand in the industry,
but Bob says he will only
work on movies he likes. “I prefer
horror pictures,” he says, “and
also working for directors like
John Woo, who I’m a huge fan
of, and of course, Sam Raimi.”
Bob first met Raimi in Southern
California when Raimi asked
him to edit the title sequence
for American Gothic. A native of
Bad Axe, Bob took many film
production and theory courses at
MSU from Bill Vincent and the
late Jim Cash. He formed a film
Bob Murawski and his wife
Chris Innis celebrate their Oscar
award for film editing for The
Hurt Locker.
group, Box Office Spectaculars,
that showed cult films in Wells
Hall. It is now the name of one
of his distribution companies.
He also produced a weekly show
for MSU cable television. “It was
the Campus Video Network,”
he recalls. “We showed music
videos and movie trailers, two
hours every week.” Though
mainly a film editor, he engages
in film distribution as a hobby.
“It’s a lot of fun, and something
to do between jobs,” he says. His
partner at Grindhouse Releasing
is Sage Stallone, son of the action
actor of “Rocky” fame.
JOSH KILMER-PURCELL:
STAR GOAT FARMER
OK, so you’re a successful
advertising executive, and your
memoir about moonlighting as
a drag queen in New York City
has become a best-seller. What
next? You become a goat farmer,
of course, and star in your own
reality TV show. That’s the
thumbnail bio of Josh Kilmer-
Purcell, ’91, who stars this fall
in Planet Green’s The Fabulous
Beekman Boys—a reality series
about him and his life partner, Dr.
Brent Ridge, on their goat farm
in upstate New York. The saga is
also recounted in Kilmer-Purcell’s
The Bucolic Plague
(Harper Collins,
2010). “We had a lot
of fun,” says Josh of
the year-long shoot.
“Having cameras
around heightens everything—whether
it’s
arguments, or funny
moments.” Josh adds,
“This is not a show
about city people finding
the joy of fresh eggs and
being barefoot in the
grass. We show that farming
is not a romantic quest.
Things are not all fluffy.”
Born in Albany, NY, Josh
grew up in Wisconsin and
chose MSU because of the
hospitality business program.
But he switched to English.
“I loved everything about MSU,”
he recalls. “Being a big place, it
forces you to be self-directed.
Also, I had a great mentor in
(University Distinguished Professor)
Diane Wakoski.” Josh writes
for magazines such as Out, and
The Advocate, and he’s written
three books. His tragicomic
memoir, I Am Not Myself These
Days: A Memoir (Harper Perennial,
2006)—focusing on his
drag queen performances at
nightclubs in New York, Atlanta,
Los Angeles, Philadelphia and
Tokyo, while working at agencies
like SS+K, Kirshenbaum Bond &
Partners, and Merkley Newman
Harty—became a best-seller. “I
still cringe whenever I send Diane
a book because of what she might
say was wrong,” says Josh. Today,
he and his partner split their time
between Manhattan’s Upper
East Side and Sharon Springs,
NY, where they raise 124 goats
along with pigs, chickens, turkeys
and llamas. “You know, I really
missed an opportunity at MSU to
learn about farming,” muses Josh
with a chuckle.
Josh (right) appears on the
cover of his most recent book,
The Bucolic Plague.
CARLY WUNDERLICH:
CHAMPION TO COACH
In March, MSU won the
National Debate Tournament
(NDT) for the third time in
the past seven years. Carly
Wunderlich, ’10, a chemistry
major who graduated in May,
and junior Eric Lanning, won
the Larmon trophy after beating
Northwestern University in the
debate finals in Berkeley, CA (see
photo). MSU previously won
the NDT in 2006 and 2008,
in addition to three national
championships in 1995, 1996
Page 18
Fall 2010 MSU Alumni Magazine