BrewsterConnections - Brewster Academy

Alumni NewsFormer Brewster StudentsShare Secrets to Their SuccessContinued from page 9Kirschner echoed the other panelists in stressing to the students theimportance of internships and extracurricular activities, includinggetting involved in local communities and doing anything fromvolunteering as a coach to helping youth sports leagues.Christle encouraged students to move to New York City, assuring them thatthey would be inspired by the big city. She also offered a sheet of informationfor aspiring poets. Currently Christle is pursuing an MFA at the University ofMassachusetts at Amherst and would like to teach to support her poetry. Sheconcluded her remarks by reading some of her verse. (See a sample of her workbelow.)The following poem by Christle was firstpublished in Octopus magazine.Wilderness With Two MenSome of the trees looked like snakesand it was dangerous to step on them.We were going somewhere,somewhere important,and we were in love,but not with each other.We spoke with little smokesignals we picked upat a trading post,but we were runninglow on every phrase exceptthose concerning the weather,so these were our wordsfor affection, hunger and loss.At the mouth of the riverwe had to part and reunitewith our enormous wives and families.We divided up the supplies:tin cans, rope, rocksshaped like women,lighter fluid and dice,building two neat piles on either bank,and then stood across from one another,sending up the last of the signals.The panel’s final presenter was Michael Kirschner ’95, who didn’twaste any time building his résumé after graduating from Brewster.During the summer before heading off to his freshman year atSyracuse University, he interned at two radio stations and workedpart-time at another. At Syracuse, Kirschner majored in broadcastjournalism.He later earned an internship at Madison Square Garden (MSG) inNew York City, where he contributed sports news and statistics onthe New York Yankees to MSG networks. He interned there while incollege and was then hired by MSG shortly after graduation.Then in 2000 the NBA hired Kirschner who is currently the seniormanager of new business development with the Global Marketingand Media Programs Group. His primary responsibility is to generaterevenue for the NBA by developing and selling marketing and mediaplatforms to various companies, which in turn then help market theNBA by using NBA photos and footage within their marketing.What does Kirschner love most about his job? “The people – thepeople who work in sports and entertainment are some of themost creative and brightest people I have ever met,” he explained.“I enjoy working with the entertainment category especially withmovie studios where I have worked on some tremendous marketingcampaigns.” Kirschner said to be on the lookout for NBA’s “I LoveThis Game” commercial featuring the animated characters from themovie “Ice Age II.”What advice did this young marketing manager have for students?Kirschner echoed the other panelists in stressing to the students theimportance of internships and extracurricular activities, includinggetting involved in local communities and doing anything fromvolunteering as a coach to helping youth sports leagues.From the Brewster Browser to True North, from the darkroom to digital imagingand art shows, and from writing daily to interning, today’s alumni showedfuture alumni how to make their passions a reality and how what they dotoday will help them get where they want to be tomorrow. •20BrewsterConnections • WINTER/SPRING 2006