Campus tour guides often point out that the Fisher Fine Arts Library was shown in the film Philadelphia. What they don't mention is that is thanks to producer and alumnus Marc Platt.
"My experiences here prepared me for what I would do later on a larger level," Platt said during a presentation last night.
Listening to Bruce Springsteen on headphones in the Quad, as well as acting in and producing plays, were just some of the things Platt did during his time at Penn.
At the time, Platt thought he wanted to be a Broadway producer and took a musical to New York City to try to get it made. However, after encountering some difficulty, Platt realized that he needed to learn more about the business world's vernacular.
"I decided I needed to know all the questions," Platt said. This inspired him to go to law school at New York University.
He went on to practice law in the entertainment industry, representing Woody Allen, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.
This experience, he said, taught him that "relationships make you valuable," noting the connections he made served him well later in life.
His connection to Woody Allen led him to Los Angeles and the position of vice president of production at Orion Pictures.
During this time, actor Kevin Costner came and gave him a script, two-thirds of which was in the Native American Sioux language.
Costner also wanted the film made, but only with himself as director. Platt was so moved by the story that he decided to take the project on.
The movie was Dances with Wolves, which went on to win seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Platt attributes his success in cases such as these because he followed his heart and not his mind.
Along with director Jonathan Demme, he decided to tackle the then-taboo topic of homophobia and AIDS. This led to the film Philadelphia, which he chose to set in the city because of his experiences at Penn.
"The film still brings tears to my eyes," Platt said. He even enlisted Bruce Springsteen to write the music for the movie.
Platt's connection to Penn still remains strong; both his eldest son and eldest daughter are students here, and both attended his speech.
After 10 years as an executive, Platt decided to return to his creative roots and try his hand at producing films and musicals. He has since produced the smash hits Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2 and is also the lead producer of Broadway's musical Wicked, which generated three Tony awards and one Grammy.
Platt ended the speech by telling the audience to pursue dreams in their own lives.
"Learn to dream really big, even if you fall really hard," Platt said.
The approximately 70 audience members seemed to take Platt's advice to heart.
"He is so passionate about what he does, which is refreshing," Wharton sophomore Ayeesha Sachedina said.
Platt's talk, which took place in Logan Hall, was sponsored by the Fox Leadership Program as part of a weekly lecture series.
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