People: Jeff Krul
HOLLYWOOD OR BUST
Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to be in the movies. At some point, Jeff Krul, '95, who grew up in Hastings, must have seen the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie, Hollywood Or Bust. In 1995, just a few months after graduation, he quit his sales job at a Lansing radio station (BUZZ 95) and drove to Los Angeles with his mother Linda. He had no job, no friends, no contacts. 'We stayed in the Venice area, which is eclectic, almost like a Grateful Dead concert,' remembers Krul. 'My mother freaked out. She kept telling me, 'I don't feel good about this.'' But Jeff began calling every production studio in town. Luck struck when he called Castle Rock Entertainment, which agreed to interview him. Shortly thereafter, he landed a job as assistant production coordinator for Seinfeld, the very successful television sitcom.
'It's a blast,' he says. 'I do everything from clearing scripts, including music and people, and generally keeping things running smoothly. You do anything people don't want to do or don't have the time to do themselves.'
Jeff--who now goes by J.T. to differentiate himself from other Jeffs involved with the show--puts in between 50 and 80 hours a week, and still finds time to work on a script project on the side. 'I had a tremendous streak of good luck and I'm riding it,' he says, crediting good timing for his good fortune.
At MSU, he majored in telecommunications with an emphasis on media arts and production and worked for Telstate. '(WKAR-TV's) Bob Albers was incredibly helpful, not only in what I learned, but in teaching me the importance of a positive attitude,' he recalls. '(English professor) Bill Vincent was really helpful with my writing.' Jeff's luck even extends to finding a place to live. He has found a very nice apartment in Santa Monica, and it's owned by none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let's hope Krul lucky streak does not terminate soon.
