Northwestern Intersections

Berlanti and Plec were classmates and friends at Northwestern and have remained close throughout their incredible careers in Hollywood. Between the pair, they have directed, produced, and overseen countless memorable projects ranging from Riverdale and The Vampire Diaries to Dawson’s Creek and Love, Simon—many of which they worked on together. Explore how they have maintained such a meaningful relationship and why they have stayed connected to Northwestern.

Digital advertising pioneers Jake Abraham and Drew Stein recently hosted the musical artist St. Lucia for their company during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, marking the first time they collaborated as concert producers since meeting as students nearly 30 years ago. Learn how they began working together again to run an award-winning technology company.

Gutierrez has won Emmy nominations and made the 2022 “Forbes 30 Under 30” list as the youngest-ever national correspondent for NBC News. She has also been featured in award-winning reports on MSNBC and on the news shows Dateline and TODAY. Join us as we discuss her skillful storytelling.

Raghav Khosla, an undergrad in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, came back from Paris with a lifetime of memories after working as an intern for NBC Universal at the Olympic Games. Learn about his summer dream job and Northwestern’s many connections to the 2024 games.

Michael Herwitz is a director and producer and one of the youngest people ever to direct an original play on Broadway. His production, Job, is produced by fellow Northwestern alum Russell Kahn, who runs the Rachel Brosnahan-founded production company Scrap Paper Pictures. Learn more about the show and how the duo has worked together to make it possible.

Katz is a founding figure in the field of queer art history. As a professor and scholar, he has undertaken formative projects in gay and lesbian studies. While at the City College of San Francisco, he served as the first tenured gay and lesbian studies faculty member in the US; in 1995, he founded the Harvey Milk Institute, which was once the world’s largest queer studies institute. Learn more about his pioneering career and current projects.

Cooper is a clinical psychotherapist who works with members of the LGBTQ2+ community. He previously worked in marketing before earning his doctorate at Cambridge University, a path inspired by his research as a Northwestern student. Learn more about his research interests and what Pride Month means to him.

Hong Duffin is the president and CEO of Kenneth Young Center, a community health organization in the Chicago suburbs. With experience in public policy, law, and human services, she serves on the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Learn about her work with mental and physical wellness and her role on the NU-A5 board.

Jurowicz is a lawyer and assistant attorney general for the special litigation bureau in the Illinois attorney general’s office. Since graduating from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, she has worked on numerous projects centering around human rights. Jurowicz serves on the board of the Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni Association (NU-A5)

Join us for a conversation with five alumni of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Learn about the medical school experience and Northwestern’s Feinberg alumni community from Darren Wethers ’88 MD; Boris Sheynin ’99 MD; David Lee ’89 MD; Jeff Schaider ’83, ’85 MD; and Nupur Ghoshal ’01 PhD, ’03 MD.

This special episode centers around the cast and crew of the upcoming film Play the Game: A Jock ‘N’ Roll Story. Directed by Mesa and executive produced by Versen and Korzilius, the film covers the incredible true story of how a group of Northwestern football players, including the executive producers, worked as security for the band Queen in its heyday. Join us as we discuss this wild career move and the world of rock and roll touring in the 1980s.

Kelsheimer is a college admissions adviser based in greater New York City. She previously served as a high school music instructor and a college professor before moving into her current role, where she helps students and families find their best fit for college. Join us as she gives advice to parents on the college admissions landscape and shares tips for students on how to market themselves in a job search. 

Adina Bezerita is a Romanian-American, award-winning Oxford-Cambridge philosopher and scholar, whose works pioneer interdisciplinary projects in ancient wisdom relevant to contemporary thought across the humanities and sciences. With her Numinous Threads foundation (2016), Adina provides leadership, education, consultation and collaboration to individuals, profit and non-profit organizations and to governmental bodies for achieving visionary goals in the polyvalent world. Adina serves as a global ambassador for Northwestern University in Eastern Europe, the first in Romania. She is an appointed honorary advisor to the Romanian Government Ministry of Research, Innovation and Technology. 

Byington is a play-by-play commentator who has covered major sports events, including the Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games. She’s the first woman to do play-by-play for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and for a men’s professional basketball team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Hubbarth is an Emmy Award–winning Evanston native who works as an anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter, NBA Tonight, and First Take. Join us as we discuss the changing sports media landscape and the rich legacy of Northwestern graduates in sports media.                           “NCAA and NCAA Championships are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.”

Frishman is an author and former news reporter and editor. She has written human interest and medical health articles and recently began writing children’s books. Her recent book, Nina Allender: Suffrage Cartoonist, illuminates the life and work of an underappreciated hero in the women’s suffrage movement. Join us as we discuss how she helped tell the story of one of America’s first female political cartoonists and what Women’s History Month means to her.

Marsh has served the University in countless meaningful ways, including as president of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA), a member of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC) Chicago Regional Board, and a host of alumni events at her jazz club, M Lounge, in Chicago’s South Loop. She was an importer-exporter of American blue jeans in Europe before returning to Chicago to become an art gallery owner and now a real estate broker. Join us as we explore her fascinating career trajectory and the incredible story of how a Northwestern professor helped reunite her Nigerian family in Chicago.

Join us for a special episode celebrating alumni who coupled up at Northwestern. Six guests share short stories about finding true love on campus. Take a break from the cold and warm your heart with tales of campus romance.

McCollough Seletzky was a litigator before becoming an award-winning writer and memoirist with work featured in the Atlantic, O Magazine, and the New York Times. Join us as we discuss her memoir, The Kneeling Man: My Father’s Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and her journey to discover her family history.

Skladany is an icon across industries, working as a television and radio personality, writer, editor, publicist, and lifestyle content expert. He has worked on countless projects with recognizable brands, from People magazine and Apartment Therapy to Food Network and CBS. Join us as we discuss his ubiquitous career path and the lessons he has learned from working in multiple industries.

Hahn and Sandler met on campus and have been a Northwestern power couple ever since! Their careers have included acting and producing credits on some of Hollywood’s most memorable productions, from New Girl and Meet the Robinsons to WandaVision and Private Life. Join us as they discuss their time at Northwestern, finding their way in Hollywood, and working together in the industry.