Travis Willingham ’03Has had a role in “Ray,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Secondhand Lions.” He is acting in the Touchtone/Disney feature film, “The Guardian,” starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher.
What did TCU do for you?
“The best thing TCU ever did for me, was to not be so freakin’ big! It really allowed for my career to begin very early in my freshman year. Any professional actor will tell you there is no teacher like experience. TCU has a ton of great connections. The professors were amazing, and the individual attention received in our classes was priceless.”
What is a memory you have of TCU?
“My greatest memory of TCU was how tightly bonded our theater and RTVF departments were. My classmates were my greatest friends as well, and co-stars – that was always interesting. (You) never know what it was going to be like interacting with your good friends on stage; maybe you liked each other, maybe you were out to kill each other.”
What advice would you tell graduating seniors?
“Find your respective professors and hit them up for all the knowledge they have about your field. You never know who will know who in the professional world outside of college. Networking, no matter what your profession, is the single greatest tool you can utilize as an adult. And remember to keep in touch with your friends; those friendships will last longer then you can imagine.”
Justin “Red” Sanders ’04
Is the president of Red Productions LLC with clients ranging from Coca-Cola, Island Records and MTV. Sanders is a young entrepreneur who started his career while studying at TCU. In the spring of 2005, he was named a regional winner of the Global Student Entrepreneur Award, which was sponsored by the entrepreneur center of St. Louis University.
What did TCU do for you?
“The greatest thing, looking back, is the size was big enough to get a real-world experience but small enough to form relationships. Professors developed into mentors.”
What is a memory you have of TCU?
“I remember winning an entrepreneurial award and realizing the hard work it took to get to that point. I also enjoyed studying abroad in London. I had class in the morning and culture in the afternoon.”
What advice would you tell graduating seniors?
“Don’t push salary first. Take advantage of internships and nurture relationships in the industry you want to get into. Continue to try new things and don’t think the first job is what you will be doing the rest of your life. You got to go out there and work. In the end, it pays off.
