Guest Post: How OscarWatch Introduced Me to Ronni Chasen

[note]Our old buddy Scott Braun decided to write something for this site about Ronni Chasen.  We greatly appreciate it.[/note]

by Scott Braun

It’s a curious thing, how I came to know Ronni Chasen. It began about eight years ago, when as a college student in Philadelphia I submitted articles to (what was then called) OscarWatch.com, now known as AwardsDaily. Sasha Stone, the original Oscar blogger, was generous to post my predictions, reviews, and commentary on her site for several years, making me feel like I had a tiny claim to Hollywood even though I was 3,000 miles away.

In 2003, I wrote a series of articles highlighting the films and actors I hoped would not be forgotten as the season rolled along. Of particular interest to me that year was Evan Rachel Wood, who gave what I (and many others) considered a star-making performance in the indie film “Thirteen,” distributed by Fox Searchlight. I spent a lot of time that year beating the drum for Ms. Wood, so much so that it caught the attention of the studio. (And we got awfully close to that nomination, didn’t we?)

Next thing I know, I’m on the phone with Megan Colligan, a (then) publicist at Fox Searchlight who is asking me about my take on the Best Actress race. I was flabbergasted, but when I talk about film and the Oscars, I become articulate in ways I’m otherwise not, making me sound like an expert. I’ve always had good intuition about film-related things, and Megan seemed to sense that about me. She would write or call from time to time to chat about Oscar campaigns and other films, not because I was telling her anything she didn’t already know, but because she seemed to respect my perspective on the whole thing.

When I graduated college in 2005, I knew I wanted to go to LA, but I needed a job. I called Megan to ask her if she knew anyone who was looking for help. She wracked her brain and told me she’d get back to me. She was always so generous with her time and my questions about the industry that I knew she’d come through. One day, Megan called to say: “Ronni Chasen is hiring.” I admit that I’d never heard of her, but Megan promised me that everyone else had, and I’d learn a lot working alongside Ronni.

I was on a plane to LA within three days, and thanks to Megan I interviewed with Ronni at her tiny but lively Beverly Boulevard office. I didn’t have any experience, but it was an entry-level position, and Megan had put in a good word for me. I remember Ronni being really interested in my take on some of the films in the Oscar race that year, and she also asked me what my favorite film was. I told her “L.A. Confidential” (though “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” would also have been correct), and she seemed pleasantly surprised at my response, and my general enthusiasm for the industry. After some more detailed questions, she actually offered me the job. I flew home to Philadelphia, packed my bags, and flew back out to LA within a week.

For the next year, I spent my days, nights, and weekends employed by one of Hollywood’s most celebrated and well-known publicists. I always refer to that year as Boot Camp, because it was difficult, sometimes exhausting, but never less than a total education. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about the business to being thrown in, head-first, and given access to studios, actors, director, producers, and composers that I would’ve never dreamed I’d ever meet, let alone work with, throw parties for, email, call, pitch on behalf of, etc. Being able to actively participate in the film industry, and moreso to observe Ronni’s particular expertise and pick her brain, was like having the most extraordinary all-access pass. She challenged me to absorb it all and quickly, because she knew that’s what it took to make it in the industry. Though it was often grueling, what I took away from that year was knowing that if I wanted it enough, I now had the skills and background to pursue a career as a Hollywood publicist.

I left LA in 2007 for a variety of personal reasons—but I left with a particular amount of regret, especially since I knew that I was just beginning to shed my novice skin. I continued to freelance with Ronni for several years as a writer and researcher, and we shared emails and phone calls often about work and life. I was recently in Belgium and passed by the city of Ghent, and sent Ronni an email when I did because I knew she traveled there every year for the Flanders Film Festival; it had reminded me of her. She would check in with me from time to time to see when I was coming back to LA. The last time she asked me that, about six month ago, I told her that I’d be there in early 2012, when I’d finished my Master’s degree here in Philadelphia, which is still the plan. I didn’t realize that a year from now would be a year too late.

That is to say: I genuinely thought I’d work with Ronni again, and it devastates me to think that that will never be. She taught me everything I know about a business that I love. I know that I am lucky to be able to say that, without a doubt, I learned from the absolute best; and that, over the years, she had become a mentor and a friend. But it troubles me to be saying these things in the past tense.

Several stars had to align for me to come to know Ronni Chasen. It started right here on this website (and thanks to Sasha for the opportunity to tell this story). The strange way it all fell into place reminds me, during a deeply troubling time like this, that you just never know where life is going to take you. So I can only be grateful that, for a time, life handed me a particular gift; a gift that, if the outpouring of love and respect across Hollywood is any indication, was treasured by everyone it touched.