Vanessa Parise (Writer, Director, & Producer, KISS THE BRIDE, JILL VS. THE WORLD)

By Amit Samuel

After two years at the highly-competitive Circle in the Square Theater School in New York, Vanessa Parise had a choice: medicine or theater. To help her decide, Vanessa turned to her mentor at the American Repertory Theater, Robert Brustein. He helped Vanessa choose the career that she had secretly desired since elementary school.

Although a biology concentrator at Harvard College, Vanessa was also immersed in the arts, singing with the Opportunes and performing in many student plays. She excelled in biology, earning admission to Harvard Medical School. Before committing to medicine, though, Vanessa felt compelled to explore her passion for the theater.

Jieho Lee HBS '00 (Writer & Director, THE AIR I BREATHE)

By Amit Samuel

After more than five years, Jieho Lee (HBS '00) has finally reached the top of the mountain. THE AIR I BREATHE, a feature film he directed and co-wrote, opens this month. With a constellation of stars including Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Forrest Whitaker, THE AIR balances Asian and American sensibilities - something Jieho has been doing his entire life.

Neal Baer GSE '79, GSA '82, HMS '96 (Writer & Producer, ER, LAW AND ORDER: SVU)

By Amit Samuel

The Wizard of Awes.

Downed power lines. Great. I am already late to the first Harvardwood Salon. Now, if I were Dr. Doug Ross (played by some actor named George Clooney) from "ER" in a Neal Baer-penned script, I would be in a tuxedo, suavely saving the day and making it to the Salon in the nick of time. Instead, I am stuck in traffic wearing a crummy pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt that hides the stains of last night's dinner.

Before "ER" – heck, before puberty – Neal Baer spent his time in elementary school like every other kid: networking. As luck would have it, one of his schoolyard buddies grew up to be the producer of "China Beach." Perhaps remembering Neal's prodigious gift for cursive handwriting, John Wells gave Neal a job writing for "China Beach". Neal's first episode was promptly nominated for a Writer's Guild award for Best Drama.

Jane Chen '06 (Producer of RED DOORS, VP of Strategy at AVM)

By Amit Samuel

Under a blackboard sky, in the light of a chalk white moon, a production caravan travels across three states -- Nutmeg, Empire, and Garden -- in a marathon two-day denouement to a two-year filmmaking odyssey.

Jane Chen's personal journey began a lot earlier. In the halls of Harvard, Jane was like any other second generation immigrant, balancing the import of family and culture with the lure of dreams and ambition. So while Jane concentrated in East Asian Studies, she nurtured her dreams by teaming up with a couple of equally ambitious undergrads: Mia Riverton and Georgia Lee. The self-described "Three Chicks from Harvard" shared an Asian-American heritage, but their background only brought them together; their dream of a future different from the one envisioned by their parents kept them together.