Last Friday I had the privilege of listening to Professor Rift Fournier speak about his experiences in the media industry. Mr. Fournier hasn’t been teaching at Lindenwood University that long, in fact I believe this is the first year we students have had the opportunity to take one of his classes. What Professor Fournier is really famous for is writing, producing, and even acting for television.
When Rift was young, he aspired to be a writer. At the time he believed that writing was sitting around in a bath robe all day, waiting for ideas to come. However, when he graduated from high school he decided to get a degree, so he went to a university and studied to become a doctor. Many science courses later he decided that the medical field wasn’t for him and decided to go to law school. In his junior year, Professor Fournier decided to move to Hollywood to become a writer. He eventually got a job writing for a comedian who paid him five dollars a joke… not exactly his idea of fun, so he decided to move on.
A few years and several moves later, Rift landed a job writing and producing the hit television series “Go”. He and two other guys about his age (mid twenties) were a huge success and he said that they had a lot of fun. He told us about one time in particular. He said that he had a huge office (oversized in his opinion) that he and one of his colleagues were in one day, talking about how if their bosses knew how much fun they were having with their jobs, they would probably get fired. Mr. Fournier’s advice to my class was to find something that we enjoy, for if we don’t, no matter how much money we make, we are going to be miserable. He went on to write for twelve more television shows, and produce for three of them. He even acted in “Kiss My Grits” in 1982.
Mr. Fournier’s life has been filled with change and excitement that many will never have the opportunity to experience, and as an aspiring writer I can only hope that in the years to come I will have some of the success that he has had.
When Rift was young, he aspired to be a writer. At the time he believed that writing was sitting around in a bath robe all day, waiting for ideas to come. However, when he graduated from high school he decided to get a degree, so he went to a university and studied to become a doctor. Many science courses later he decided that the medical field wasn’t for him and decided to go to law school. In his junior year, Professor Fournier decided to move to Hollywood to become a writer. He eventually got a job writing for a comedian who paid him five dollars a joke… not exactly his idea of fun, so he decided to move on.A few years and several moves later, Rift landed a job writing and producing the hit television series “Go”. He and two other guys about his age (mid twenties) were a huge success and he said that they had a lot of fun. He told us about one time in particular. He said that he had a huge office (oversized in his opinion) that he and one of his colleagues were in one day, talking about how if their bosses knew how much fun they were having with their jobs, they would probably get fired. Mr. Fournier’s advice to my class was to find something that we enjoy, for if we don’t, no matter how much money we make, we are going to be miserable. He went on to write for twelve more television shows, and produce for three of them. He even acted in “Kiss My Grits” in 1982.
Mr. Fournier’s life has been filled with change and excitement that many will never have the opportunity to experience, and as an aspiring writer I can only hope that in the years to come I will have some of the success that he has had.
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