Whether performing, creating or selling, UVa-Wise alumni are pursuing fame and success in entertainment (and the business of entertainment) throughout the nation while facing the challenge of a struggling economy.

Mackenzie Martinez has more on her mind than her communication and theater classes at UVa-Wise. It’s Sept. 1, and this Haymarket native is just beginning her junior year at the College, and yet she’s already living in the future, planning her acting career in Hollywood while she’s still in school. That’s a daunting plan for a typical student, but Martinez is not just brimming with confidence, she’s overflowing with it.

“I’m going to move to Los Angeles, pursue the acting career and get a job at a temp agency,” Martinez says matter-of-factly.

When Chancellor David J. Prior met Martinez during his rounds as a typical student for the “Chancellor for a Day” event earlier this year, he noticed that same confidence and thought of UVa-Wise alumnus Frank Taylor ’70 (featured in a recent issue of The UVa-Wise Magazine). Taylor, a veteran character actor and one of the stars of the Oscar- nominated “Junebug,” seemed like the perfect source of advice for a young actress with big Hollywood aspirations.

“He called me as soon as I sent him an e-mail,” Martinez says. “He told me to get a video camera and record myself doing a monologue from a movie and when I was finished to watch and critique myself to keep perfecting my craft.

”Much like Martinez, a crop of young UVa-Wise alumni are pursuing entertainment careers and the dream of seeing their name in lights. The challenge, of course, is being discovered and surviving while waiting for that big moment. Survival today, however, is an even greater challenge with a struggling national economy that can be very unforgiving to young entertainers trying to break into a business fraught with obstacles and barriers to success.

Take Folk Soul Revival, a local band – formed at UVa-Wise – billing themselves as “just the right mix of rowdy and roots.” Band members Daniel Davis ’06, Justin Venable ’09, UVa-Wise student Brandon Sturgill, former UVa-Wise student Jordan Bledsoe and Allun Cormier have camped out, slept in tents and shared a cramped Dodge truck to Nashville during their time on the road playing gigs.

Of course, it’s all a part of the journey for these laid-back guys, whose attitude is reflected in their down-to-earth sound. Their first album, “Good Enough,” juxtaposes folk, bluegrass, Americana, traditional and even a tendency toward pop across its 10 tracks. The band’s attitude toward their debut set is respectably humble and self-effacing, with a resulting ambition to perfect their sound day by day.

“The economy really affected that first album,” Davis says with a sarcastic laugh. “We knew this was good, but we could do better.”

“Well, that’s the title, ‘Good Enough,’ ” Venable says, sparking a round of laughter from his band mates.

It’s good that they can find humor in their work, as they have faced challenges and learned lessons the hard way. When the band first started playing in bars, they didn’t sign any contracts, and their resulting take was less than stellar.

“We’ve been paid $90 before,” Venable says. “It’s not a good feeling to walk away from an act disappointed. We put all this in and then we weren’t even given enough respect to be paid what we deserve.”

And that’s the harsh reality for these budding entertainers: They love their music, but it’s also one of their jobs (if not their only job). Venable coaches baseball, Sturgill is student teaching and taking classes fulltime, and Cormier is a waiter and roofer, while Davis is pursuing a master’s degree in occupational therapy, and Bledsoe is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

“This is my priority,” Cormier says. “Everything else I do, this comes first.”

“I’m a full-time student,” Davis says. “This is my job, and it works out well.”

The guys agree that writing and performing are only part of the job. Part of their success stems from their use of social networking Web sites MySpace and Facebook, but something more grassroots has worked even better.

“Honestly, word of mouth is the best social network for us,” Bledsoe says. “We’re a little farther than I thought we would ever be.”

The band is now hard at work on their second album while doing bigger and better gigs, including the Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol in September (not to mention an outdoor concert by the lake at UVa-Wise).

“Musically and vocally, we’ve evolved,” Sturgill says. Despite their evident progress, the guys remain humble. When told they’re comparable to the popular folk band, the Avett Brothers, the band members are clearly flattered. Their aspirations are equally humble.

“We just want to live comfortably,” Cormier says.

“Yeah, no $15 million mansions,” Venable jokes.

“Of course, we’ll be as big as they’ll let us be,” Bledsoe quickly adds.

Aiming high is a good strategy. Just ask actress and model Emerald Robinson ’03, who is pursuing her career in Los Angeles and beyond.

That career path is never what Robinson planned, however. As a student at UVa-Wise, the Honaker native worked with The Highland Cavalier newspaper. For one article, she interviewed Jon Minick, a former instructor of theatre at the College.

“He said, ‘Why aren’t you up there on stage?’ ” Robinson recalls. “So I became Shelby for ‘Steel Magnolias.’ "

Shelby was obviously a good role for Robinson. Upon her graduation from Wise, she assumed the tragic character’s mantle once again in North Carolina, kicking off a series of acting jobs in different playhouses in the South and a role in the independent film “A Dance for Bethany,” also starring the aforementioned Frank Taylor.

“Meeting him brought some inspiration to me,” Robinson said. “He came from the same college, so I was really inspired for my career.” 

Next came New York City and ultimately Los Angeles in January 2008.

“I knew to work consistently to pursue my dream, that’s where I needed to go,” Robinson says. “I’d rather be on the east coast, but L.A. is where I need to be.”

Robinson says she expected to do the traditional waitress-by-day/actress-by-night work to make ends meet, but she started off with an acting job in a play pretty quickly. She was soon hired to help with background on the set of “The Young and the Restless.” Her moment arrived, however, when the soap opera gave her a recurring role as another character’s on-screen assistant.

Since then, Robinson has appeared on “Days of Our Lives” and regularly models for the InStyler, a rotating iron for straightening hair which regularly appears on infomercials and the QVC shopping network. No job is too big or small for Robinson, which keeps her busy and keeps her afloat.

“I’m constantly available, and I’m constantly working at getting work,” she says. “I’ve made sure I’ve done everything I can in this economy.”

Robinson says she has found that people are intrigued about her home in Southwest Virginia and that the region’s familial tendencies have helped her in connecting with people.

“One of the biggest challenges in this industry is to not change yourself,” she says. “The challenge is to dare to be unique, especially coming from Southwest Virginia.”

Indeed, Robinson is fashioning herself as more than just an actress and model and is doing more work behind the scenes, as well. She recently produced and starred in “Categorized,” a short film about a young lady who is tied to her schizophrenic fiancé and childhood friend.

“We see her go through whether she will leave or stay,” Robinson says. “Because it’s a short film, I had to immediately find the emotional attachment and why she is so invested in the relationship that she wouldn’t just walk out the door.”

Robinson’s intimate explanation of her character is fascinating to hear. The process of how she develops all of her characters is even more fascinating.

“I probably read my script 100 times aloud to myself,” Robinson explains. “And then I just start dreaming of myself as that character and what has happened to them and what makes them who they are.... I understand the role so much, all that’s left to do is live and breathe it.”

Robinson and her writing and producing partner plan to take “Categorized” on the festival circuit. No matter what, she has a bright outlook on her career, hoping to work in television and star in period pieces.

“For me, being an actor is an opportunity to live a life that I’ve always wanted to live,” she says, adding with a laugh, “I want it all!”

Adam Chaffin ’05 and Jake Johnston ’04 want it all, too, and by the diversity of entertainment projects they are involved with, they’re well on their way to getting it all. Chaffin and Johnston are hosts of the “Midnight Mutants” radio show, which began locally during their time at UVa-Wise and now airs online and for stations in New York and Washington, D.C.

Before he met Johnston, Chaffin started the show in 2003 after gaining radio experience doing PSAs and a movie review segment on a Coeburn station. Johnston came aboard later, and the guys have kept the show alive through the years, conducting interviews, sharing humor and playing music. They’re even attracting bigger names to their show, such as Dave Coulier of “Full House” fame.

They haven’t limited themselves to radio, however. They regularly perform together as “Adam and Jake,” writing and singing their own humorous songs. Chaffin also acts and does stand-up comedy, while Johnston does
behind-the-scenes contract work in filming and producing.

“One might ask why I don’t focus just on acting, stand-up or radio,” Chaffin says. “The truth is, I want to excel in all those things. I love entertaining people.”

Chaffin is eager to get his acting career off the ground. In the independent horror film “Deadlands 2: Trapped,” he started as an extra but eventually managed to earn some dialogue... as a zombie, no less.

“When I had the makeup on, one lady thought I had been hit by a car,” Chaffin jokes. “It’s that realistic.”

Reality really hit when Chaffin landed a reality show gig. Yes, reality shows are cast and scripted, and Chaffin’s role was a young fiancé who “confesses” about his partner’s faults to a camera. The video is then shown to the partner, and “havoc” ensues. Chaffin filmed for a couple of days before the production was canceled due to a lack of funding.

“That was a big disappointment,” Chaffin admits. “I really didn’t want to make my way through reality TV, but you have to do what you have to do.”

Much like his friend and colleague, Johnston tries to do as much work as he can to stay active in the business.

“The media industry is very diffi cult to break into and sustain a career in,” Johnston says. “That’s one of the reasons why I went to graduate school. I felt like a master’s degree would help me make money in a career while pursuing what I love to do.”

Johnston has worked as a production assistant with ESPN and later performed filming, editing and writing duties for the sports department of the Lexington NBC affi liate, WLEX. That job scored him the opportunity to interview and film at the Kentucky Derby in 2007.

“Jobs in the media are tough to find right now, since the economy is doing so poorly, but hopefully that will get better soon,” Johnston says. “I’m constantly writing and coming up with new ideas for television shows and films.”

In fact, Johnston and Chaffin are currently developing a television comedy pilot. Individually, they’re both developing screenplays in various genres and maintaining a realistic outlook for their careers.

“You’re never going to come up with something entirely original,” Johnston says. “You just need to be unique in how you put it together and present it.”

Of course, performing or producing isn’t the only means for an entertainment-focused career, to which Brian Marcus ’94 can attest.

Owner of Cavalier Comics in Wise, Marcus is excited about Disney’s recent purchase of Marvel Comics. Some fans see it as a step back for the comic publisher and worry that their favorite characters and books will become more childish under Disney ownership. Marcus disagrees.

“This is the biggest thing to hit the industry since Marvel’s bankruptcy in the ‘90s,” Marcus says. “Disney and Marvel aren’t stupid. They won’t let the fans down, but they will bring in new fans, especially younger ones.”

Marcus has every right to postulate on behalf of the popular fiction industry. He has been selling comic books, graphic novels, toys and card games for more than a decade, and he’s seen the ups and downs of the comics and gaming industry, not to mention the overall economy. After graduating from the College, Marcus worked at the store for owners Kevin Lambert ’90 and Brian Steffey. In 1996, Lambert left the store, allowing Marcus to become a partner in the business. Ultimately, Steffey left in 1999, leaving Marcus as the sole owner.

“I owe a lot to them,” Marcus says of the previous owners. “They gave me a chance.”

Marcus says his education at the College helped him become a good businessman, as well.

“The business classes really helped me out,” he says, crediting professors like David Kendall and Chris Achua. “When I first got to the store, I would say this should be done this way, this should be done that way.... It felt like second nature.”

Marcus now enjoys success with the store, thanks to the increasing popularity of super hero characters like Batman and Wolverine and the demand for related merchandise. Marcus, however, remembers not so long ago when the industry nearly fell apart.

In the late 1990s (when Marcus became partner and then sole owner of Cavalier Comics), comics publishers began mass-producing books that speculators said would be worth high dollars in the future. However, because so many copies of a supposedly valuable issue were produced, it lost its value almost instantly. The market became oversaturated, the industry plummeted, and Marvel Comics went bankrupt.

“It almost destroyed the entire industry,” Marcus says. “When Marvel got out, the speculators left and the fans came back.”

How did Marcus’s store survive?

“Because there were so many extra books, there was too much overhead, so I ordered the bare minimum,” Marcus says. “Card games helped tremendously.... That’s the reason a lot of the stores are still here.”

Since then, the super hero movie genre has become highly profitable for Hollywood, and, by extension, for comics merchants like Marcus. He says a new trend is the rise of trade paperbacks, which collect a series of individual comics issues into one book.

“There’s not as many people buying the monthly books, but I’m not losing sales,” Marcus says. “It evens out, and it’s gotten people back into comics, with a lot of casual readers.”

Of course, casual readers can also become regular monthly readers, so Marcus sees nothing but good on the horizon for his store and the pop fiction industry overall.

Marcus’s friend Jody Lewis ’01 couldn’t agree more. As co-owner of G2K Games (with his brother Brian), Lewis has seen nothing but good this decade since opening their video game stores. Even with pinched pockets, people still buy games, Lewis says. In fact, video games sales today surpass box office receipts at movie theaters.

“Games used to be seen primarily as toys,” Lewis says. “But as people have grown up playing games, the games have matured, too.... It’s an acceptable form of entertainment now.”

Being the only local video game store has its advantages, too.

“When you’re in a rural market like we are, you’re kind of insulated from the ups and downs in the economy,” Lewis says.

G2K began humbly as a small store in downtown Norton, selling PC games and offering in-house gaming. Since then, the business has grown to four stores, with locations in Norton, Claypool Hill, Middlesboro, Ky., and the Abingdon Cinemall movie theatre.

The store’s Web site, www.g2kgames.net, also serves as a portal for gamers nationwide to sell their used games to G2K, who then stock their stores with classic or rare titles that are otherwise difficult to find in the local area.

That service to the local gamers is what drives the company, Lewis says.

“We’re not just in it for the money,” he says. “We love this stuff, and we wanted to give back to the community in a unique way. The money stays local, and that’s important to us, to help the local economy.”

Lewis says the College helped him become the professional he is today.

“The College helped me mature and open up a little bit,” Lewis says. “I’ve always been a bit shy, but the size of the classes helped me to get to know the instructors.”

Mark Salyer says help can come before and after college, too. A former theater instructor at UVa-Wise, Salyer is the founder of ArtReach, an organization which brings professional theatre instruction to rural communities. Because of his connection to the area, Salyer brought ArtReach to the Appalachian Children’s Theatre in Wise first.

“There’s a huge amount of talent in the area,” Salyer says. “I want to encourage people to go out and explore and have confidence in their abilities.”

Salyer hopes to carry ArtReach to inner cities, as well. He also regularly invites UVa-Wise alumni to visit him in California to gain some experience on the West Coast and supplement the arts education they received as students.

Speaking of UVa-Wise students, whatever happened to Mackenzie Martinez?

“I met up with Frank Taylor, and he gave me even more advice about the acting business,” Martinez says just a few weeks after her initial phone call with Taylor. The actor met with Martinez at the UVa-Wise campus, where she gave him a tour of the campus, including the recently completed Gilliam Center for the Arts.

“One thing struck me about Mackenzie,” Taylor says during a phone call from a hotel room in Atlanta, where he’s auditioning for new acting roles. “She had on a pair of sandals and stepped in some mud on campus. Her foot was encased in mud, but she just scraped it off and kept on walking and talking. I thought, ‘You know, she handled that well, so she’ll do fine in Los Angeles.’ ”

Taylor plans to continue working with Martinez to offer whatever help he can. During Homecoming weekend, he gave her one of his old film scripts and told her to start preparing for a role in the script. Martinez will then come to Taylor for a mock audition, which they will record and then critique.

Taylor would love to help other students at UVa-Wise in a similar way, perhaps even organizing a “reader’s theater,” where actors come together and dramatically read a play without sets, costumes or props.

The actor now draws a pension from the Screen Actors Guild, but he’s not finished with his career by a long shot. Taylor will appear in several film projects, including “Obselidia,” the horror film “The Crazies” and “Blood Done Sign My Name,” in which Taylor portrays Thad Stem, a well-known North Carolina literary figure.

“Sure, I want to make a living,” Taylor says, “but there’s another fire that burns that causes you to do this stuff... I just want to keep acting.”

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