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Alumni Stories
Behind the Scenes - Josef Novotny
Using his skills on the tennis courts to network and secure odd jobs on the sets of movies, Josef Novotny '04 has begun the long climb to fulfilling his dream of becoming a filmmaker.
"I got myself an afternoon job at one of the many country clubs as a tennis pro. [It was] a very good place to meet the right people," said Novotny, a native of Sokolov in the Czech Republic.
Soon after, Novotny landed a job in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency, a talent and literary agency. He then moved up the ladder to the agency's independent film department, where he was able to read submitted scripts and help out with the buying, selling and packaging of films.
When Novotny's student visa expired, he secured a job with the International Production Company in Prague thanks to friends he made on the tennis courts. With IPC, he worked on several commercials before getting the assignment to work on the horror sequel "Hostel: Part II,” for which he shot a behind the scenes feature to be included on the DVD.
"(Director) Eli Roth and his brother Gabe offered for me to do 'behind the scenes.' Of course, I took it," he said. "It allowed me to be everywhere - on set, behind the scenes in the offices of the producers, location scouts (trips to determine shooting locations)."
Novotny plans to return to the States on a working visa to continue working with the William Morris Agency. He's also working on writing a few scripts, which he hopes to start submitting.
"I would like to make films that tell stories of ordinary people who become the 'heroes,' not for what they were born as, but for what actions they take. I would like them to be not only a spectacle to watch, but a stinger that gets under your skin and stays."