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 Tim
Landis, American Studies ‘93
In
light of his family tradition, it was not surprising
that Tim Landis gravitated toward public service. The
grand-nephew of the noted jurist and first Commissioner
of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Tim worked on
Capitol Hill for several years immediately following
his graduation from MWC. After two years in the office
of Congressmen Brad Schuster, he served as a press liaison
for Congressman Jay Kim during the Clinton impeachment
hearings.
The
numerous connections he made while in those jobs led
serendipitiously to another career - - his current work
as a free-lance promoter. The new career developed from
highly successful New Year’s Eve “bashes”
that he began to organize in 1996; three years later
he was hosting a gathering of almost 2000, filling DC’s
capacious Phillip’s Flagship Restaurant.
Though
he has continued the New Year’s Eve extravaganzas,
he has broadened his entrepreneurial efforts through
creation of a business venture called Velvet Rope Promotions,
which organizes up-scale parties in the DC area. For
someone who, it seems, “parties for a living,”
Tim himself tends to be abstemious - - a necessity,
he says, if he is to ensure that his events go smoothly.
Nonetheless, it has provided the opportunity to meet
numerous notables, both from politics and the entertainment
world [e.g., Alec Baldwin in the accompanying photo].
Despite
his sybaritic occupation, Tim clearly is not overly
given to frivolity. His serious side is evident, for
example, in an op-ed article, “Masterpiece of Government
Waste,” that he wrote for the Washington Post last
year in which he criticized the Arlington County government
for “squandering tax dollars” on non-essential
projects,while allowing needed public services to languish.
Though
obviously aided in his work by a naturally gregarious
personality, Tim credits his American Studies major
at MWC for much of his success. “In many cases,”
he says, “your college degree will limit the profession
you will be able to chose. Not so with American Studies….
In every job application I’ve ever filled out,
I have been able to use the American Studies degree
to help qualify me for the position, whether it be in
promotions, sales, advertising, or government. The scope
of the degree is just that wide.”
Tim’s
commitment to MWC has continued to be evidenced in his
involvement with the Alumni
Association, including three terms on the governing
board of that organization. He can be reached via his
website: www.timsbash.com.
[This
is one in a series focusing periodically on the Department’s
graduates. Alumni are encouraged to keep the Department
apprised of recent activities by e-mailing the chair
at chudgins@umw.edu
or contacting any other member of the faculty.]
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