Pitt alumnus, movie producer returns to speak to students

Pittsburgh’s expatriate community is by no means small. Scattered across the United States… Pittsburgh’s expatriate community is by no means small. Scattered across the United States and abroad, the city claims a highly diverse, successful group of people.

John Dellaverson, a producer and executive vice president of Lionsgate Entertainment, is one Steel City native who can be found in Los Angeles. In cooperation with Steeltown Entertainment Project and Pitt in Hollywood, the film studies department has engaged Dellaverson, a Pitt alumnus, to speak on Thursday evening at 5 in room 324 of the Cathedral of Learning. Dellaverson will discuss his transition from political science student and Peace Corps member to high profile entertainment lawyer and producer.

Raised in New Castle, he was glad to be exposed “to a large intellectual community, a large library,” at Pitt. Interested in literature, he “spent a lot of time in the library reading in an undisciplined way, making [his] way through world literature.”

In his early career, Dellaverson worked for the National Labor Relations Board in New York City, and began studying law at Fordham University, earning his degree in 1977. A partner at Loeb and Loeb Inc, a prestigious entertainment law firm, from 1983 to 2000, he became Lionsgate Entertainment’s executive vice president in 2001 and in 2005 signed on as a producer.

The transition was easy, Dellaverson said.

“As vice president involved in all the decisions of making, producing and distributing films, I decided I wanted to make some of my own,” he said.

Dellaverson has produced the films “In the Mix” starring Usher and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” written by Tyler Perry.

“There’s nothing easy about making films,” Dellaverson said.

He said his new connection to Pittsburgh can be attributed to Carl Kurlander.

Kurlander is a Pittsburgh native who lived in Los Angeles for many years, where he wrote and produced “Saved by the Bell,” the cult film “St. Elmo’s Fire” and other projects before deciding to return to the ‘Burgh. He later appeared an episode of Oprah, where she was surprised by the idea that anyone could find happiness “in Pittsburgh?”

Kurlander said he and Dellaverson met when Kurlander called on Los Angeles’ resident Pittsburghers to sing the Mr. Rogers theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” when making a documentary.

Besides being an alumnus, Dellaverson’s visit is for other reasons as well. Dellaverson said he came to urge Gov. Ed Rendell to pass legislation that would subsidize film production in Pennsylvania, making filming in the United States more viable. This in turn would aid Steeltown Entertainment Project’s initiative to boost the revitalization of Pittsburgh by tapping into the region’s abundance of talent.

With Kurlander’s influence, Dellaverson said he is “starting to think about how [he] can be helpful,” to the entertainment community here. Dellaverson’s message, he said, is “If I can do it, you can do it. When I started, I didn’t have an agenda, I didn’t know anybody. And it worked out fine for me.”

Having connected with Pittsburghers in the diaspora who have promising talent, the hope, Carl Kurlander said, is to “stop the brain drain” by “re-investing” in Pittsburgh.

“Steel isn’t coming back,” Kurlander said, and the key, he stressed, was to “get into a business that would bring young people.”

That business, he believes, is entertainment.