By Ben Baroncini
Daily Bruin Contributor
Here’s the scenario: an undergrad at UCLA decides that a
life of pinching pennies and flipping burgers just isn’t
cutting it anymore.
What is the solution to this all-too-common conundrum?
In the case of Brian Gross, senior sociology student at UCLA,
the solution arrived in the form of a company called Calendar
Creations. Gross gets to be president and CEO of his very own
company, and have a really good time doing it.
Perhaps the icing on the cake though, is the fact that the debut
calendar for Gross’s company is titled “Southern
California College Girls Swimsuit Calendar,” 2001-2002.
As utopian as this gig sounds, it isn’t all about fun in
the sun. Actually, maybe it is, but it’s still a lot of
work.
Gross readily admits that being the CEO of a company while
balancing school work, interviews and extra-curricular activities
is no easy task. Â But it is exactly this unique balancing act
of playing the role of both Bruin and CEO that Gross thrives
on.
“It is actually being able to handle all of these things
that makes owning a company while in college such a rewarding
experience,” Gross said.
Hours of research, writing corporate sponsorship proposals,
keeping financial records and writing business plans, were
necessary to realize his dream. All the hard work soon paid
off.
“Before I knew it, I had registered an official sole
proprietorship “¦ and the photo shoots were underway,”
Gross said.
Sponsorship for the calendar came from several companies. One
such sponsor is Jonathon Craig Holland Studio, which provided the
photography for the calendar. Bonnie Holland, a professional
fashion photographer from the studio, was delighted to work with
Gross on this project and impressed with his skill as a
businessman.
“He’s great to work with,” Holland said.
“He lets you do your own thing “¦ which is great for an
artist.”
“It’s a big venture for a college student,”
Holland added. “I’ve seen students try ventures before,
and they weren’t able to do it.”
Originally, the 16-month calendar was to feature UCLA students
exclusively, but Gross later decided to include students from
various California campuses, such as California State University at
Fullerton, Long Beach, San Diego and San Francisco, UC Santa
Barbara, Chapman and USC. Gross used various recruiting methods
““ from holding open calls at UCLA, to asking friends if they
knew people who might be interested.
Despite Gross’s decision to use models from other campuses
in his calendar, ten of the sixteen are students at UCLA. Jennifer
West, a third-year psychology student, is one such featured Bruin.
West had toyed with the idea of modeling as a child, but had all
but forgotten about it until Gross approached her about this
project.
“He just came by one day and asked me if I wanted to do
it,” West said. “He was looking for girls who might be
interested, so I agreed.”
Resourceful as he is, Gross decided to use his connections in
order to find the locations for the shoot. A friend’s
back yard served as an ideal setting for many of the shots used in
the calendar.
“It was a really pretty setting, with lots of foliage and
plants,” West said.
The professionalism of Gross and his associates added to the
enjoyment of the experience.
“The photographers made it so fun, and they were energetic
and lively,” West said.
Another model featured in the debut effort of Calendar Creations
is a third-year creative writing student at San Francisco State,
Leslie Andereck. Although Andereck has had some experience in
modeling, she hadn’t modeled in a swimsuit prior to her
appearance in this production.
“I was kind of scared,” said Andereck of modeling in
a swimsuit. “I’m kind of on the conservative
side.”
Andereck agreed to model in the calendar, but only as a favor
and because she felt it would be a good experience for her. When
she discovered that some of the money generated from the calendar
would be used for charity, it was an offer she couldn’t
refuse.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation will receive a portion of all
proceeds from the calendar sales.
“It is a charity that we believe does incredible things,
and truly gives something special to those in need,” Gross
said.
Gross wanted to depict “real” college girls in the
calendar.
“I wanted it to contain pictures of gorgeous women,”
said Gross, “yet still have class to it. This is something
that the models would not mind taking home to show their
parents.”
The models agree that the calendar was made with class. Both
West and Andereck said that their parents stand behind them in
their participation in the calendar.
“My parents are very supportive because they know that
this was a good experience,” said Andereck.
Although Gross is uncertain about the future of Calendar
Creations, he is giving some thought into augmenting his business
in the future.
“If the calendar is successful, there is a possibility of
expanding the number of universities involved, as well as producing
a male version,” Gross said.
And if he decides to begin working on another calendar, Gross
wants to train others to help with the production, rather than
attempting to do it on his own.
Brian Gross’s jaunt into the unpredictable “real
world” that all undergrads have heard about for so long has
given him a sense of what it’s like to step up to the plate
of life and hit a home run. His story serves as an example that no
one is ever too young, too inexperienced, or too busy to follow
one’s instincts and seize an opportunity when it arises.
CALENDAR: The “Southern California
College Girls” 2001-2002 calendar is available on the
company’s Web site: www.CalendarCreations.net.
 Information about the models, sponsors, and charity are also
available on the site. The calendar may also be purchased in
Westwood at the Worldwide Newspaper and Magazine newsstand, on
Westwood Blvd.