WASHINGTON, D.C. - At George Washington University's casting call for The Apprentice there were no awkward combovers or "Free Martha" T-shirts. But there were more than 130 students and alumni sporting everything from tattered jeans to their business best.
"It's not about fame and fortune - it's just the experience, you know?" said Kwaku Akyeampong, a GW alumnus and senior consultant for IBM. "Life is short and you're only here for a short while, so you just have to have fun."
NBC producers contacted the school about hosting the closed audition, held on Thursday, for all students and alumni over 21 years of age, said Valoree Vargo, executive director of advancement, communications, and events at GW.
With the nationwide open casting calls often drawing crowds of hundreds or more, intimate campus settings allow students and producers to get a better feel for one another in a less pressured setting.
Other schools are also benefiting from similar opportunities, including Boston University, the University of Indianapolis, and Duke.
The hallway of the GW Alumni House was packed with students and graduates, some full of dreams and aspirations and others just along for the thrill of the ride.
GW alum Akyeampong looked composed and professional in a pressed navy suit, power-blue tie, and handkerchief that peeked out of his left breast pocket, and seemed more ready to preside over the boardroom than to compete in it. His confidence also matched his smart dress.
"Like I said, I am a smart person. I am African but I was educated by the two superpowers: the Soviet Union and the United States," said Akyeampong, who also showed off his fluency in Russian during the interview. "I'm smart in math, science, space exploration, military defense ... If I win it's fine and if not, life goes on."
From 3 to 5 p.m., applicants were ushered into a small room where they received a numbered ticket and told to wait their turn. By 3:30, the Alumni House was transformed from an idyllic house into a crowded, frenzied waiting area.
Many expressed surprise at the informality of the interviews. Students and alumni went into the interview room five at a time, and were either seated at a rectangular table or in soft cushioned couches and armchairs a few feet away.
One of the producers ate her lunch as she conducted the debate-style interview. The other was comfortably reclining against the red cushions of the couch, listening to the animated conversation taking place among the candidates.
"It started out very businesslike and then they told us to be relaxed and to just enjoy it, and we kind of just had this nice conversation," said Lamont Copeland, a 28-year-old student working on his MBA. "They asked about using sexuality to get ahead in business. I said that if it's part of being confident then, hey use it! There's nothing wrong with it as long as you don't cross the line between appropriate and not."
Though most agreed that their decision to audition spurred by the excitement of the experience than by the hefty six-figure salary reward, those who thought they'd win had some innovative plans for spending the money.
Responses ranged from nice vacations in Italy, to bringing family members to the United States, to paying a father back for film school, to donating it all to the Democratic Party.
(c) 2005, Knight Ridder/Tribune Service. Distributed by KRT.
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