DEBORAH HUERTA | Special To Viewpoints

“People in Hollywood don’t want to share what they know because they don’t know much.”

That wasn’t the case Wednesday evening when RCC students, and staff, were taken for a short journey down the rabbit hole with guest speaker Christopher Pratt.

Pratt is a writer, a producer, an author, a literary and talent manager, and a consultant for think tanks as well as campaigns.

He is slated to produce films at Universal Studios and Paramount.

Currently, he is producing “George Wallace: LIVE,” a hit comedy show with a 10-year run, on the Las Vegas Strip.

Pratt grew up on a farm in Missouri, surrounded by a large Amish sect.

His family was not Amish, but they opted to live without the luxuries of radio, television and movies during his childhood.

Though Pratt lacked the shared anthropological experiences of his peers, he has come to accept this as his greatest strength.

He believes it made him a better storyteller.

He opened his lecture with a “poem written by a friend.”

He proceeded to read the first verse of Katy Perry’s Firework.

After the crowd finished chuckling, he spoke about his early life, and some about his career.

However, Pratt’s main focus was encouraging, and guiding, the talent that sat in the audience. He was energetic when speaking to the crowd.

It is clear that Pratt believes that everyone is capable of living the life that they dream of.

Pratt spoke about his new book “Remember The Future How Steve Jobs Used Time Travel to Think Different.”

It hasn’t hit shelves yet, but Pratt made it available to students last night.

In the book, he explains that ‘Future You’ is already happy and living the life you want.

But, how does ‘Present You’ become ‘Future You’? Choices.

“What is the future but a series of casual choices in the present which will lead to a pre-desired outcome.” (An excerpt from his book.)

He provides seven simple steps to achieve your goals, and to become ‘Future You.’

Whether one wants to be a producer or a doctor, an actor or a sanitation engineer, Pratt’s book is a useful tool to have on the shelf.

The lecture was informative, insightful and engaging, Pratt interacted with the audience, asking for their favorite movies and breaking them down to their simplest story lines.

He even gave the crowd his secret to success. “Be awesome,” Pratt says.

There was a short Q&A session, followed by a book signing where Pratt was personable and charming, and he graciously greeted all who wanted their book signed.

He wrote a personal message to each person in regards to their chosen path.

After, he offered even more advice to the students who filmed, and photographed, the event.

Susan St. Peters, English professor at RCC, and a screenplay writer, organized the event as part of the Inside Hollywood Speaker Series.

For more information on these events, please contact Susan at [email protected] or (951) 222-8269.