Tisch graduates you made it. 

And you're ****** 

Second, think about that. 

The graduates from the College of Nursing. 

They all have jobs. 

The School of Medicine graduates each one. 

Will get a job. 

The proud graduates of the NYU School of Law. 

They're covered, and if they're not, who cares? 

Their lawyers. 

The graduates in accounting they all have jobs. 

Where does that leave you? 

Envious of those accounts. 

I doubt it. 

They had a choice. 

Maybe they were passionate about accounting, but I think it's more likely that they used reason and logic and common sense to reach for a career. 

That could give them the expectation of success and stability. 

Reason logic common sense. 

At the Tisch School of Arts. 

Are you kidding me? 

But you didn't have that choice, did you? 

You discovered a talent, developed an ambition, and recognize your passion. 

When you feel that. 

You can't fight it. 

You just go with it. 

When it comes to the arts, passion should always Trump common sense. 

You want just following dreams. 

You're reaching for your destiny now that you've made your choice, or rather succumb to it, your path is clear. 

Not easy, but clear. 

You have to keep working. 

It's that simple. 

You got through Tish. 

That's a big deal. 

Or to put it another way, if you got through Tish Big deal. 

Second, well, it's a start. 

On this day of triumphantly graduating, a new door is opening for you. 

A door to a lifetime of rejection. 

It's inevitable. 

It's what Graduate School the real world. 

You'll experience it auditioning for a part or a place in a company. 

It'll happen to you when you're looking for backers. 

For a project, you'll feel it when doors close on you and when you're looking for a directing or a choreography job. 

How do you cope? 

I hear that Valium and Vicodin work. 

Well, I don't know. 

You can't be too relaxed and do what we do. 

And you don't want to block the pain too much. 

Without the pain, what will we talk about? 

Rejection might sting, but my feeling is that often it has very little to do with you when you're auditioning or pitching the director or producer or investor may just have something or someone different in mind. 

And that's just how it is. 

You'll get a lot. 

Of direction in your careers, some of it from directors, some from studio heads, some from money people, some from writers. 

Listen to all of it and listen to yourself. 

I'm mostly going to talk about these these ideas in movie actor terms, but I think this applies to all of you. 

You'll find come parable situations in all the disciplines a director or producer, choreographer or Co, artistic director. 

These are powerful positions, but the power doesn't come from the title. 

The power comes from trust, respect. 

Work and again collaboration. 

You'll probably be harder on yourself than any director. 

I'm not going to tell you to go easy on yourselves. 

I assume you didn't pick this life because you thought it would be easy. 

You may have to answer to a director for a job, but you also have. 

To answer. 

To yourself, this could create conflicts for you. Did you get straight A's in school? 

If so, good for you. 

But in the real world, you'll never get straight days again. 

There are ups and there are downs. 

And what I want to say to. 

You today is that it's OK. 

Instead of rocking caps and gowns today I can see all of you graduating in custom TSOT shirts on the back is printed. 

Rejection it isn't personal. 

And on the front your model, your mantra, your battle cry next. 

You didn't get that part. 

That's my point. 

Next, you'll get the next one or the next one after that. 

You're here to pause and celebrate your accomplishments so far as you move on to a rich and challenging future. 

And me, I'm here to hand out my pictures and resumes to the directing and producing graduates. 

I'm excited and honored to be in a room full of young creators who make me hopeful about the future of the performing and media arts. 

I know you're gonna make it all of you break a leg next. 

Thank you.