The Nebraska Coast Connection presents The Hollywood Salon Comes Home on Monday, May 8 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. The event is free and open to the public.
It will also be live streamed for viewers in California and worldwide. Visit https://nebraskacoast.com for streaming details. The event is part of the celebration of 30 years of Nebraska Coast Connection and The Hollywood Salon.
The event will feature a conversation and Q&A with two Nebraska friends who made their careers in Hollywood: Kearney native Jon Bokenkamp (Creator, Writer/Producer of NBC’s “The Blacklist” and showrunner of a new Apple TV series) and UNL Theatre and Journalism graduate Todd Nelson (CBS/Paramount Producer and Founder of Nebraska Coast Connection).
“It seemed fitting that in our 30th year, we would bring the Salon back to Lincoln for the first time and spotlight one of Nebraska’s native sons, who has made a stellar career in Hollywood while still living in Kearney,” Nelson said. “Jon’s been a great friend since before his success in TV and film, and I can’t wait to share him with UNL and the arts communities back home.”
Nelson is receiving the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts’ Award of Merit at the Honors Day Celebration on May 5.
The Nebraska Coast Connection (NCC) is an education and networking alliance that connects professionals working in the entertainment industry. It was founded in 1992 by Nelson, and its monthly Hollywood Salon has been a touchpoint for University of Nebraska–Lincoln students, alumni and Hollywood transplants.
“Since 1995, we’ve hosted monthly meetings on the Second Monday each month that we call The Hollywood Salon,” Nelson said. “In all that time we’ve never missed a month, even during the pandemic when we moved to Zoom. At each Salon we always host amazing special guests, like Alexander Payne, Marg Helgenberger, Gabrielle Union, Donald Petrie, Dean Zanuck, Molly Parker and hundreds of other entertainment professionals—people who share their stories of success and give inspiration and advice.”
The idea was fostered by Nelson’s frequent trips home. He often visited the late theatre professor Bill Morgan, who connected him with former students who were pursuing careers in the arts. With support from the University of Nebraska Foundation, the first NCC cocktail event in Bel Air drew 200 people, and the NCC was up and running.
Since then, they have hosted barbecues, screenwriting groups, Halloween parties, Christmas caroling and comedy nights. They have also produced radio commercials for the Nebraska Alumni Association, host an annual short film festival and several extensive websites. More than 2,000 Nebraskans have found their way into the NCC.
The NCC has also sponsored internships for Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film students and celebrates regular engagement between professionals, alumni and current students.
The Hollywood Salon Comes Home event is sponsored by The Nebraska Coast Connection, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Nebraska Alumni Association.