UMBC student aspires to a job in the film industry with his entrepreneurial skills.
What is your name, major, and year?
My name is Turrel David, but some people misread it and call me ‘Turtle David’ or ‘David Turrel’. I am a senior who is majoring in media and communication studies and minoring in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Where are you from (city, county, state)?
I am originally from Redlands, in San Bernardino County of Southern California. My family and I later moved to Maryland when I was seven years old.
Who do you admire and why?
I admire social entrepreneurs like Yvon Chouinard and Elon Musk because they are remarkable visionaries. They both use business to solve important social and environmental issues.
What is your career goal?
I would like to become a successful social entrepreneur. My goal is to become an expert in licensing and intellectual property so that I may create unique, officially licensed products that are made responsibly with low environmental impact. If that does not work out, I want to become a film executive at Marvel Studios or become the next president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
If I could, I would change how we overuse natural resources and I would stop human contributions to the mass extinction of other species on Earth.
Describe something about you that uniquely stands out.
I am a very curious guy who is not afraid to ask a ton of questions and I explore things that are of interest to me. I am really good at researching a new topic.
What do you like most about UMBC?
I really like the class sizes at UMBC and all the cool extracurricular activities that are offered here.
What activities do you participate in on campus?
I attend a lot of the entrepreneurship lectures and I like to participate in events that are sponsored by the Student Events Board. Sometimes, I like to work out in the RAC.
Who is the celebrity you would like to meet; what would you do with him/her?
I want to meet film producer Kevin Feige because I am a big fan of his work for Marvel Studios and he has the job that I want: president. I would just like to have lunch with him and chat about the future of Marvel.
What is/are your favorite thing(s) to do outside of UMBC?
Outside of UMBC, I love to watch movies and hang out in comic book stores. I am really into popular culture.
Where do you want to spend your next vacation?
I have always wanted to go to Tokyo, Japan, mostly because it is a very colorful place and Japanese fan culture is very interesting to me.
What is your favorite genre of television (comedy, competition, reality, etc.) and why?
My favorite genre of TV is dark action-dramas. I like shows that have complex characters and nail-biting suspense. I watch shows like Walking Dead, Homeland, Breaking Bad, Sherlock, The Fall, The Killing, Fringe, Criminal Minds and other similar ones.
What kind of music do you like?
I like music that is unique, so I am into underground hip-hop, R&B, alternative Indie music, just to name a few. I also listen to a lot of movie soundtracks. Two new music groups that I recently fell in love with are AlunaGeorge and Haim.
If you met Dr. Hrabowski (UMBC President), what would you say to him?
I would thank him for his service to the UMBC campus community and for dedicating more resources to the arts and humanities field. The Performing Arts and Humanities building is amazing.
