Tracking Hurricanes

 

Alumna Goes Prime-Time

C ynthia Cidre ’78, a Cuban-born screenwriter and creator of prime-time television shows, is best known for her feature films In Country (starring Bruce Willis) and The Mambo Kings; her 1990 television movie A Killing in a Small Town, which won Emmy and Golden Globe awards; and her recent CBS series Cane. Here she briefly discusses her work and offers advice to students who wish to pursue similar careers.

What did you like most about being a student at UM?

As an English major, I appreciated the incredible influence that the very capable professors in the English department had on me. I took all five of the courses taught by Eugene Clasby [recipient of an Outstanding Teaching Award conferred by the University of Miami’s Faculty Senate]. Also, the film courses I took were invaluable. Most of all, I got a first-rate education at a first-rate school that happened to be close to my home.

How did your education at UM help you in your career?

My goal was to become an English literature teacher – a career as a writer, not to mention a screen and television writer, was the furthest thing from my mind. But my UM film-writing professor, Paul Nagel, submitted a sample of my work to Columbia Pictures, which was looking for new writing talent, and I was selected. The fun part is that I was unaware my samples had been submitted until my Spanish-speaking grandmother, who speaks very little English, told me I had received a call that I should return. The miracle is that she got the number right!

What do you consider your greatest achievements?

Ive been fortunate to have a number of my works produced as feature films and television films. And this year, CBS selected for prime-time network viewing a project called Cane, which I had created. That’s as good as it gets, especially because Cane gave me an opportunity to portray my Cuban heritage in a very positive way for a national audience. When I think about Cuba I think about sugar (my dad was a chemist specializing in sugar) and rum, so I created Cane’s scenario around those elements. In order for a show to succeed, it has to have dramatic elements that we can all relate to – that “speak” to people.

What is it like to be a screenwriter and television show creator?

It’s very hard, very frustrating, and occasionally very rewarding. The challenge is to stay in the game, despite the disappointments, until the timing is right for your work.

What advice do you have for UM students who are interested in a similar career?

Be prepared for a long and arduous struggle to get your work in front of people who can be helpful. If you’re unwilling to commit yourself to that effort, have a Plan B. Of course, sometimes – not very often – lightning strikes, but don’t count on it.

A Flowering Career

Ernst Swietelsky ’72 has a bachelor’s degree in geological sciences, but he is not a geologist. Instead, like so many other College of Arts and Sciences graduates, he applied his education in a unique and unexpected way.

Swietelsky is the owner of the Pots Company, a successful business that imports pots, primarily for flower arrangements and plants. As a child growing up in Austria, he developed an interest in geology through his parents, who owned a construction company and taught him about the properties of soils and rocks. Later, when his father sent him abroad to the United States to study at Princeton University for a year, one course in marine geology there was all it took to fall in love with the subject. A graduate student at the University of Vienna at the time, he vowed to pursue a degree in geology upon completing his PhD in political science.

At the University of Miami, Swietelsky’s most memorable experience was a course with professor Fred Nagle (now deceased). “We did a field trip down to St. Croix, where we dove and dug up sediments,” he said. “It was an amazing experience.” The course taught him a great deal about volcanoes and tectonics, but it was ultimately his interest in soils, particularly clays, that triggered his decision to start the Pots Company.

Upon graduating from the University, Swietelsky partnered with a friend to create the importing business. The two traveled to Mexico, Haiti, and other Latin American countries to purchase rustic handmade pots. “I really appreciated the connection that the people had with their local environments,” he said.

The duo sold these pots to florists and garden centers, and they eventually broadened their business to include pots from other parts of the world. Today, the team primarily imports Chinese and Vietnamese merchandise, which can also be purchased at supermarket chains and mass market retailers.

Swietelsky’s career path may have been unique, but as far as he is concerned, such a progression – as a function of the individual’s aptitudes and passions – should not be unusual. He believes that education is less about learning how to do a particular job and more about acquiring fundamental skills that can be applied to a variety of professions. “There are so many opportunities out there,” he said.

“You can apply the concepts and methods you learn during college to just about any career.”

Swietelsky lives with his wife Vivianne, five-year-old son Maximilian, and two-year-old daughter Esmeralda in Coconut Grove, Florida. His waterfront home gives him the opportunity to pursue his water-based hobbies, including SCUBA diving, sailing, and fishing.