Bradford Eaves ’07 realizes he was one of the lucky ones during the recession that faced those entering the job market when he graduated from college. A finance major, he went to work in his father’s accounting firm in Columbia, S.C. With two years of experience and an itch to explore the world outside of South Carolina, he was in a position to move to New York.
There, luck struck again with a job — unpaid at first — as a payroll clerk on a movie being filmed in Queens.
“I never knew films had accounting departments,” says Eaves, who picked up another freelance job then another until he was working as a payroll accountant on “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.” By this point, Eaves had gotten married. Considering a family and a future on the financial side of the entertainment industry, Eaves and his wife, Tracy, decided to make the move to Los Angeles. Now Eaves is a manager of production finance with Viacom.
“The opportunities are endless out here,” says Eaves, “and the weather is worth every penny.”
Eaves, who played baseball for the Terriers, says the student-athlete experience and Wofford’s liberal arts education have contributed to his success.
“At Wofford we were always looking for answers to hard questions,” he says. “Even now, no subject seems foreign, and I can always lean on problem-solving skills I learned. Because of Wofford, I have a lot of tools in my belt.”
Being a member of the baseball team added interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with others.
“In my current position, I have a lot of responsibility. People rely on me, and I have to rely on others,” says Eaves. “My Wofford experience — on the field and in the classroom — has served me well.”
By Jo Ann Mitchell Brasington ’89