After graduating from Grand Rapids Christian Schools, alumni go on to accomplish great things. Whether making their mark on the entertainment industry, building leaders and transforming communities, contributing to rain forest conservation, or using their athletic skills to inspire the next generation, the paths for GRCS alumni are as diverse as they are exciting. Catch up with these seven alumni who look back on how their experiences at GRCS prepared them to pursue their passions and explore God’s plan for their future.

---

After graduating from GRCHS, Rich, Hudson, and John all pursued different paths that led them to careers in entertainment. Here, they break down their love for film, what unites them, and what makes them unique.

Rich Liverance

GRCHS Class of 2010

Animatic Editor, DreamWorks Animation

Hudson Liverance

GRCHS Class of 2013

Page, Paramount Pictures

John Liverance

GRCHS Class of 2014

Production Assistant, DreamWorks Animation

Favorite childhood activity:

Making movies together!

Their Favorite classes at GRCHS:

Hudson: My favorite class was German, taught by Donna Kamerman-Houskamp (or as we call her, Frau KH). I took it all four years, and I had a blast in every class.

Rich: My favorite class in high school was also my most challenging. I took an art class with Mr. Quist my junior year at GRCHS where we focused on clay sculpting... I ended up with a model I was pretty proud of and was actually one of the pieces that helped get me accepted into art school.

John: I loved any class that dealt with stories: English classes, art classes, and Bible classes.

Their surprisingly different majors:

Hudson: I originally went to Auburn to become a pilot. I was a Professional Flight Management major and was in Air Force ROTC. After a year of flying, I realized that while I had a lot of fun doing it, my true passions were film and music. I then switched to a major in visual media with a minor in music.

Rich: I majored in art and design at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan. I graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree.

John: I attended Auburn University where I majored in film/television with a minor in creative writing.

Their current positions:

Hudson: I am a Page at Paramount Pictures. My main responsibility is giving tours around the studio lot. The Page Program is a two-year program.

Rich: I’m an Editor for animation at DreamWorks Animation Studios. I just wrapped up editing a recently announced Netflix series called Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and have moved on to a Jurassic World animated series.

John: I am a Production Assistant at DreamWorks Animation. I assist every creative position (producers, directors, editors, writers, artists, etc.) with any of their production needs. I support them in the hopes that they only have to worry about being creative.

Why they think their brothers also work in entertainment:

Hudson: We all fell in love with movies together. We spent our days making movies in our basement and building Legos for our stop motion animations. Every weekend, we were at the Celebration Cinema next to our house. It has always been a team effort, and hopefully, it always will be.

Rich: As cool as it would’ve been to have brothers who were pilots, I’m glad they switched to media studies. I can’t start Liverance Bros. Studios without them.

John: Both of my parents have a good grasp of storytelling. When they were raising us, they presented God to us as the Ultimate Storyteller. This relationship between faith in Jesus Christ and my love of entertainment keeps me motivated as I begin my career, and I know it’s no accident that I get to tag along with my older brothers.

Their Favorite movies:

Hudson: Tied for first is The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Raiders of the Lost Ark, That Thing You Do!, West Side Story, Up, and the entire filmography of Tom Cruise. My top 10 is actually about 83 movies.

Rich: Whenever someone asks me this question I always say, “you mean besides all three Lord of the Rings movies?” (It’s a fact that they’re perfect movies.) So I’m going to say besides LOTR, my favorite animated movie is Monsters Inc., and my favorite live-action movie is Casino Royale.

John: ______ by Steven Spielberg. I would end the joke there, but I owe it to A Few Good Men to also say A Few Good Men.