Murray Hill, aka Fred Rococo and Mr. Showbiz himself, spent much of his college years and the years that followed searching for a place to belong. And when he couldn’t find that space or representation he was looking for, he created one. Hill mentioned those early days were “really about representation and finding chosen family.”
Hill and Hamline University President Mayme Hosttetter are longtime friends who met while playing basketball in New York City. During the Oct. 29 conversation, Hill discussed his college journey and his career in show business.
Hostetter recalled how Hill celebrated his teammates' wins and made everyone feel included on the court. Their playful exchanges brought a personal touch to the conversation, which marked the first in the “Going Pro” series.
“Going Pro” is a new initiative launched by the President’s Office in conjunction with Hamline University’s strategic plan. The series aims to introduce students, faculty and staff to several accomplished professionals who have “gone pro” in different fields from a liberal arts foundation.
Hill, an award-winning comedian, actor, television host and trailblazer in cabaret and drag, grew up in a conservative town in Connecticut. When asked about his college experience, Hill said his life “kind of started” when he attended Boston University, where he encountered new perspectives and began finding his own identity.
Hill recalled how a photography professor introduced him to a book featuring photographs of queer people and people on the margins living everyday life. That inspired Hill to start documenting those communities through photography.
“I was on a discovery mission and I was obsessed,” Hill said. “I used photography to get into queer nightclubs to document the scene, but unconsciously, I was trying to find a place where I belong.”
Hill talked about his early days documenting New York City’s queer nightlife scene and his transition from photographer to performer.
“I became what I didn’t see,” Hill explained after noticing a lack of drag king representation.
Senior Kasimir Austin-Morey, a performance, production, and community major, was inspired by the conversation after listening to Hill discuss his personal experience with being queer and having representation on stage.
“Seeing that there is a person that has made this space for himself, with those specific ideals of wanting to see queerness and transness represented in such an interesting and specific way in a world that I’ve explored myself,” Austin-Morey said. “What I got out of it was it’s going to be a lot of trusting yourself to make space and trusting that you're going to find what you need.”
Cal Athmann, a senior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in studio art, said the “Going Pro” series can help students explore their career paths.
“Figuring out what is the thing that you're going to be best at, the thing you're going to excel at and how Hamline can help students figure that out and get us all career ready,” Athmann said.
Athmann also mentioned how excited they are to hear from the other two speakers in the series and discover common themes across their experiences: Dionne Harmon, pro producer, and Pete Janzen ’81 JD ’84, pro lawyer and leader.
The event concluded with a Q&A session. Hill encouraged students to create their own opportunities rather than wait around for them.
“You’ll never be out of work as long as you give yourself a job,” Hill said.
