Spartan Profiles: Greg Harrison

HITTING HIS GROOVE

            Every so often, an independent, low-budget movie becomes a box office megahit and shakes up Hollywood. Last year, it was Blair Witch Project. This year, according to the buzz at the Sundance Film Festival, it could well be Groove, which promptly sold for $1.5 million to Sony Pictures Classics. The movie about the San Francisco “rave” scene was written, produced, edited and directed by Greg Harrison, ’91, who also cast fellow Spartans Steve Van Wormer, ’91, star of Meet The Deedles (see Fall 1998, p. 13), and Jeff Witzke, ’92, in the movie (all worked as MSU Telecasters and produced “The Show” in the late 1980s).

            “It was a labor of love,” says Harrison. “(The rave scene) is a loosely-knit community of techno music lovers. The parties are based on DJ culture, and they take place all over the world. The ethos is not unlike punk culture—it’s radical, free, creative, underground and grassroots.”

            Critics have noted the prevalence of drugs, notably Ecstasy, in the rave scene. “The movie puts a human face on a scene that has always been marginalized and villified,” explains Greg. “It’s a love story, and it reflects a culture that’s fascinating and always vibrant.”

            Greg credits MSU with preparing him well. “To break into the film indusctry, you need experience in every aspect of production and post-production,” he notes. “MSU gave me all that, especially through MSU Telecasters. (Telecommunication specialist) Bob Albers was very supportive of my efforts.”

            A native of Sterling Heights, Greg knew in high school he wanted to be involved in film and TV. “That’s what drew me to MSU,” he recalls. “The Comm Arts building was state of the art, and at MSU I was able to learn the craft and get what I needed to get into the industry.”