Alumni spotlight: Donna Rosenstein
TV executive has assembled hit shows for decades
"Figure it out” has been a common thread through the career of Donna Rosenstein ’77. On her first day of working for the person who cast Rocky and Rambo, Rosenstein’s new boss told her: “I gotta go. You figure it out.”
Rosenstein did just that. For nearly 10 years, she oversaw casting for all domestic and international shows by Amazon Studios. Among other shows, she worked on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Boys. Prior to Amazon, Rosenstein had her own casting company, where she cast long-running shows like Ghost Whisperer and Castle. Before that, she ran casting at ABC, working on iconic programs such as NYPD Blue and Twin Peaks.
“What I’m most proud of in my career is creating,” Rosenstein says. “Wherever I went, I would be casting a show, and I felt very much a part of the creative team. A lot of people think anyone can do [this work]. You’re creating an onscreen family that viewers are going to live with.”
The abilities to create and to figure things out were also central to her Binghamton experience. The University didn’t (and still doesn’t) have a media major, so Rosenstein created her own — putting together a program with courses in mass communications, political science, business, and theatre, along with an internship at WBNG-TV, Binghamton’s CBS affiliate.
“One day, I was in the basement of Hinman. Why I was there, I don’t know. I stumbled upon audiovisual equipment — cameras and monitors — and I was like, ‘what is this?’”
That discovery became the foundation of WSUB-TV, a TV station Rosenstein and others brought to the small screen. Never mind that it could only be viewed at The Union; it was a space to create. Rosenstein worked on a satire-improv soap opera (The Flame of Life) and a person-on-the-street interview show (What’s Happening?).
Like many other aspiring media professionals, Rosenstein got airtime at campus radio station WHRW. Her show didn’t have her preferred music style or time slot, but it was a start.
“My first show was the day we changed the clocks,” Rosenstein says. “I lost track of time, and I remember running like a maniac through the rain to get to the station. I had a late-night jazz show. I was not an expert in the field, but it was the only available slot, so I DJ’ed!
“Binghamton was such a great experience for me. And, as I reflect on my career, I think what I was meant to do was create opportunities for other people, and I feel proud of that.”