By Melody Li
UC Santa Barbara alumna Alex Hoffman (‘08) and one of her foster cats during the current stay-at-home order. Photo by Alex Hoffman.
Sometimes who you know matters more than what you know.
For UC Santa Barbara alumna Alex Hoffman, this networking advice is more than just a cliché. Hoffman, a New York-based costume designer whose projects have ranged from Broadway shows to ballet to television, credits most of her career breaks to her social networking.
Hoffman has been working as a freelance costume designer for the past six years. Most recently, she designed for “Marry Me,” an upcoming film starring Jennifer Lopez, and she did the costumes for the Broadway musical “Company” before the COVID-19 lockdown in New York.
“One person may lead to a lot of things, so make connections and talk to people,” Hoffman advises future grads.
After graduating from UCSB in 2008 with a double major in history and theater, Hoffman completed her master’s in costume studies at New York University but realized her passion didn’t lie in academia so she went into designing.
The summer after graduating from NYU, she interned at the Glimmerglass Festival, a seasonal opera festival in New York. There, Hoffman became friends with one of the assistant directors who knew she was passionate about design and was willing to work any job to get experience. He introduced her to a costume designer who hired Hoffman as an assistant for an upcoming opera that fall.
History and theater alumna Alex Hoffman designed the costumes for “The Seafarer” in 2015. Photo courtesy of Florida Repertory Theatre.
“I got to show my skills and abilities and prove I was trustworthy. That became one of the circles of people I worked with, and that circle has grown,” said Hoffman.
From there, Hoffman worked at Glimmerglass for six seasons in numerous positions from hair and makeup to assisting and designing, and she continued to meet costume designers and directors. Thanks to these connections, she was able to get her foot in the door to the entertainment industry and now showcases her talents on Broadway, television, and film.
But her costume design career really started as an UCSB freshman when UCSB theater and dance professor Dianne Holly recruited Hoffman for the department’s fall play, which Hoffman says became her “Aha! moment.”
“I realized I wanted to do both history and costume design and use what I knew about history and history’s impact on clothing to design characters,” said Hoffman.
Hoffman originally entered UCSB as an honors pre-med student, eventually deciding to double major in history and theater after taking a variety of classes to fulfill general education requirements. She talked to professors like Holly and became interested in fashion history.
UC Santa Barbara alumna Alex Hoffman designed the costumes for “5 Times in One Night,” a play that ran in New Jersey in early 2020. Photo by Jonathan Hinterberger.
Although she didn’t have many internship opportunities as a student, the connections she made along the way helped her successfully transition into the business. She wants to remind students who are looking to enter the entertainment industry to stay open to all opportunities and explore all the different options.
“I can trace back most of my career to one person at Glimmerglass,” said Hoffman.
While Hoffman is currently unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she wants to return to costume designing as soon as possible and hopes to work in her native Los Angeles to spend more time with family.
“Especially given our current situation, I want to continue to make work that really matters and really makes people think,” Hoffman said.
Melody Li is a third-year communication and sociology double major at UC Santa Barbara. She is a Web and Social Media Intern with the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.