He’s a curly-haired Eugenean who recently landed himself on the front page of The New York Time’s style section.
He’s only 20 years old and already working at Filter, the national indie-music magazine.
He’s also one of the six competitively selected interns for the new MTV reality series “I’m From Rolling Stone,” which aired last week.
Meet Colin Stutz.
Stutz graduated from South Eugene High School in 2004 college-bound to the sunny landscape of USC’s campus.
“I knew I wanted to move out of Eugene,” Stutz said. “I wanted to move to a big city.”
His initial move to Los Angeles rendered references to the Oregon Trail and a difficult decision to stay in the sprawling city.
“It was pretty hard,” Stutz said. “I spent a good three, maybe four, months not sure if I wanted to stay down here. It’s a big shock.”
Stutz developed interest in the MTV show, whose premise centers on six aspiring music journalists who move to New York City and compete to become a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, from his college adviser.
Nothing moved forward, however, until MTV contacted Filter’s art director, who then encouraged Stutz to fill out the bulky application.
“It was a strange process that snowballed,” said Stutz, who attended several interviews before receiving a formal acceptance.
On the first episode, which aired Jan. 7, Stutz received the coveted phone call from Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stone, while cooking breakfast in his bathrobe with fellow USC peers.
ODE: Didn’t you know you had already landed the internship because MTV crew members were in your apartment?
CS: They were kind of tricky. They narrowed down 10 contestants and said we were all going to be videotaped. Only six were going to get the call. That’s kind of a weak lie.
ODE: Were you confident you were going to make it to the top six?
CS: I was somewhat confident. It was exciting, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be on television. You’re exposed and really vulnerable. I am a personable character, and I’m still private in many ways.
ODE: Did you act differently with cameras on you?
CS: I wouldn’t say I acted all that differently than real life. I didn’t want to get in fights with other cast members. I wasn’t there to start drama in any way. I had to start thinking about how I wanted MTV to portray me. Being on a reality show, I am afraid people won’t take me seriously.
ODE: Did you witness the manipulative power of MTV’s editing skills?
CS: I’ve only seen as much (of the show) as you. They have a lot of things that I can say out of context. Obviously, they have an agenda to make a television show.
By no means hooked on reality TV, Stutz only watches the “Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet,” a show he said even the Romans would be proud to watch.
He attributed Generation Y’s obsession with reality TV and the glamorous youth it promotes to “voyeuristic culture.”
The “I’m From Rolling Stone” debut illustrates pop culture’s obsession with the magazine industry but doesn’t stir up drama like the “Real World.” Nonetheless, Stutz saw enough.
No one spat racial slurs, he said, but emotions are intensified when cramming six interns in a single office.
“They feed that drama so much,” Stutz said, “There are cameras always on you; it makes you very irritable.”
Stutz interviewed celebrated musicians, including band members from The Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, CashMERE, and Figurines.
As the editorial assistant at Filter and a full-time Trojan, Stutz has the edge to make it as a journalist, preferably one of Tom Wolfe’s reputation, he said.
“You can’t go through life thinking about what’s practical or not,” Stutz said. “I’m passionate about writing, and I’m passionate about music. I have faith in myself that I can do it.”
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