Hawthorne High School alumnus Bill Megalos has gone on to achieve many of his dreams after graduating in 1971. From directing and producing to cinematography, Megalos has managed to fashion a remarkable career.
After graduating HHS, Megalos began attending Columbia University in New York City as a political science major. While at Columbia, he soon began to realize that it was not his true calling. He decided to temporarily take leave from school to discover what he really wanted to pursue.
During his leave, Megalos began working in The Metropolitan Opera House doing stage carpentry and lighting. He said that many of his friends worked in theaters and were having the time of their lives, which made Megalos interested in the idea. After working for a little in theater, he finally understood why his friends enjoyed this career so much and he dove in. Later, Megalos decided to attend graduate school in order to study film. He noted how working on tours for superstars such as The Beach Boys and Neil Diamond helped him pay for his education. Pursuing this career, Megalos moved to Los Angeles, California where he has been living and working for the past 25 years.
Megalos’ career is varied and he is proud of his achievements. As a concert lighting designer, he worked with many renowned musicians such as Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, and Duke Ellington. Other than lighting, Megalos has also worked as a producer and director in television, music videos, commercials, documentaries, etc. His website, Billmegalos.com, noted how he won the Cine Golden Eagle Award for his biography of Jack Benny for HBO. He was one of the founders of a cable network, known as the Recovery Network.
In addition to his work in theater, he was also awarded the MFA degree from Columbia University and taught theater there at the Graduate School of the Arts. He taught film for four years at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and for another seven years at the University of Southern California. He founded Megalomedia which, according to Billmegalos.com, is “a media development and production company that specializes in making films with Non-Governmental Organizations.” He has taught filmmaking in Laos and Iraq and is currently teaching in a prison in Los Angeles. Although he has accomplished so much, Megalos said that he believes his best accomplishment in life is buying a house, being in a successful marriage and raising two children.
When asked about his time at HHS, Megalos said he truly enjoyed all of the extracurricular activities. He was a member of the marching band, participated in plays, and also ran cross country/track. He said, “I had a lot of fun participating in the extracurricular activities at HHS and I learned a lot from them.”
Hawthorne High School is proud to call Megalos an alumnus.
