Bright Lights, Big City

After graduating from Keene State College in 1985, Natalie Pope set off to Los Angeles, California with a dream to make it big, two thousand dollars in her pocket and nothing but herself.

Not knowing where she would stay or where she would start, Pope has managed to exceed her wildest dreams and goals by becoming a successful set decorator for Universal Pictures and has now been in the business for 22 years.

It has been a journey for Pope to get where she is today. First, moving out to L.A., she stayed with her brother’s friend for four months, trying to save up for her own place. Pope’s first job was bartending, which helped her make fast cash to pay for a studio apartment.

With hard work and dedication she was finally hired for a New Line production and worked on her first feature, “Prayer of the Roller Boys,” in 1990.

Pope said she worked in different areas within the art department before she became a set decorator. As a set decorator, she is in charge of set dressings on a film set, which includes adding those little touches; wallpaper, furnishings, lighting fixtures and much more.

Pope hand picks everything and said she likes to do the shopping for props and such so she can get what she wants for the set. 

She said the special touches bring life to the set and create the environment for the film and cast.

Every placed object on a set has a purpose and is thought out carefully by the set decorator.  

She is praised as one of the first students from KSC to make it big in Hollywood.

Originally from Cape Cod, Mass., she has risen to success and is still designing sets for some of the most famous television shows and movies. Pope has a very impressive background, with a long list of productions she has worked on.

She has worked on popular sets for movies such as: “The Majestic” with Jim Carey, “The Green Mile” with Tom Hanks, and “17 again” with Zac Efron. Pope said her favorite production to this day was “The Majestic.”

Pope said there was a lot of research that had to be done, but she was thankful to work with such an amazing director and group of people.

“I enjoyed everything about the ‘The Majestic.’ It was a labor of love,” Pope said.

Some of the numerous television shows Pope has worked on include; “My name is Earl,” “Medium,” “What about Brian,” and “Anatomy of Hope.”

She is currently working for Universal Pictures as the set decorator for the popular medical drama “House.”

Pope transferred her sophomore year to KSC from Franklin Pierce University, because of size and the feeling that KSC was a better fit for her. Pope majored in Theater and Film.

Pope said she had to take some tech classes for her intended major and said later, all those classes came in handy on sets and in the prop business.
The Theatre and Dance chair at KSC, Daniel Patterson, had nothing but good things to say about Pope.

In 1984, Pope played the lead female in Patterson’s production, “Light up Sky.”

“She had the talents and looks to become an actress. I assumed when she graduated and went off to Hollywood it was to become an actress and was surprised when Pope told me that she was dressing sets,” Patterson said.  

Pope said she has always had a love for being behind the scenes and that going out to L.A. to pursue an acting career is very difficult.

She was told to change aspects about herself that she did not agree with because she felt comfortable with who she was already.

Patterson described Pope as a very pretty woman with a bubbly, friendly and outgoing personality. She recently came back a few years ago to KSC and showed her gallery of sets to students and staff.

Patterson said he hopes Pope can fit time into her schedule to come back to KSC and do a workshop for students, based on her own experiences.

Today, Pope is married with two step-children, who are 18 and 20 years old.

She lives in Valley Village Hollywood with her family. She also travels back to New England to visit family every once in a while.

Pope said that after college the adjustment of moving to LA was really hard. However, she is glad she did it because she would have never met such great people and never accomplished her goal if she hadn’t. 

According to Pope, one thing she doesn’t miss about New England is the weather. Although she would rather switch the traffic conditions because nothing is like L.A. traffic.

Pope will return to KSC next year for her 25th reunion. This is one alumna who has many stories to tell her classmates come that day.

Brittany Murphy can be contacted at bmurphy@keeneequinox.com.