Oldman, Mark 1969(?)-

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OLDMAN, Mark 1969(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1969; son of Marilyn (a psychologist). Education: Stanford University, B.A. and M.A.


ADDRESSES: Offıce—Vault, Inc., 150 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011.


CAREER: Writer. Cofounder of Vault. Has taught a wine course in New York, NY.


MEMBER: Stanford Wine Circle wine tasting group (founder), Phi Beta Kappa.


WRITINGS:

Princeton Review Student Access Guide to America'sTop One Hundred Internships, Princeton Review (Princeton, NJ), 1994.

(With Samer Hamadeh) The Internship Bible, Random House (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Samer Hamadeh) The Job Vault, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1997.

(With others) Vault Reports Guide to Starting YourOwn Business, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998.

(With others) Law Firms: The Vault.com Guide toAmerica's Top Fifty Law Firms, Vault Inc. (New York, NY), 1998.

(With others) The Vault Guide to Schmoozing, Vault Inc. (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Samer Hamadeh and Marcy Lerner) Vault Guide to Top Internships, Vault, Inc. (New York, NY), 2004.

Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 IngeniousShortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style, Penguin Books (New York, NY), 2004.


SIDELIGHTS: Author and entrepreneur Mark Oldman received his B.A. and M.A. in English from Stanford University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to complete internships in government, law, television, music, and advertising, providing him with an ideal background for the writing of his primary work, guidebooks on the top internships in the country and how to apply for them. His fascination with corporate America started early. As a child of six, he pleaded with his mother not to send him to summer camp, instead spending his time calling companies around the country and getting information on their operations and free samples of their products. His put-on deep voice impressed the executives of a Minnesota salt manufacturer well enough that they agreed to visit his school and make a presentation about their company, only to be surprised to find so young a child had issued the invitation.


Oldman's discontent with the quality of some of his own internship experiences prompted him to help others determine what companies offered programs that best met their needs, including job descriptions, opportunities to gain experience, and salary offered, if any. He became cofounder, with partner Samer Hamadeh, of Vault.com, a Web site that has become a leading source for career information, and which publishes many of his manuals. A contributor to School Library Journal called Oldman's Princeton Review Student Access Guide to America's Top Internships 1996 Edition a "terrific resource," and "easy to use and informative."


In addition to helping people guide their careers, Old-man shares his love of wine with consumers as well. He is founder of the Stanford Wine Circle, a nationally recognized wine-tasting organization, and has written a book on choosing wine, Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style. A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that "robust, hearty, and full bodied describe not just a Beanlieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon but also this comprehensive wine guide for the novice oenophile."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Career World, February-March, 2004, "Designer Internships," review of The Internship Bible, p. 2.

Cosmopolitan, October, 2000, Judy Dutton, "Am I Ever Required to Get My Boss a Gift?," review of The Vault Guide to Schmoozing, p. 148.

Forbes, August 9, 1999, Silvia Sansoni, "Lemonade Stand," p. 24.

Library Journal, December 1, 2004, Andrea R. Dietze, review of Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style, p. 154.

Publishers Weekly, October 11, 2004, review of Old-man's guide to Outsmarting Wine, p. 70.

School Library Journal, May, 1996, review of Princeton Review Student Access Guide to America's Top Internships 1996 Edition, p. 152.

Wall Street Journal, July 19, 1994, Stephen E. Frank, "Workplace: Taking Out the Garbage, Walking the Boss's Dog, and Other Interns' Tales," review of America's Top One Hundred Internships, p. B1.


ONLINE

Five o'Clock Club,http://www.fiveoclockclub.com/ (December 8, 2004), "Mark Oldman."

Vault,http://www.vault.com/ (December 8, 2004), "Mark Oldman."*