What do the romantic comedy “What’s Your Number?” and the horror-thriller “Munger Road” have in common? Both films, released on Sept. 30, were a result of two Columbia alumni living what they love.

The concept of “What’s Your Number?” starring Anna Faris (“Scary Movie”) and “Captain America” star Chris Evans, originated from a novel written by 1996 marketing communications graduate Karyn Bosnak, titled “20 Times a Lady.” The novel tells the story of a woman recounting and re-experiencing her past 20 relationships in an effort to find a husband without raising her boyfriend count. The movie made $5.4 million at the box office in its opening weekend and grossed $17.8 million worldwide.

“Munger Road,” written and directed by 2008 film and video graduate Nick Smith, was inspired by urban legends and stories of paranormal activity on the street in St. Charles, Ill. The movie made $36,000 at the box office in its opening weekend and grossed $107,000 since its release in nine suburban theaters.

Both alumni previously attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—Smith for engineering and Bosnak for marketing—but neither found exactly what they were looking for until they attended Columbia, which gave them a kick-start to their current successes.

“I love Columbia. It was the best thing,” Bosnak said. “I definitely would not be where I am today without this school. They shoved me out into the working world by having internships, and it was the first time I opened my eyes to the world.”

Bosnak said she interacted mostly with media-based departments, but if she could, she would have taken more film classes. Exploring options is key for students to discover the future successes, she said.

“Do as many things in your life as possible,” she said. “I just took advantage of everything that was out there. Meet people. Travel. Because when you’re sitting down writing a book, you’ll pull from all of those experiences.”

Smith’s film has received a lot of publicity, and he attributes his success to the college. He said 80 percent of the crew involved in creating “Munger Road” is from Columbia, including the producer, Kyle Heller. Smith’s professor during his senior year, Gary Sherman—who’s been involved in Hollywood for 30 years—had a large influence on his work, Smith said.

“He really helped define me as a director and lead me down a good path,” Smith said. “It was a pleasure meeting him

at Columbia.”

Paul Peditto, an adjunct faculty member in the Film and Video Department, also previously taught students who are taking part in the film. He said low-budget horror films are the genre audiences love.

He also said audiences aren’t interested in original movies, as the list of top 10 movies proves with sequels, remakes, pop culture objects and spin-offs. But Smith, who worked off an original script, had control over his work. Bosnak said novelists need to choose a producer they trust in order to stay true to the original artwork.

The book optioner has a certain vision and will then look for an adapter or writer to fulfill the vision, said Peditto. There are also possibilities for free adaptations, which include basing a film off of another story, such as “Titanic” retold the story of “Romeo and Juliet.”

However, authors have no control over their work after selling it to a film company, unlike Smith, who worked off an original script with his company Insomnia Productions.

Whoever options the book has a certain vision and will then look for an adapter or writer to fulfill the vision, Peditto said.

“Then there are others who are completely faithful to the book,” Peditto said, explaining why readers don’t agree with the casting of a book’s characters. “Your job as the adapter is to turn the verbal and inner monologues into images. It’s hard.”

He said he is excited for Columbia’s new achievements, as the college hasn’t had a hit film with Columbia collaboration since the Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr. produced “Barber Shop” 10 years ago and most recently, Mauro Fiore for his cinematography in “Avatar.”

Bosnak said novelists need to choose a producer they trust in order to stay true to the original artwork. One company Bosnak considered wanted to keep the story rated PG-13 instead of R and have the main character, Ally, have only 10 relationships.

“I don’t think it was possible. It wasn’t the story,” Bosnak said. “I didn’t option it to someone who didn’t see it as the same vision I did.”

She has a new novel on the way, which she’s looking to option for film, titled “Crazy Bitch,” which is funny fiction and a light-hearted look at mental illness, she said.

As for Smith, “Munger Road” will be released next weekend in inner-city theaters. The independent movie retains the chance of spreading worldwide, as a lot of companies have shown interest in it, he said.

“It’s kind of like a fire,” Smith said. “If it burns bright and hot enough, it’ll continue to burn and keep getting bigger.”