Attracted by both the distinction of the speakers slated and the insight their success might yield, students packed a classroom on North Campus on Wednesday night, dragging extra chairs into the aisles and crowding the back of the room.
The event, titled “Entertainment Industry Forum: Media Career Exploration” was presented as the first of the multipart speaker series “Thinking Outside the Box,” hosted by Undergraduate Students Association Council General Representative Matt Sandler’s office.
The panel of speakers, comprised of professionals in the entertainment industry whose titles ranged from producers to entertainment lawyers and whose resumes included the likes of “Superbad,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office,” shed expertise, advice and personal anecdotes on those who came to listen.
Many of the attendees were students with career plans in entertainment, and this was made especially clear when the format of the event transformed into an open question-and-answer session between audience members and the speakers.
“I’m currently interning in the entertainment industry, so I’m interested just to look at the different aspects of different panelists and hear what they have to say,” said Irene Koulouris, a fifth-year sociology and psychology student who attended the event.
Koulouris said she has done several internships in the entertainment industry, her most recent at Sony in national film marketing.
“I’m concerned about finding a job for sure, since I’ll be graduating in a month or less,” she said. “I’m just feeling out all the different aspects (of the industry).”
Some students were not as experienced or as invested, yet they attended the event to learn more about an unconventional career path.
“I’m interested in getting into film and possibly writing or directing,” said Jillian Molin, a first-year undeclared student who attended the event to hear why the speakers decided to get involved in entertainment and their advice on forging a career in that field.
The speakers’ advice to the student audience was as diverse as their personal backgrounds. Most of the speakers had begun their careers in fields and educational backgrounds that had little to do with their current occupations.
“I dabbled in modeling and acting ““ I was a very bad actress ““ decided that I was smarter than those on the other side of the camera and decided I wanted to be a producer,” said Kelli Konop, whose most recent project “Juno” was awarded an Oscar this year.
Most of the speakers ““ of whom several had at one point attended UCLA ““ described their beginnings in the industry with fondness but stressed the importance of diligence and an aggressive work ethic above all else, explaining that one cannot afford to squander an opportunity in the entertainment industry.
“Be willing to do anything anybody will let you do,” said Nate Goodman, a director of photography for “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“If you’re willing to go out and do something, even if it’s not what you’re interested in, it’ll lead to something else.”
Other speakers stressed the importance of self-improvement and continual self-critique.
“Learn as much as you can before you’re asked to do it,” said Timothy Williams, composer for “300.”
“Try to learn as much as you can about your craft, because when someone asks you to do something it’s usually really quick.”