Hello Everyone! Welcome back for another term! Or if you are out of school, welcome to another day in the life. While it is that time of year where we excitedly look forward to what the future has in store, read for new adventures to begin, it is also a time to remember and reflect on the recent past.  Most notably the summer that came to a screeching halt with the introduction of new classes.  I think oftentimes as students we do not take the time to reflect on our summers because of excitement about what lies ahead.  But it is important to remember and digest our experiences because of the diamonds of knowledge we can glean when we reflect.  We are able to see the bigger picture now that the canvas is full of paint.  Because I had an incredibly jam packed summer where I was working on preparing for a career after college, I will spend the majority of my blog posts this summer reflecting on the experience as well as my thoughts on what lies ahead.  To start with, let me outline my experiences and how I got my internships.

Yes, I did get the grammar right.  I indeed had two internships this summer, both in the entertainment business at two small Film and TV development/production companies.  What scares people so much about the entertainment business is the idea that you need to know people to succeed.  And while it is true that connections are VERY important (as I found out) it wasn’t nearly as hard as I would have thought to start building them.  You just have to put yourself out there.  It helps that Scripps is in the LA area so there are quite a few alums working in the business but I bet that students of basically any college have gone onto working in entertainment.  And you never know, you family may know someone who knows someone and you can make connections that way.  But I found that once I started voicing my interest to people, they were more than happy to connect me on to people in the business.  After tons of informational interviews, mostly with Scripps alums, I managed to secure my internships.  First at Endgame Entertainment.  Last fall I connected with a senior who had done several entertainment internships.  I asked her to coffee at the Motley to hear about her experiences and she connected me to a Scripps alum there.  I spoke with that Scripps alum who encouraged me to apply to their intern program (they had taken Claremont people before).  From there I went through the regular application process, bolstered by that connection, and got the internship.  My second internship at Oddlot Entertainment, I got more directly through participation in CP&R events.  I went on the Media Networking Trek in Fall of 2016 and we visited the Oddlot office.  I stayed in contact with the Scripps Alum who actually runs their intern program.  I was eventually able to apply from there and got the internship.  I had a really fantastic time at both and I can’t wait to share more about my experience over the summer.  Hopefully sharing my experiences in entertainment can dispel some of the myths and mysteries about it as well as help anyone who thinks a career in storytelling might be for them.  Happy Fall!