Big pond little fish

It has been another jam-packed day of great insight and information in LA! We talked to a lot of OU Alumni who were all more than willing to share their stories and advice with all of us. I was literally getting information hurled at me, and rather than telling you what I did today, I am going to share with you what I learned from each person.

Rocco taught me that in this industry I need to start early and build a network of people I know so I can open up doors for my future. I have to understand that I will need the help of others because the career path I chose to take is all about collaboration. He also taught me that I need to be open to things that I haven’t necessarily thought of before, because in this industry you have to have an open mind and be willing to do anything to advance your career.

Matt Rhodes was extremely inspiring and did not sugar coat anything about the media business, which I definitely appreciated. After he talked to us I was so motivated after listening to what all he had to say I just wanted to go back to OU and create something, and start working on anything I can get my hands on. He explained that we need to learn how to sell ourselves and to understand that it is not about you it is about them. He made it very clear for us to never be offended if no one emails you back, and you have to learn how to develop a thick skin and understand that some people just are not going to care what you have to say. I know after listening to everything he had to say that I have to prove that I have an ultimate commitment to what it exactly is that I want to do, which I am still trying to figure out, and start my path now. This is my time to shine, and I have to do whatever it takes, work hard and be the best I can be in any situation.

Lauren Archer had a lot of helpful tips about living in LA, and explaining what being a production assistant involves. She also help me better understand each position in the industry, and helped navigate me to figuring out what exactly I ultimately wanted to do. After talking with her I learned that if I love being on set that production coordinator, or field producer might be a direction I should consider taking. I think overall she guided me toward figuring out that even though I enjoy editing, it’s not exactly something I want to do for the rest of my life, sitting in a dark room all day does not sound very appealing to me.

Last but certainly not least Sam & Chris, they gave me a lot of things to think about, and I feel like I have more of a grasp on what I need to do when I get back to school. I really have to figure out what I want to do, and what I am good at and stick to it. I need to avoid getting lost in the “you’ll figure it out eventually” stage, because eventually is a lot of time and money, and well lets be honest eventually may never come. If I know exactly what my ultimate goal is and can express it to potential employers I will be the one to stand out in that crowd.