Passion makes perfect

Today just may have been one of the most awesome experiences I have had as a media student!

Our first stop, and my absolute favorite part of the day, was visiting the set of Cougar Town, and meeting Randall Winston, the producer of the show. He took us on a tour of the set, and explained a lot about how much the budget of the entire production affects how the set is used. As he was talking about the production of the show, and the entire process I got the feeling that the entire production crew were very close, and almost like a big family. For a show like this to have such comradely is something that is rare in this cutthroat industry. I think working on such a successful show like Cougar Town, and forming strong relationships with the crew would not be only be an amazing experience, but it would be an excellent chance to be apart of something that could lead to other great opportunities in the future.

During the tour we were lucky enough to run into a few of the stars of the show! This was definitely the highlight of my day, because I am a big fan of the show. After the tour we were able to sit and eat lunch around the writers table, which was extremely cool, and ask Randall any questions we had about his career, the show, or any advice he had to offer to us, being a former Bobcat himself. He had tons of positive things to say, and gave us all great advice about how to excel in this industry. I think the best thing he said was OU taught him how to have a good work ethic. This made me a lot more appreciative of the classes and course loads I am taking, because yes they may have absolutely nothing to do with what I want to do when I leave school, but the point of these classes is to teach us how to work hard and put us on the right path to succeeding at whatever is thrown our way. I think this is a good way to go into any situation, especially in the media industry. The thing you are doing right at this moment may not be what catapults you into the position you want to be in, but it will definitely be a building block to getting you exactly where you want to be someday.

After Cougar Town, we headed over to DreamWorks Animation and had the opportunity to tour the different offices, and even saw the game room where the artists spend a lot of time during rendering of stuff they are working on. After the tour, more OU alumni came to speak with us and answer any questions we had as well. Then we went to Chiodo Bros and toured where they actually make and work on everything for their productions. They were both tremendously humble, and basically told us to follow our passions and that will lead us where we want to be in life. The biggest thing I took away from the events today was get involved now while we have the resources. Get to know the juniors and seniors working on productions and shows and form relationships with them because those are the people that are going to help get your foot in the door in a couple years when you pack up your whole life and move to the city of dreams.