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Laura Monti, Los Angeles Internship Program–Film & TV Track

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HippoMeInterned at Mar Vista Entertainment providing input on potential films and at Fox 2000 in development and production, Fall 2014

Watch Laura’s awarding-winning, animated film here.

About Me: I studied in Los Angeles for the fall semester of my senior year! Before you read my responses, I think it’s important to note that I’m a Marketing major with a Film Minor. I chose the Film/Television Los Angeles track to strengthen my experience in that particular field. The reason why I’m a marketing major is because I love to share stories and I felt as though marketing was a way to share a story about a brand or product. However, in Los Angeles I learned an entirely different form of storytelling through my production and development internships that pulled at my heartstrings.

Internship: I had two! I interned at Mar Vista Entertainment, which produces TV movies for networks such as Lifetime, Syfy, Disney Channel, and CW. I did everything from pitching loglines for potential networks to writing coverage on books and scripts. I even was an extra in one of their movies and woke up at 5 in the morning to play “Track Girl 2.”  One particular evening I went above and beyond my intern duties and dressed as a purple hippo for the red carpet premiere of a Disney Channel movie.  My other internship was a Development and Production internship at Fox 2000 on the Fox Studios lot. I LOVED  working there and gained so much experience writing notes on scripts and covering desks for assistants of Vice Presidents.  I also spent a lot of afternoons watching movies before their release in the studio theater and roaming around the wardrobe department eyeing Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic attire.

I Learned: The only way truly to understand the entertainment industry in Los Angeles is to immerse yourself fully in it. While in Los Angeles, I made sure to make the most of my time there and networked with multiple professionals in the animation industry, a specific passion of mine. I reached out and met with producers, developers, artists, and editors at Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, Paramount Animation, Fox Animation, Sony, Nickelodeon, and Warner Brother’s Animation.  I learned about a world beyond graduation both professionally and personally.

What Surprised Me: I was surprised by how much I wasn’t homesick and never felt alone when chasing after a dream of mine.  I also loved meeting the students who didn’t study at Boston University but were involved in the program. A lot of them had a similar passion and drive, and we bonded over our love of entertainment. I also was shocked by how gorgeous the weather is in Los Angeles. Seriously – it’s unfair to the rest of the world. I think I saw a cloud once in 4 months.

Hardest Part: Returning to Boston. I love the Questrom School of Business, but now I’m anxious to graduate since I’ve had such a wonderful taste of what my life could be like afterwards.

Best Part: There were so many incredible days I’m having a hard time choosing one. My top three are the Walt Disney Animation Open House, volunteering at CTNx, and winning the Grand Prize at the Los Angeles New Filmmakers film festival.

Through my networking I met wonderful people involved in production at Walt Disney Animation Studios and was invited by them to attend a closed event at the studio. The studio was transformed into a massive display of the work behind creating a Disney classic. I was able to watch the Oscar nominated short Feast before release in a Q&A session with the director and told him how much I loved that the main character was a Boston Terrier.

Per recommendation by a Disney employee I signed up to volunteer at CTNx, a weekend long animation exhibition. I met wonderful employees from Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, Blue Sky, and other studios. I cannot even capture in this blog the amount this experience has impacted me.

Before moving to LA, I learned about an opportunity to submit a short to the Los Angeles New Filmmakers Film Festival. I worked for over a month to create a stop-motion animation in my basement. My short was selected as a contestant and I attended an event in downtown Los Angeles. To my surprise, I won the Grand Prize and Category Prize, totaling in over $40,000 toward my next short and $1500 in cash! Throughout the evening I was interviewed and met wonderful creatives who I’m currently in touch with to produce my next short. The following morning I was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

My Tips: Bend the rules!! (and I don’t mean party).
Don’t spend every night going to clubs when you can do the same thing in Boston. I went outside the box and fully took advantage of being in LA. This is an experience you have to take; it won’t be delivered on a silver platter for you. My nights were spent watching movies and reaching out to producers to schedule lunch meetings.  Despite the no-puppy-policy, I rescued two dogs. A baby Chihuahua I found abandoned on the Hollywood Hills and an Alaskan Husky who was trying to avoid being killed at the shelter. I named the Chihuahua Pancake and took care of her before finding her a loving home with a Fox Studio executive. The Husky was named Doyle, and he went home with a BULA student to Texas.

Hidden Gems: On the nights you do choose to go out, I’d recommend West Hollywood and the Sunset strip. Saddle Ranch was one of my favorite bars, and has a mechanical bull that I completely mastered. Also, go to the beaches as often as you can. Malibu, Manhattan, Santa Monica, and Venice can never steer you wrong.

Jana Amchin, London Internship Program

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JanaBoroughMarketInterned in Marketing and Events at The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, Fall 2014

Internship: The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation was started by one of Britain’s most admired chefs, Jamie Oliver, to share his love of food and to educate people about the benefits of a healthy diet.  Interning at the Foundation was a wonderful experience from both a professional and a personal standpoint.  I learned so much about numerous aspects of a profession that I would love to become a part of.

The majority of the time, I was involved in the Kitchen Garden Project (KGP), where I became familiar with food education and policy for schoolchildren.  I was in charge of posting on KGP’s Twitter, as a means of communicating with our followers and promoting the important work of the Foundation.  Our objective was to attract more UK schools to the new Kitchen Garden Project website, so that they, too, could benefit from this wonderful program.  I also had the opportunity to work in other departments within the Foundation, doing various jobs such as researching and contacting young people’s centers and housing foyers across London to promote Fifteen Apprenticeship Programme’s upcoming recruitment period.  In addition, I had the chance to attend a cooking workshop and to help prepare lunch for a company meeting, as well as set up for a few of the Foundation’s fundraising supper clubs.

Interning at the Foundation only served to further my love of everything food.  From my experience here, I came to look at food from a different perspective than I had before.  I now appreciate food not only for the actual food itself, but also for what it represents- food brings people together in a way nothing else can.  I was very fortunate to have been placed at such a well-respected organization and to work with such an accomplished group of people.

I Learned: I learned not to limit myself and to step out of my comfort zone.  Living in a different country made me realize that I wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities around me- when else would I have the chance to spend four months in London?!?!  I pushed myself to explore the unknown – I went to places I didn’t think I was interested in going and did things I didn’t know I wanted to do.  Not surprisingly, I had some of the best experiences of my life!

What Surprised Me: What surprised me most was how a city that is so rich in history could be so young and modern.  London has always been considered very traditional and proper.  In reality, however, it is actually very contemporary and exciting!  It has so much to offer, including wonderful dining, shopping, and world-famous museums and theater.  Alternatively, you can choose to hang out at a local pub, walk along the Thames or explore the incredible architecture all around the city.

Hardest Part:  Fitting everything I wanted to do into my busy schedule!  Between classes and my internship, I very carefully had to pick and choose how to spend my free time.  London is a big city with many unique neighborhoods, so there were always fun and interesting things to see and do.  Of course, there are also many other amazing European cities to travel to on the weekends. There is still so much I want to do in London that I didn’t have time for.  I’ll just have to go back!

Best Part:  THE ACCENT!!  And exploring new places with my new friends!

My Tips: Definitely read Time Out London every week.  It’s filled with loads of useful information on free things happening throughout the city, good places to eat, and the best markets, bars, and shops to go to.  I enjoyed reading it on my commute to work.

Hidden Gem: It’s not really a hidden gem, but you need to go to Borough Market while you’re in London.  It’s so much fun to walk around and drool over all the delicious food at the hundreds of different stands.  It can get really crowded though, so it’s best to go during the week.  However, if you’re looking for less touristy, but equally as yummy food markets, definitely head over to Whitecross Street Market or Maltby Street Market.

Jessica Wong, Sydney Internship

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Jessica Wong Internship_The IconicInterned in Merchandise Planning at the Iconic, an online fashion startup, Fall 2014

Internship: I spent my seven weeks interning in the merchandise planning department at The Iconic, an online fashion startup founded by an SMG alum.  My tasks ranged from forecasting and budgeting different products based on past sales and creating spreadsheets on Excel to track competitor prices and match our prices to theirs.  I spent one week in the finance department dealing with invoices and another in the marketing department sitting in on meetings.  One day we took a field trip to the company’s warehouse to see the operations side of things and helped pack and ship out orders.  This internship definitely helped me prepare for future courses and especially will prepare me for Core next year.

I Learned: I learned that while the world does not revolve around the U.S., American policy decisions have such large repercussions that Australian media covers U.S. issues.

I also learned that there is life beyond digital media by seeing that Australians do not rely on WiFi and the internet as much.  I got used to not checking Facebook and Twitter as frequently and even opted, after returning to America, to delete my Twitter account and rarely go on social media anymore.

What Surprised Me: What surprised me was how in tune Australians are to U.S. affairs, even more so than I was.  It made me feel really self-centered as a U.S. citizen, and often I ended up not telling people I was American upon meeting them although they say they could tell with my accent!

Hardest Part: I had a difficult roommate experience, and it escalated to the point where I had to move out.  There were times when I felt the program was very cliquey and times when I couldn’t connect with people in the program like I could with my friends back at home.  I learned, however, to accept that the other people on my program were probably going through the same thing and admitted that it took more than four months for me to be open with my best friends at home.   What I learned from this is that if you’re feeling alone, it’s alright. It’s a common feeling when you’re thousands of miles and numerous time zones away from your friends and family.

Best Part: The best part was the freedom to travel wherever I wanted.  I would take weekend trips all around Aussie because our class and work schedule allowed it.  To say that I went skydiving, bungee jumping, white water rafting in New Zealand, fed kangaroos, cuddled a koala, saw a wild platypus, scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef, visited the Olympic Stadiums in both Sydney and Melbourne, went zip-lining in the Daintree Rainforest and climbed Mt. Wellington in Tasmania is probably the best part of my experience.  Being in Australia made me feel alive.

My Tips: Save money because Sydney is expensive, and you’re going to end up broke.  Be your best self and be social within the first few days no matter how jet-lagged you feel.  Try to get acclimated and talk to the locals at your internship or when you go out!  You’re going to be spending all your classes with people in the program, so the only time you’ll meet locals is when you’re out or working in the Aussie workforce!

Brooklyn Hide and Gelato Messina in Surry Hills have the best food.  There aren’t any bagels in Aussie, and Brooklyn Hide is the best substitute for a New York bagel.  Paddy’s Market is open Wednesday-Sunday, and it’s basically a flea market and produce market.  Get all your produce there to save money. Your Opal Card (like a Charlie Card) will tap out after spending 15 bucks on weekdays, but on Sundays it’s 2.50. Consequently, you should go to all the beaches and far away places on Sundays to save money.

Here’s a link to my blog that I wrote chronicling my time abroad.  It goes more in depth about everything I mentioned: www.jesswong94.wordpress.com