It’s rare in life to come across a moment where you experience the overwhelming feeling of knowing you were meant to be somewhere. Whether it’s walking on your college campus the first time, or falling in love with a summer job, these moments can happen at anytime and often can take you by surprise.
I recently just came back from Los Angeles California as part of the Hollywood POV Program put on by SUNY Oswego. It’s a competitive program where only 12 students were chosen from the entire undergraduate and graduate program to be flown out to L.A for 12 days. Each day was jam-packed with meetings with producers, directors, creators, production crew, showrunners, and corporate at various studios such as Warner Bros., Disney, Nickelodeon, Authentic Entertainment, Original Productions, BBC Productions, L.A Studios, The Academy and so much more.
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Each new day allowed us to be immersed in a new aspect of the entertainment industry and get hands on experience. It was basically like a 12-day job interview that allowed you to brush elbows with some of the industry’s best and showcase your talent. I left L.A not only confident in the career connections I made but also left with new friends that would be more than willing to let me bum it on their couches for a couple days if need be.
I got to experience life in a way that I have only dreamed about. Yes it was absolutely exhausting work, but each day I woke up excited about the things we would get to do and the people we would meet. I got to live out every child’s day-home-from-school-sick dream and have VIP access to the taping of “The Price Is Right,” I got to listen to the adventures unscripted producers and camera operators have gone on across the world, I got to watch the comedic geniuses of Allison Janney and Anna Farris at work on the set of Chuck Lorre’s “Mom” and hang out with the cast and crew after the show, I got to sit down in front of a development team and pitch my own television show and get professional feedback. All of these experiences only reinforced my dream of working in this industry.
On the set of FRIENDS at Warner Bros. Studios
Going into my senior year I was confused and scared about all the uncertainty surrounding my life. But when I was walking the streets in L.A., I was overcome with the feeling that this is where I need to be. The reality of being back out in L.A within the next year and half is terrifying, especially for this east coast, upstate New Yorker. However if I learned anything on this trip is that you need to take risks in life. You need to have the confidence within yourself and your abilities to go after your dreams. In L.A. I was told, “In life you should never waste a second doing what you don’t love.” I intend on following that.
VIP Access to the taping of “The Price is Right”