 |
SOC News
› L.A. Confidential
Professor Seeks Advice from SOC Alumni Residing
in Los Angeles
By Kathy Corley, Professor
Electronic and Photographic Media Department
Los Angeles lures more Webster University film graduates than any other city. But the lure of L.A. also beckons a variety of media communications majors who want to see how their professional and personal lives will fare on the West Coast.
In June, about a dozen SOC alumni gathered in L.A. to swap stories and “do lunch” at Universal City Walk. Within one year after leaving Webster, all of them have been successful in securing free-lance jobs, internships and, in a few cases, full-time jobs in the Los Angeles area.
Although each person had an individual story to tell, they all had good advice on how soon-to-be graduates can make a successful transition to L.A. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:
Be Prepared
Each alumnus stressed the importance of planning ahead for an L.A. move, particularly in the areas of finances and career building.
“I would definitely suggest saving up,” advises Adam Neal (BA, Film Production, 2000), who has been working as the director of talent and development for Joel Stevens Entertainment since 2003. “The cost of living out here is pretty outrageous. You will have to put a lot down to get an apartment and to get your utilities started.“
Saving in advance helped Aldo Mani (BA, Film Production, 2003) take care of living expenses while searching for freelance work.
Paul Nadjmabadi (BA, Film Production, 2000) has been editing commercials and promotional spots for ABC Family, Triage Entertainment and Paramount Studios since his L.A. move in February 2004. In the first four years after graduation, Paul worked in the Washington, D.C., area as an editor for Rocket Media Group (on the nationally-televised PBS documentary Global Policing), Biznews 24/Greenlight Productions and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. His recommendation: “Work and (get) an internship: Get some practical experience before you get out here.”
Be Flexible
Although most alumni who land in L.A. focus on getting film work, most of the employment opportunities lie in other areas of media. As filmmaker Thom Andersen noted in his documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself, only one out of 40 people in the city works in the film industry.
Talent agencies, video and audio production houses are among the places that will provide internships and entry-level positions. Barbara Sladky (BA, Media Communications and English, 2002) moved to L.A. in 2003 to pursue a scriptwriting career. She now works as a senior abstracts editor for Sage Publications.
“I had worked in publishing throughout high school and college, so I knew I would have a steady income there,” she explains. “With being able to pay the bills, I spend my free time working on my scriptwriting.”
Intended film production careers sometimes take a positive detour. Adam Jamal Craig (BA, Media Communications, 2002) is an aspiring filmmaker. Nearly 2,000 people have viewed his short film RuN on the iFilm Web site. But lately he’s been landing more acting jobs, including a part in the upcoming feature film, Lenexa, 1 Mile. The movie stars Chris Klein and William Baldwin.
Network
Em Sinick (BA, Video Production, 2004) never intended to move to Los Angeles. She set her sights on finding a full-time job in San Francisco, setting up several freelance jobs with Bay Area production companies and camping out at her sister’s house.
“But after eight months, my sister got mad, bought me a plane ticket and kicked me out of the house,” Sinick said. “I’ve been here ever since.”
The unexpected move made her more resourceful.
“I’ve changed because I’m more independent,” she said. “I’ve had to find work on my own, which means making lots of friends and sucking up to people. This is a very ‘who-you-know’ business, not a ‘what-you-know’ business.”
Webster University alumni all relied on some form of networking, whether they used professional associations or listservs to find work or a roommate. Everyone expressed an interest in the creation of a Webster University School of Communications e-network.
In a post-lunch e-mail, Sladky said “it was great to reconnect with old friends at the brunch that I had no idea were even out here.”
Networking helped L.A.-newcomer Angie Ottinger (BA, Media Communications, Film Studies minor, 2000) build her resume. Like Nadjmabadi, Ottinger worked for several years in the D.C. area and has been developing personal film projects since her 2000 Sundance short, The Donut King. She found D.C. production listservs to be “a huge help.”
Since her L.A. move, Ottinger said: “There have already been a few instances where I would have liked to have asked for advice on the local industry. A few times I would have liked to pass along job postings that weren’t for me, but would have been great for someone with a different skill set.“
Angie sees a SOC e-network as a resource “open to alumni who are living/working anywhere, not just L.A. It would be a great way to help each other out.”
Persevere with Patience
Everyone stressed that it takes time—months and even years—to get professionally-and socially established in Los Angeles. Most of them didn’t make the move alone. The majority of alumni at the brunch were roommates and had housing plans lined up in advance of their move. None seemed to mind the apparent extension of their dorm life.
They deal with the mundane aspects of navigating through L.A.’s notorious traffic jams and paying their bills, but still most of the alumni continue to find time to work on personal creative projects.
“I know so many people who have only one script or one film,” Sladky said. “If you’re serious about this, you won’t stop creating.”
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Adam Neal has landed a new gig since several SOC alumni gathered in L.A. this summer. Neal started Sept. 1 as the executive assistant to Executive Producer Dana Gabrion. Gabrion produces “America’s Next Top Model,” among other things.
Return to Top 
|
In this issue…
Onward!
Established Alumni
SOC News
Just Landed Alumni
SCAN
|
