It probably comes as no surprise that I’m gearing up for another summer in Los Angeles. But where have I been since the Oscars? I know, I know, I inundated you all with endless posts, Tweets, and messages about voting (once a day, every day, remember?) and then I disappeared. Well, life gets busy, and when you’ve neglected school for two months and only focused on the Academy Awards, you have to hit the books.
But I’m back and committed to blogging throughout the summer again while I’m continuing to live my dream in El Lay (LA for those that don’t read Perez).
So what will I be doing? On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I will be interning at MGM, working on the desk of one of their Vice Presidents for Creative Development. In that role, I’ll handle calls, scheduling, and will be reading lots and lots of scripts! Also, I get to sit in staff meetings every evening that I’m there and interact with the company’s execs. It’s going to be an incredible learning experience. MGM is working on some notable big-budget projects including The Hobbit and the newest installment of the James Bond franchise. I’m not the biggest fan of blockbuster films (aka I’m a snob), but as Jenn put it, it’s important to get to know all facets of the industry.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I’ll be at Participant Media, a much smaller production company that works on films that cover certain important social issues. They’ve produced Food, Inc., Waiting for Superman, An Inconvenient Truth, Syriana, and The Informant!, just to name a few. If you don’t know about Participant Media, you need to check them out — watch the TED talk here! They create a social action campaign with every film, and their end goal is to inspire social change in an entertaining way. This will be a great balance to MGM and another wonderful way to learn about the industry.
Finally, I will be doing what we’re calling “remote coverage” for a company called Phoenix Pictures, the producers of Black Swan and Zodiac. I interviewed with them late, after I had my other plans set, but one of their creative execs was willing to let me write script coverage during my free time and still come in to the office periodically throughout the summer to meet their executives. It will be just another way to get my hands on more scripts, meet more people, and learn about the way movies are made.
As jealous as I am of all my friends living the life at the Cannes Film Festival right now, I’m enjoying a slow day-to-day pace in Athens and am anticipating my departure to LA in two weeks. It’s going to be another incredible summer!
Blake
