Dany: Los Angeles, Fox Studios, and the Oscars! (Oh my!)

Hey BU2016! I hope you are all enjoying your summer, getting pumped for orientation and the fall semester. It’s going to be here before you know it!

For those of you who don’t remember from my previous blog posts, my main struggle this past semester has been a desperate search for a valuable summer internship in California. I am happy to say that, thanks to the fantastic resources at COM, I have achieved my goal. Greetings from sunny Los Angeles, where I am currently working two part-time internships with Fox Studios and The Oscars!

Backtrack a bit to how I got these amazing opportunities and then I’ll tell you all about the wonderful summer I’ve had so far. There I was at COM Student Services on a seemingly ordinary day. I was talking to Katie, one of our fantastic advisors and my personal life-saver, venting about the difficulties and frustrations about my internship hunt. Upon hearing what I was looking for, she told me about a BU alum, currently working for Twentieth Century Fox, who was looking for an intern in her department. She sent her my resume and after a few phone interviews, I was offered the job! It all happened so fast and before I knew it, I was spending hours on Craigslist every night, all my energy now going into finding a place to live.

The days passed, finals came and went, and as I was packing up my dorm room, I received an email. It was from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying they had received my resume and whether I could come in for an interview. I was confused because I hadn’t applied to a position with them. However, it’s been a small dream of mine for years to somehow work for the Oscars, and I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. I explained that I already had a part-time internship for the summer, and to my delight, they said they would be happy to work around my schedule. So again, after a few phone interviews, they offered me the job and I gladly accepted.

I found out later that my resume had been sent to them by none other than Dean Sabovik! I could not be more grateful to COM for all the help and the resources they provided to get me where I am right now. Which is sitting at a desk in the Communications department of the A.M.P.A.S. building in Beverly Hills, typing this blog post during my lunch break.

I have to say, I thought getting the job would be the hardest part of this whole process, but it turns out relocating to Los Angeles from South Florida as a poor college student was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. Thankfully, both positions are paid, and I was able to sublet an apartment near both my workplaces. I only started working a few weeks ago, and already I feel like I’ve been here forever. Hollywood is addicting and exciting and tough and everything I thought it would be. At Fox, I work in the publicity department for movies and at The Academy, I work as a public relations and marketing intern. Both jobs have taught me so much already about the industry and everyone I work with has been friendly and super helpful in answering all my questions.

And that’s not to mention all the awesome perks that come with both jobs! Fox does an awesome job with their internship program, setting up cool events and screenings for all of us to mingle. Though I’m the only intern in my department, I’ve been able to meet a ton of other students from all over. Just yesterday, I even met a girl from COM! My excitement knew no bounds as we bonded over BU. The other day, they gave us interns a special tour of the entire Fox Lot, which was awesome. I stood on the set of Modern Family and Bones and walked past the street where they film scenes from How I Met Your Mother (one of my favorite shows of all time). They also took us through all the production and sound studios, and I came away with a newfound appreciation and understanding of the incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a single film.

At The Academy, by far the coolest thing I’ve done this summer is work on the Student Academy Awards. Watching those films and getting to know all the winners made me wonder at the amount of potential we have as students. Thinking back to the amazing work I’ve seen from some of my friends and classmates the past year, I have no doubt in my mind that in the next few years, we’ll see a winner from BU COM being honored with a Student Oscar.

Also, I don’t know how I’m ever going to pay for a movie again. Through Fox, I have been able to attend screenings for all their movies, including Prometheus and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. With my Academy ID, I can attend free screenings at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Last week I saw Seeking A Friend for the End of the World and this weekend, I’m really excited to go check out Magic Mike and Beasts of the Southern Wild. They are also holding an ongoing event called Oscars Outdoors where they screen classic movies, like The Goonies and Ferris Bueller, at the Academy’s new open-air theater.

I honestly don’t know how I’m going to leave LA. I have not been bored from the second the plane landed, and I really believe it is impossible to run out of things to do here. My birthday is coming up in a few days (July 3rd!) and I’m already thinking what kind of adventure to take. Maybe head out to Santa Monica Pier or hike to the Hollywood sign? Road trip to see the Golden Gate Bridge or even to Vegas? Who knows! I am enjoying my time here immensely. I have learned so much and met some really great people. If you guys have any questions or recommendations on things I can do while I’m out here, feel free to shoot me an email (vasquezd@bu.edu) or hit me up on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever!

Have a great rest of the summer guys! Can’t wait to meet all of you!

Richie: Cannes Film Festival, Europe, and Colombia!

I hope everyone’s summer has been going great! For those of you just graduating high school, congratulations! If you haven’t done our Summer Orientation at BU yet, I promise it’s such an awesome experience.  Some of my closest friends today, I actually met during my BU Summer Orientation.  Enjoy your last few weeks at home, and get excited to finally be at COM in the Fall!

I personally have to say, I’ve had the best summer of my entire life so far. A few months ago I wrote about being accepted into an internship program at the Cannes Film Festival.  I was unbelievably excited to start working at the Film Festival in May, but I never expected all the amazing things I would be a part of.

I arrived to the beautiful tropical town of Cannes on May 14th. I had been in Paris for a few days before with my brother and thought most of France would look just like Paris. Obviously, I was surprised when I arrived to beautiful beaches lined with palm trees!  The program I had received my internship through, Creative Minds, was also hosting about 150 other students. I quickly became friends with student from Texas, California, China, Mexico, and even The Netherlands!

Some had come with the networking aspect of the program where they partook in dozens of workshops with industry professionals like Randall Emmett.  Others came with the filmmaker aspect, and were put in teams to create a short film while at the film festival.  I was a part of the internship experience and was placed with WME.

Most of the internships at the film festival have the students work every other day, and sometimes only up to 8 days. Whereas, WME is a very sought after internship, I was working every single day from May 16th to May 27th.  My days would usually start around 9:30am and could sometimes even last until 10pm! While the work was tough at times, WME was an incredible agency to work for.  I learned an incredible amount of the industry on the talent agency side and was treated very well by all the agents I helped.  My duties were mostly errands and any odd job an agent might need for us to do, but they never hesitated to answer our specific industry questions and give us great insight to the world of film.

While I did miss some screenings of films during the day, I still managed to make it to a number of Red Carpet Premieres and other exclusive screenings! My favorite two films would have to be Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson’s new film that premiered on the opening night, and Beasts of The Southern Wild, an American Indie film that won this year’s Grand Jury Prize for dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival! Just with every festival, you’re bound to see a few films that you quite honestly won’t enjoy. Yet, I must say Cannes offers an array of all types of films and Beasts has to be one of my favorite films of all time now.

The film festival is also known for some of the craziest and most exclusive parties in the world! While I mentioned I wouldn’t get out of my internship until around 9pm on some days, the night hadn’t even started!  I found myself out until 4 and 5 in the morning almost every single night.  Different parties hosted the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Busta Rhymes, David Guetta, and many more.  A memory that’ll definitely stick out in my head is going to the very exclusive premiere of Cruel Summer, Kanye West’s short film!  The film was shown on seven huge screens and all shot with multiple cameras to immerse the audience in all the action.  Afterwards I even shook Kanye’s hand and was able to speak to him for a few minutes on his film! Jay Z and Kim Kardashian were in attendence, and afterward the protagonist of Kanye’s film, Kid Cudi, even performed!

I could go on about Cannes but also want to let you guys know how amazing my traveling in Europe was! I had never been to Europe before the Film Festival, and obviously wanted to do a bit of traveling while I was there. As soon as the Film Festival ended, I took a train over to Nice for a night. I stayed at an amazing hostel where I instantly made friends from all over the place! (Traveling through Europe and staying at hostels is highly recommended, definitely the cheapest, funnest, and easiest way to meet plenty of young people with amazing personalities and awesome travel stories! Definitely go through www.hostelworld.com!) I then traveled to Pisa, Florence, Rome, and took a flight back to Paris to be with my older brother.  It was a great experience, and traveling alone definitely opens you up to making friends a lot easier! I made one last weekend trip to London and then prepared to leave Europe after about 5 weeks!

It’s been a very eventful summer and right now I’m winding down and spending some family time in Colombia.  It’s been about five years since my last visit and I have to say I alway love coming back.

If any of you are interested in the Cannes Film Festival Program, I highly recommend it. I’m actually going to be recruiting new students for next year’s program and would love to answer even more specific questions on how to get in! It’s the experience of a lifetime and looks incredible on a resume no matter what field you want to get into after college!  Send me and email at rduque@bu.edu or message me on facebook by just searching my name!

Next post I’ll catch you guys up on the pre-production of my new short film being shot here in Boston during the fall! Can’t wait to meet you all in September!

Sarah: Tales of a Nicktern

Hey there terriers! Whatever you find yourselves doing this summer, I hope you’re making it fun and meaningful. Make these next few weeks count – fall will sneak up on us before we know it!

Your first summer after your first year of college tends to go a bit differently than the previous, especially if you’re a COM student. But fear not! This change is often for the best. Come springtime, if not as a freshman than definitely as a sophomore, you’ll be hit with the same question countless times: “What are your summer plans?” This year, with a smile and maybe just a hint of smug satisfaction, I was able to respond with something that makes the 8-year-old kid in all of us do cartwheels: I’m working for Nickelodeon.

As of last Monday, I officially started my internship with Nickelodeon Animation in beautiful Burbank, California. The program hosts roughly 30 interns on various shows and in various departments. I’m working in the post-production department with the vault librarian, and after only my first week as a Nicktern, I can tell that this will be a near life-changing experience. Nickelodeon has built a climate of genuinely passionate and friendly people who are excited about their jobs and excited to teach interns.

This really isn’t your typical internship program. Our supervisors trust us with a lot of the work and responsibility given to employees. And because of it, we’re held to very high standards. But it’s not all work – being a Nicktern certainly has its perks. Interns have the opportunity to take classes, see screenings, attend networking events, meet with some big names in the industry, and just have a lot of fun (I play ping-pong almost everyday with co-workers in the outdoor courtyard). Nickelodeon really knows how to treat its interns.

Being on the west coast still feels a bit surreal to me. Just weeks ago, I was in student services planning out my schedule so I could participate in the LA program my senior year. Now, two years early, here I am. There were certainly a few bumps in the road. Moving out to the West Coast from New York was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to coordinate (I may have spent more time on Craigslist looking for a place to stay than I did studying for finals). But, it was absolutely worth it!

The perpetual follow-up question I got about my summer plans was, “How did you get that gig?” The simple answer: I applied. Having connections is a great way to get your foot in the door, but NEVER underestimate the power of a polished cover letter and genuine passion for a position. As a BU COM student, some pretty incredible internships are well within your reach. This summer alone, I have COM friends interning at Lifetime, Sirius Radio, VH1, ABC and some other pretty cool companies. Searching for internships can be one of the most stressful tasks as a college student, but in the end, also the most rewarding. Take advantage of all the career services COM provides. And just apply! You’ll never know until you do.

So soak up the sun and enjoy your last few months pre-BU. And be prepared to make next summer count!

See you new terriers in the fall!

Kate: The Countdown Begins…

As the countdown to summer was highly anticipated by many, my countdown is just beginning. The countdown for September 1st, the day that I will board a 747 with 200 other BU students to London for the next three and a half months.  And something tells me that with classes over and that diploma in hand, a few of you have a very similar countdown as you look forward to beginning your freshmen year at BU.

This summer, I’m laying low in preparation of a fantastic three months abroad. No internship, just working, seeing friends and enjoying Boston.  And I pass that same advice along to you as you prepare for the next step in your life.  Many you are probably feeling the pressure to brush up on high school skills or get an internship related to your intended major. My advice to you: just relax.  You will have plenty of time for that once you’ve arrived, trust me. Take this time now to enjoy your home life, your high school friends, your summer freedom and lots of yummy graduation cakes because once all the thrill begins in September, it won’t stop and you won’t want it to.

My countdown says 72 days. What does yours say?

Julianna: Summer Begins

Hey BU COM 2016!

Now that you’ve graduated (or graduation is right around the corner) you will come to realize that the next two and half months will culminate to be one of your most significant summers. Look at these next few months as the introduction to the newest and best chapter in your life. Not only will you start college in September, but you will also begin to “put yourself out there” in the world. And so in this introductory phase you will learn more about who you actually are as you experience orientation and say goodbye to family, friends and your hometown.

I guess you can say that I am in quite the reflective and inspiration-seeking mood. It happens to be that just as you are going through an exciting and life-changing summer, so am I. In August I am going on a 10-day trip to Israel through the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that works to combat anti-semitism, bigotry and anti-Israel sentiments. I will tour the country and attend seminars about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Now until I leave for Tel Aviv, I am working at my summer job in Manhattan and staying up on the news in Israel and the Middle East. I am filling up the shelves in my Nook library with a journalistic must: Dan Rather’s recently published memoir as well as literature on Israel and its history.

Enjoy your summers and check out my next blogpost in mid-August where I’ll be writing love notes to Israeli falafel and giving all of you important advice for navigating through freshman year.

Tom: It’s Internship Time

Tom ImageHey guys! Hope the summer months have treated you well and you are all excited to come to BU in the fall. I’ve already met some of you at Orientation and I look forward to seeing all of you over the next few weeks.

This summer I’ve begun my first COM summer internship at SpeakEasy Stage Company over in Boston’s South End. I am one of SpeakEasy’s Marketing Interns, which means that I intern under the company’s marketing director to assist in gaining new subscribers, advertise for their upcoming season, and help out the office in any way I can.

SpeakEasy is the perfect first stop for my first internship as it is exactly in the field where I want to end up. I was able to combine my passion for theater with my COM education in the advertising industry. My advice to incoming students is to take advantage of the summers to find the best internships. Since you are not bogged down with schoolwork, you can focus on getting the most out of your internship.

The greatest part of my internship at SpeakEasy (besides the free show tickets) is that I have managed to get FOUR COM Credits for the internship. If you are a junior or senior in COM, you can get course credit for your classes that actually count towards your major requirements. This was ideal for me because I can get the four credits out of the way and focus on different things coming my way during the school year. I definitely recommend COM students do multiple internships in their time here. While this is my first internship, I plan on doing 3-4 more in the rest of my time here (including one abroad in London in the spring!). It’s a great time to gain experience, build up your resume, get some course credit, and of course, have a good time in a field your passionate about.

I’ll be back later in the summer with a bit of advice for new students moving in to BU in the fall. See you all at Orientation on Thursdays this summer!! Reach out to me when you get here – the student advisors and I can’t wait to meet you guys.

Alexa: Tips for Your COMlife Audition

Alexa ImageHey everyone! Hope the summer is treating all of you well! While you anxiously anticipate your first year at Boston University you might decide to take a chance at auditioning to be a part of our school’s webseries COMlife (yay!). Being a part of the show is great and I wanted to give you guys some insider tips on the audition video process!

1.      Be creative

In your video, it’s important to stand out and talk about (or show the producers) what makes you different. The people casting the series watch a ton of videos and if you are creative (ie. not just stand in front of your video camera) you’ll make a big impression.

2.      Have fun

I know this should go without saying but have fun in your video! The concept of the series is to show current/prospective students the fun and exciting life of a BU COM student. If you don’t look like you’re enjoying making the video, it’s hard to believe you’ll enjoy being a part of the series.

3.      Tell your story.

What makes you, you? Tell us who you are by making yourself relateable to others. For instance, I was very involved in basketball in highschool so I talked about myself as an athlete and even recorded myself shooting around.

4.      Be yourself

I know this is the most cliché’, but it’s so true. In your audition video act like your normal, everyday, awesome self and everything will work out for the best!

Quick tip: Keep your audition video close to the allotted time. You can get your point across without spending 20 minutes doing so.

Good luck to everyone auditioning and if you have any last minute questions feel free to email me, alexa111@bu.edu.

Have a great rest of the summer!

Taylor: Let the Packing Begin

Taylor ImageWithin nearly every aspect of our lives, a box innately deems presence. For instance, there are granola boxes, jewelry boxes, cereal boxes, cable boxes, boxes of chocolate, and Disney channel once aired a hit toddler show entitled “Out of the Box”. It’s hard to fathom that an object of its simplicity could have so much dominance and importance. Don’t freight, you’ll soon embrace the smell of cardboard and the taunting puzzle of box folding as packing season has begun.

Figuring out what was worthy of packing, shipping, and ordering for school fall semester was a summer long quest. After what seemed like hours of convincing my mom that Mr. Bear could not join my collegiate embarking I realized that other materialistic sacrifices needed to be made as well. Coming to this conclusion unfortunately resonated the day before departure, once I weighed my luggage. I must admit that within the process of packing it is often forgotten that return is likely. Although it’s great to be prepared and take those shoes that you may wear once every blue moon being realistic saves time and money.

I would suggest checking out Bed Bath and Beyond’s College Checklist. For those unfamiliar with stores around BU, the nearest Bed Bath location in proximity to the Warren Towers and the Student Union is less than ten minutes away in Fenway Park. BU does an awesome job with assisting students in the moving process. In fact, hundreds of large yellow wheeled bins are distributed to students free of charge for picking up in-store packages.

Amongst the many things that I have written on my bucket list, I’ve always wanted to use a registry clicker (a device often shown on wedding movies and TV shows).To my surprise Bed Bath and Beyond allowed me to scan all of the items that wanted in my dorm room and with one employees magic a checked selection awaited my Boston landing. I was then able to choose what I still wanted from my prior scanning and pay at the Boston Fenway location.

Packing has always been a nightmare for me. A bit of advice: Get it done early! In addition, don’t try to pack your house. I quickly realized when packing to come home for the summer that I had collected tons of clothing and merchandise from various sales within a year’s span. The box dilemma emerged again along with hours of deciding what to sacrifice for good.

Pack Up and Gear Up for an Amazing First Year!

Taylor W.

“TomKat”: We’re Back!

Tom ImageKate ImageWe're back for summer blogging! Although our COM Ambassadors are off for the summer pursuing internships, summer jobs, and vacations - we will continue blogging  and getting you excited to come to COM in the fall.

Our COM Ambassadors will be blogging every Wednesday and Friday telling you what they're up to when school isn't in session and giving you tips, tricks, and pointers for moving to BU in the fall. Consider us an inside guide to surviving the summer before your first semester.

Hope you all are having an excellent end of your school year. We'll both see you at Orientation this summer and stay tuned for more updates from our COM Ambassadors!

“TomKat”: Get Ready for Summer

Tom ImageKate ImageCongratulations to the recently admitted, and now official, BU COM Class of 2016! We know that picking a college can be one of the most stressful moments in your life, but we are so happy to see you guys here in the fall! “COM’s the Bomb” as you’ll soon come to know and love.

Our COM Ambassadors are settling their things at the end of another great semester. We have CA’s ready to graduate, coming back from abroad, finishing up their finals, and just arranging to start their summer plans. We’re sure you guys are having back to back graduations, grad parties, and beach trips to get to this summer – but we wanted to give you some tips of getting prepared for BU this summer.

1. RSVP for Orientation – Orientation will be one of the highlights of your summer and your first stepping stone for your start at BU. You will make your schedule, get your terrier card, hear about everything going on in the fall semester, and most importantly: meet other 2016-ers! You can RSVP and read FAQ’s about Orientation at www.bu.edu/orientation.

2. Check out the COM Ambassadors – If you have been following this blog, chances are you know a bit about each of our COM Ambassadors. You will be notified soon about the opportunity to choose your own COM Ambassador. The COM Ambassadors will be your upperclassmen mentor when you come in the fall, so choose wisely. You can check out their blogs on this site or check out our main homepage.

3.Think about FYSOP – If you are interested in moving in early and doing community service with fellow incoming freshmen, you should think about FYSOP – The First-Year Student Outreach Program. You can see all FYSOP has to offer on the Community Service Center (CSC) website or hear about Sarah’s experience.

4. Sit back and Relax – The most underrated tip of the summer. Chances are you are a mix of excitement and anxiety right now. Some days you can’t wait for BU and other days you are worried about making the big transition. Not to worry – you will find that adapting to college will be easier than you think. Sit back, relax and enjoy your final summer before starting college.

Our CA’s will be blogging about their summer adventures at the beginning of June so stay tuned until then. Remember – feel free to reach out with any questions you may have to either of us: tschrank@bu.edu or katescott10@yahoo.com. We’re happy to help! Congrats again! We can’t wait to see you in the fall!