Los Angeles – COM Ambassador Blog

Mike: LA Living

Hey guys!

Greetings from Los Angeles! I’ve been here three weeks now and I’m finally settling in and getting adjusted to the whole west coast lifestyle. I must say, I really do miss September time in Boston. Yesterday it was 102 degrees here! I would do anything for a cool fall day on Bay State right about now!

The BU in LA program puts us up in Park La Brea, an apartment complex located in West Hollywood, right in the center of everything. We are walking distance from The Grove, the giant outdoor shopping center, as well as Whole Foods, Trader Joes and an awesome Farmer’s Market. It’s really convenient! Those are about the only places I can really walk to though… Unfortunately, the public transportation system out here is not nearly as efficient as in Boston or New York, so I rented a car and find myself driving everywhere, often stuck in painfully long traffic jams!

But I am certainly keeping busy out here. I am interning five days a week, 3 days at Paramount Pictures and 2 days at The Weinstein Company. Paramount is awesome because I get to be on the lot every day where they are shooting shows like American Horror Story, Glee, and Happy Endings. It’s so awesome to be right next door to the very sound stages where Hollywood classics like Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard were shot so many years ago! Over at Weinstein, I am doing lots of script coverage for their development and production departments. It’s cool to be able to see film from the studio side as well as from the side of an independent company like Weinstein, which has had success with hits like Inglorious Bastards and The King’s Speech. So far it has been an amazing experience just being out here and meeting different people in the entertainment industry.

I think I’m going to graduate after this semester in December so I can start the job hunt early and take advantage of the connections I made out here and the ones I have back home in New York. It’s really weird and hard to grasp the idea that I’m done with BU though!

I hope all of you are enjoying the starts of your semesters as much as I am! For all you film and TV kids, the LA program is definitely something to consider, what an awesome opportunity this is! I can’t stress that enough. If you guys have any questions at all about the program or about Los Angeles in general, please feel free to shoot me an email!

Best of luck this semester,

Mike

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!

Mike: My Final Days Abroad

Hey all,
I can't believe it's already nearing the end of the semester and my time abroad here in Madrid. These past few months have been the best of my life and I am so sad to leave Spain. The people I've met, the amazing places I've traveled to and the delicious food-- it has all been such an incredible experience. If I have one piece of advice for underclassman, it is to go abroad. And try to go to a country where they speak another language and you can stay with a family because it really is the best way to master the language and immerse yourself in the culture.

We finally wrapped our documentary last week and have the screening this week. After months of hard work filming, interviewing and editing, we assembled a final product that i am really proud of and can't wait to show everyone.

I'm currently writing this from my hostel in Portugal. This is my final trip before the program ends. We have a 5 day weekend because of the Spanish holidays next week. I am finally able to relax a bit and enjoy the last few weeks abroad.

It is bittersweet to leave Spain. I know how much I am going to miss Madrid but I am excited to go home to New York City and hopefully get an internship there this summer. I also was accepted into the Los Angeles internship program for this fall so I will heading to LA in August to get some hands on experience in the industry. Its going to be a very different "abroad" experience from Madrid, but I'm excited to meet new people and conquer a new city.

Unfortunately I will be apart from Boston for yet another semester but I'll be back in the spring to spend my last semester on campus. See you all soon!

Daniela: On That Internship Hunt

Hey everyone! Hope your semester has been going well. It is flying by for me despite an increasingly hectic schedule, and I’m already starting to look ahead for summer plans. I’m a Public Relations major, and I want to go into the entertainment and event management side of things. So when I started to ponder internship opportunities, I came to one solid conclusion: I need to go to California.

With the West Coast on my mind, I furtively began scouring the Internet searching for potential companies. It was really difficult at first because I had a very specific interest, and most of the ones I found either did not apply to me or, worse, were unpaid. Another thing I was sure of was that whatever I found had to have some form of compensation. If I’m going to pack up and move out West for an entire summer, I need a little something more than just “experience” as incentive.

So I kept searching. I hit a breakthrough when I stumbled upon this website that listed almost one hundred companies with direct links to their employment/internship opportunities. Finally, I narrowed down about ten solid companies that were actively looking for interns in Los Angeles, seven of which were paying. Perfect.

I’m dedicating myself to editing my resume and sending applications these next couple of days. Here’s hoping for the best! In the meantime, I want to share a couple tips with you guys that could be helpful when you start your own searches!

Know where you want to go

It helps when you have a few set locations in mind of where you want to intern. It narrows down the search, and makes it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for.

Know what you’re looking for

Similarly, nailing down your specific interest will further narrow down your searches. You want to make sure that what you find will give you the best learning experience and long-term benefits.

The Search

Start browsing on internship websites and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Some of the ones I use are InternMatch.com and YouTern.com as well as following @InternsNtheCity (which tweets about opportunities in NYC), @BostonInternshp (and no that’s not a typo!) and @PRJobLA. Twitter is an incredible resource. Even by just typing “Intern” and the location you want to work in the search bar will give you a ton of solid results. After exhausting that, browse the Center for Career Development and the COM Career Services databases. Update your profile and look for jobs that match you. And of course, don’t forget to look up specific companies if you have a couple in mind!

Get Organized

After searching every last form of “I need an internship” on Google, you’re bound to have a couple solid leads lined up. Bookmark all the ones you find and organize them into priorities. Some applications may have deadlines. Work on those first, as well as the ones you’re most interested in. Don’t leave your dream job for last! While you’re getting yourself organized, be sure to follow their social media. When they look at your application and begin doing some research on you, it looks good when they see the extent of your interest.

Tailor your resume to each company

Before you send in your resume, make sure it is organized in a way that will best represent your skills and what you can do for that specific company. Include their name in your objective, and put all the things you think they will want to see first. Go to COM Career Services and get a second opinion if you’re having trouble. When you’re absolutely satisfied, send away!

Tweet about it

Continue to show your interest in where you are applying. Keep an eye on your email and your phone calls.

Finding internships takes a lot of work. You need to be proactive. With a little bit of luck and motivation though, it will all pay off. So get searching, applying, and hope for the best!