All good things come to an end...Does this one have to?

hmmm, So Los Angeles...where dreams come true or?

After spending the week here in LA I have learned so much about myself, my peers, and this great city. The most positive aspect of this trip, I mean everything was positive, but the most long lasting thing, I think would be the networking I did. I met alumni who have been out in LA for several years and ones that have just moved out there. They all had one thing to say, "Get out here as soon as you can!" I did meet a couple people that brought up other cities such as New York and Chicago but the majority would all agree on Los Angeles. This is where I come to a slight dilemma...I realized one thing on this trip amongst a few others, but this was a big realization. I don't think Los Angeles is right for me. That does not mean that I may not end up there, but there is a large part of me that may want to try out my career in New York and then if it doesn't work out I can give LA a try. I did love this trip and I seriously enjoyed every second of it but I think with what I want to do, I don't need to go all the way out to California! I have decided that I would like to try and do an internship out in Los Angeles. I want to give it another try just to make sure I won't make the wrong decision in my future. Hey, if I love my internship than maybe I will stay out there! I have also decided that I want to do an internship the summer before senior year because most of the programs like that time so I have a good chance of getting an internship somewhere. I would really love to get the internship through the Academy of Arts & Sciences so hopefully I can get accepted into that. If not, I'm sure I will find something else. I also decided that I'm going to try and do a short internship with a commercial producer that I know who works in Hoboken, NJ, which is very close to home. I figure I can do that over the Winter Break and/or next summer. I think I am sticking with set design, art direction, or production design. I'm pretty sure I learned that they all kind of mean the same thing! I may try to dabble in editing but I have narrowed down my options for sure and this trip was a huge help to that.

Traveling to Los Angeles motivated me to start working on projects and different shows offered on campus. I am joining Athens Film Club when I return to school and getting more involved in a show with AVW Productions. I wish I had had this motivation earlier but I'm glad it came sooner rather than even later! Also, I decided that it would be a great idea to take advantage of the 19 other creative minds and skills in the group and maybe start to work on projects together. Hopefully, as a group we can get started on a short film or something. Maybe it can even continue throughout the rest of our years at Ohio University. That's my goal!

This trip was definitely one that I will never forget and I couldn't be happier that I chose do it instead of lying around on some beach for my Spring Break. I didn't only network with alumni but I networked among the other students on the trip. They are what is important because that's who I am in Ohio with and can work with now. I didn't just leave this trip with a bunch of e-mails and business cards, I left with 19 new friends. I think I could go a little further and say that these friendships will last a long time and without LA, I would have missed out on meeting these 19 other amazing people!

Dream of Californication

Today's first thoughts, "wow, it's already Thursday" AND (of course!) "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY".

Rocco Hindman, a behind-the-camera talent agent, spoke to us about how to become his client and what type of people are his clients and basically just what he does. He really got me motivated to get up and start putting experiences on my resume. He explained that you don't look to get an agent until you have enough experience and are ready for any job that the agency could throw at you! It was really useful to listen to someone who could seriously help me in my future. He has been the first person we can go to after we are well into somewhat of a career!

After Rocco, was Matt Rhodes, president of Persistent Entertainment. All I can say is AMAZING. Literally no other words. He wins the best speaker award for this week by far. He literally told us the brutal truth and I loved it and also appreciated all of it. Right now one of my options is to work on a below-the-line job as a set designer. Matt explained that the only way to succeed in a job like that is to join the union. You complete the requirements and you get in, it's that easy. I would know nothing about the union unless Matt filled me in. He is also a big believer in positive persistence, hence his company name. Find people and call them. Make a ton of calls and if only a few of them get back to you, that's alright. A few is better than none so be happy with that much. If I work a below-the-line job than joining the union will be my main goal and after that I'm golden. I will have a set pay and health insurance which is all a person needs really! He also gave advice about being able to sell yourself. It got me thinking...what would I say in two sentences or less...well, I'll have to think about that one!

After the speakers were over we headed back to Hollywood and Vine and I realized once again how much I do not want to live in Hollywood! We toured the Kodak Theatre and it was very interested and kind of cool to think that someday, someone from this trip or from Ohio University could be winning an Oscar!

We went to the Atlas Digital Production Center which I found very interesting. They are company that rent out its space to other companies who have people edit their work. I met an editor for Disney who was working and she was extremely helpful. She edits promo videos for different Disney shows. She loves her job and says it's a ton of fun! She told us all about how she got where she was and she even talked about starting off in New York, who would have thunk it! She even rooted for New York for the first time. she made a good point. In New York, she said, everyone is on the same playing field, in Los Angeles, higher up people think that you have to pay your dues like they did. Although, she had great advice, meeting her was slightly unfortunate...I began to think that maybe I want to be an editor again, which is what I originally wanted to do! I HATE CONFUSION! I did leave this tour with one other thought on my mind..."Maybe I'll start in New York and move my way over to Los Angeles." Then, I got to thinking. I live in New York and throughout this trip I have asked about the difference between the two cities but as this week is drawing to an end I'm thinking why pack up and move? I can start in New York, not far from home, if I love it, I stay, if I don't, I come out to LA!...that rhymed if you didn't catch on to it! So I think I have made up somewhat of my mind, finally!...not really though!

Finally, tonight was the Ohio University Alumni dinner. We watched some student made films and then mingled the rest of the night...my worst fear. I think I did a pretty good job though and I'm proud of myself. I spoke to a few people, some who were media students and some who were not. Surprisingly, I spoke to an engineer who took down my information to give to his friend who is in set design. The non-media student was the one that I made the best connection with! I spoke to a few others: a camera assistant, a writer, and s guy that works for Warner Brothers. I got to network, get my name out there, and also just have a good time. I was so nervous but they are real people who have a life just like me. Towards the end the business talk kind of came to a close and it just became fun talk. We spoke a lot about how Ohio University is now and how it has changed since some of them have been there. It was a great experience to network and just simply talk to some of the alumni. Although, I didn't get my name out there too much, I really enjoyed myself. They were all great people who have cool jobs, love living out in Los Angeles, and just know how to have a good conversation. All in all, it was a great end to a wonderful day! I appreciate what the OU Alumni Association did for us tonight and it truly was a great event!

...Only one more Los Angeles blog coming your way, wonder how much confusion will show through that one!

Driving down the 101...

On today's agenda, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Panavision, and a live shooting of the sitcom Mike & Molly, sounds like a good day to me!

At The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences we spoke to the internship coordinator and a few other of her colleagues about different things going on in the company. The internship she explained sounded amazing and to say an internship sounds amazing is not a very common thing! I could see myself applying and really enjoying it. They basically set you up with someone to shadow in a specific area and you stay with them for the entire time. There is a competitive application process but I see myself at least applying after I get more experience in the area that I think will fit me best. I am still interested in art direction and set design but I didn't see that as one of the specific areas but I'm sure there is something that can point me in the right direction. This internship would definitely be what I would love to see myself doing the summer between Junior and senior year of college. The scholarship program that was discussed didn't completely apply to me but I wish it did because they give you A LOT of money! The archive program that was discussed was really interesting. I don't have to write research papers for many of my classes but just to become more involved in the media world, I think the archive could be very helpful. Keeping up with the archive would be similar to keeping up with trades and other things that can be useful to being in the media world and doing interviews. I really enjoyed our time at The Academy today, I found it extremely helpful and all the information was very useful.

After that, we were off to Panavision, which is basically a company that makes all their own equipment but is starting to use other companies equipment as well. They get shows and films to use their equipment and then they supply for them. I thought the facility was a really cool building. It was very modern and open and I loved the atmosphere, it was really laid back. I noticed not too many woman worked there which didn't shock me but almost made me maybe want to go into technology. The people we spoke to said that people who work or intern at Panavision are people that eventually would want to go into cinematography. I don't think I would want to go into that but maybe I will add technology to my list of possible future choices! I'm glad we went to Panavision because although it was different from all of our other tours, I found it to be very informational and interesting!

We took a break from tours and walked around Hollywood Boulevard, which was a good break and fun to see all the interesting people. I will say, today made me realize that I know for a fact I do not want to live anywhere near Hollywood. To be honest, I really did not enjoy it that much! It's a cool place to be a tourist for a bit but I learned that it is not where I will be in several years!

Tonight's activities included a live shooting of the sitcom Mike & Molly, although our host was not the greatest, I really enjoyed myself. It was fun to watch it all happen right in front of your eyes and have a media background to kind of understand what was going on. I realized again that art direction is what I am still very much interested in. I was looking at all the sets and could just picture myself falling into a job like that in my future. It was interesting to see the different cameras being used and how they all create different shots! I have never experienced anything like that and it was definitely a good time! Plus, I got some god laughs in, besides the few forced ones that were directed right at the mics so that I could maybe recognize myself when the episode airs!

Today was more of a relaxing day. I heard more of the same repetitive advice which I think is great because it is becoming implemented into my brain, and this way I don't have to right it down at every meeting we go to! I'm still slightly confused, but still figuring out somewhat of a direction for myself which is always helpful. I found out, that it is ok to not know what I want to do in my future! Hey, who knew such a thing was possible?

California Dreamin'

Today, in simple terms, was perfect. It would be anyone who is interested in anything in the media world's dream day, hence the title...

I couldn't be more appreciative of what Coop (professor coordinating the trip, he doesn't like when we add the "er" to his full name...Cooper!) has set up for us and done for us this week. The only negative, is now when I say I have a clue of what I may want to do in my future, I really have absolutely no clue because our next day's adventures change my mind all over again!

Today started off with a tour and lunch with Randall Winston, producer of Cougar Town and Scrubs. He was completely laid back and honest. He showed us the sets and stages let us read the script from an episode that hasn't aired yet. Also, we got to watch the unfinished episode as well which was pretty awesome. We did bump into some actors and actresses on the show. We met Busy Phillips, who plays Laurie on the show, Bob Clendenin, who plays Tom, and Dan Byrd, who plays Travis. This was extremely cool because I had never really spoken to a celebrity but also to see how they interacted with Randall was interesting. I liked seeing that it was very informal and casual. It made me want to work in production and get to know the actors and actresses. Randall is friends with his cast which I think is really awesome. This was only my first stop into more confusion...wait, it gets better.

After our visit at Culver Studios, the home of the Cougar Town set, we headed off to the Dreamworks Studio. We met with the recruitment chair who gave us a tour of some of the Dreamworks space. It was really cool to see that Dreamworks is like its own little town, it almost felt like a fantasy world. Everyone was smiling and cheerful and no one looked overwhelmed or stressed. It was almost weird to see everyone "liking" their jobs! We met with some Ohio University Alumni that are now working at Dreamworks and we had a Q & A session with them. Lauren, one of the speakers made a very good point. She said that live action is very competitive and cut throat and many people may be in it for themselves as compared to the animation world where everything is much more laid back, slower pace, mistakes are ok, and you work as a team all the time. This got me thinking...I am a fast paced person but not when it comes to projects and I do make mistakes. I don't know if I would fit into the live action world just based on those things. I have not completely ruled it out but Lauren got me to picture myself at a place like Dreamworks where the setting was peaceful and mellow. I also realized that talking to Lauren is very similar to talking to a future me. She was interested in what I am interested in now and her job now at Dreamworks is something I would totally be in to. She works in the art department and I just see a lot of similarities between her and I. This is where I got forced into my second stage of confusion. Now I'm thinking, maybe move beyond set design for live action, beyond general production, and go into animation! Wait, what? Animation? I never thought I'd be saying such a thing! I'm an art minor and if I was into set design, well hey, I can do it in animation, can't I?

After Dreamworks we headed over to the Chiodo Brothers studio. These are three brothers that work in stop motion animation, regular animation, and a bunch of other areas. The brothers actually grew up on Long island near where I'm from which from the gecko inspired me. They moved from New York to Los Angeles a while ago so why can't I do it in a few years? They have produced and directed a film called Team America, did work on Dinner for Schmucks, worked on Pee-Wee Herman's Big Adventure, and the movie Elf. They have touched on a bunch of different movies and I think what they do is awesome. They create everything they use right in their facility. They have always been into art and film so basically they put the two together and decided stop motion is what they wanted to do. They got me thinking about my 3rd stage of confusion for the day....stop motion animation maybe? I could sculpt figurines and paint them and then help animate them! It sounds like an awesome idea! The brothers were so honored that we came to learn about what they did and when we applauded them for their time they were so happy. It was almost like they had never been applauded for before this evening. To be honest, I did not really think I would be interested in what the Chiodo Brothers do but as soon as I walked into their studio I felt something. I had a moment and began to think...I could picture myself doing this too! (Gosh, I hate Coop for giving us all these great experiences for me to just become more confused at!)

After a long day, I'm still confused. Yesterday ended with me kind of knowing what I may want to do in my future and today has put me back at square one. I have no clue once again.

Arielle Busch the set designer...

Arielle Busch the producer...

Arielle Busch the animator...

Arielle Busch the stop motion animator...

Hey, I think they all have a little ring to them, but I guess we'll end today's writings with this thought...maybe tomorrow will bring my futures answer!...but I'm learning to not get my hopes up!

Is this what the Los Angeles life is all about?

The day was filled with a couple of studio visits and talks with Ohio University alumni. Is this what living in Los Angeles is all about? I think this would be a dream day in the life of a working PA or a media intern!

First stop, the Warner Brothers Studio tour! Although it was raining for half of the tour, this was great! We got to see the exterior sets of several shows that used to air and that are airing now such as Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Pretty Little Liars. I am a huge Gilmore Girls and Friends fan so all of this was very exciting for me. Realizing that the sets were built specifically for general time periods or looks that are reused for different movies and television shows was very cool. It does make me realize that now when I watch the upside down kissing scene in Spider-Man, I'm going to know exactly where they were as well as in Rent, when they all throw their rent off their terraces. I'm not going to lie, it may make me not appreciate it AS much, but that's ok. It was very interesting to see where it all really goes down. We also saw the sound stages for Pretty Little Liars and The Mentalist. Sound stages are the interior sets where dialogue is taken. As we walked from set to set and drove around the lot, I had a slight realization. I think I figured out what I may want to do in my future! I'm interested in set design. At Warner Brothers we learned that as a set designer you have to research the character/s and basically build around them and build their lives for them. It could be their bedroom, their office, or maybe their bathroom. I'm an art minor and I have a taste for interior design and I really think that set design may be my interest. Now, this could change over and over again, but for now, it sounds good and I'm going to say it when someone asked me my favorite question, "What do you want to get into?"

After Warner Brothers we moved onto the set of The Talk, which is a new live talk show on CBS. We saw the set where it is shot and then the control rooms where the video and audio is all taken care of. It was very interesting to see the differences between live television and movies and television that is shot prior to showing. They are two different worlds and I had never really thought about live television until today. We also spoke to the producer of The Talk, Kevin Hamburger, and the geffer, who is the person who controls all the lights on set. I was interested in what they were talking about because I had never really thought too much about live television but it made me realize that that is not what I want to do in my future. I hope there will be no hard feelings towards everyone, but I came onto this trip to learn and part of learning is figuring out what you like and what you don't like!

In the evening we spoke to a panel of Ohio University Alumni who are all working in different places and in different areas. They all had great advice and answered our questions perfectly. I asked a question, "What if I want to take a year off and work out in Colorado possibly still doing something at a production company, is that a smart idea?"...I got three different answers. The first one was to go for it, I like this answer the best. The second one was you'll lose out on a year of experience in Los Angeles and you'll be a year behind everyone else. The third answer was kind of irrelevant but still helpful. I did get a fourth answer from Jen Jones and Pam Griffiths who ended up speaking to us after the panel left. Jen believed that no matter your age, if you have the motivation, you will go places. This made me very confident in possibly making a decision to take a year off. I know I have time to figure this out, but I still like to have some what of an idea of where I'll be in my future. I will continue to go back and forth with my idea of coming out to Los Angeles and pursuing internships and jobs that will get me closer to becoming a set designer or my idea of taking some time off and going out to Colorado and fulfilling a dream there that I may not be able to do in my later years! I really agree with Jen and I really do believe that even if I am 25 years old, if Los Angeles is where I want to be then my motivation, passion, and willpower will push me to the top. It may be a struggle to be at the bottom at an older age, but hey, life is short and you have to follow yours dreams, even if that means taking a detour from a lifelong career.

The panel gave me this idea that Los Angeles has everything whereas Pam Griffiths elaborated more on other places such as New York city. I believe that this is because she has worked in a lot more places than the panel has and has more experience so I really enjoyed listening and learning from her. The panel was great though. They all seemed like they had passions for what they were doing and they knew what they were talking about. They also seemed willing to help us out which I know for netwroking purposes is going to be highly appreciated in my future. Pam and Jen were also extremely helpful in other ways. Pam has so much knowledge from all her experiences and Jen is such a bubbly woman who was extremely open and helpful with any question we had. I'm really glad that we were able to interact and network with this group of people.

Today was kind of a big day in my book. I may or may not have figured out the direction I want to go in. I got to see live sets, I mean what is cooler than that!? I'm really starting to learn more about my self and this industry that I just don't think I could learn in the classroom. If this is just the first day, I can only imagine how the days to come are going to turn out. I can't wait to learn more and see more and figure out myself and my future! Today has opened my eyes to a lot that I really did not think I would ever see until I maybe ended up moving out here.

The last thought on my mind was something that Jen Jones said tonight, "Let life take you where it wants to and you just follow it!" I'm along for this ride and I can't force it to turn any which way, I want it to call the shots and eventually everything will fall into place.

Los Angeles...is that in California?

I've traveled by myself before, I've gone international, and I've even gone on those teeny tiny 12 row planes, BUT I have never been diverted or had an emergency landing to another airport due to bad weather! That was my first memory of my Spring break trip to Los Angeles, California. After that, it all got a little better....

So to begin, AHHHH, I made it, after a 6 hour flight, and an hour bus ride to Burbank. I'm here and I could not be happier. The atmosphere and the people that surround you are just so different then my home in New York, and school in Ohio. I'm not completely sure if this will be where I end up after graduation but I'm sure after this week I will have a much better idea. I'm not sure what I want to do after I graduate. I have ideas of taking a year or two off and working out in Colorado or staying in New York and moving into the city or coming out here to Los Angeles. I'm only a freshman in college, so people say I have some time but it would still be nice to have some clue!

An Ohio University graduate named John Swartz came to speak with us during dinner. He works as Kathleen Marshall's assistant. Kathleen Marshall is famous producer and has produced a ton of well-known titles such as Schindler's List, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, and is currently working on War Horse will be out in theatres very soon. John talked to us about living in Los Angeles and his struggles and what he loves. He told us about how he got his job and his life at Ohio University when he was a student. I took a lot from him. I thought he was an excellent first presenter for this trip. He gave us all faith that we can do it too, he was once in our shoes as well. He has it all now and really enjoying his life. He gave me answers to some questions that I had and was just very real and honest in everything he said which I truly appreciated. I hope to stay in contact with John, he would be a great person to network with in my future.

I'm pretty sure I made the right choice in coming to Los Angeles for my Spring break and doing something that is not only beneficial for my education but my future. After this week, I have no doubt in my mind that I will have a much better clue of where I want to be in my future and what I want to do!

My Manifesto...

After reading Karim Rashid's, "Karimanifesto", where he created a 50 point guide to life and design, I have been inspired to create my own manifesto. (You can view Karim's work at  www.karimrashid.com, unfortunately, he does not have his entire work published yet.)

10, maybe 11 things I believe are most important to live and to live creatively by...

-Go out and experience life in different cultures beyond your own, its the only way to really understand other people

-Take some time to relax and breathe, its good to give your creative mind a break once in a while

-Don't be a follower all the time, be a leader, step up and believe in your own abilities

-Take a road trip somewhere, I don't care where, just spend some time in a car, it will get you thinking, you'll be surprised

-Go on a backpacking trip in the nature, take in the scenery, it make spark some creative ideas!

-Make friends in your industry and keep them, they will be extremely beneficial to you at some point

-Use your family for support because when no one else believes in your ideas, they will!

-Go out and do something creative in a different sense. Dance, sing, draw, even if you are no good at all of those things. It will help in mysterious ways!

-Do something for yourself once in a while, you'll always deserve it!

-Trust your gut instinct, although at times you may find it hard, push through and just go with it! 

-Finally, live in the present because the past is behind us, and the future wont exist unless we do something in the present!

So this is where I'm supposed to write a closing to this blog, but what if I don't want to stop?

I may be done blogging for my Media 203 class but I'm not nearly done blogging yet! I never use to like writing and reflecting in high school because I was being graded on every little thing, there was no room for creativity. Now, on my own blog, I can be as creative as I want. I can say and write what I want the world to see and no one is there to judge. You said you wanted a closing blog but unfortunately, this is an opening to a whole new world of blogs.

I'm not done here, this is just my beginning...