Media Fellows travel to Los Angeles
By Erika Esterline// Staff Writer
Media Fellows before touring Paramount Studios. Photo submitted
Every summer a group of High Point University’s Media Fellows, some of the top communications majors on campus, have the opportunity to take a trip to Los Angeles to network and gain advice from professionals in the entertainment industry. During their two-week trip, students were led by Charisse McGhee-Lazarou, director of the Media Fellow Program and former vice president of Primetime Programming at NBC.
“She was an executive producer at NBC, so she showed us the ropes of LA and introduced us to a lot of her former colleagues,” Kayla Barry, junior, said.
Throughout the two weeks, students were able to participate in a variety of activities and meetings, some of which are planned, some spontaneous and of course some sightseeing.
“The Media Fellows were able to reserve tickets to various tappings and studio tours,” Bailey Hill, senior, said. “Some of us went to see Jimmy Kimmel and we all went on a Paramount Studios tour. Basically, the trip was what we made of it. We could fill our days with activities and sightseeing in between meetings or we could use that time to prep for our student production.”
“A highlight of the trip for me was visiting the offices of The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard,” Barry said. “Lona Williams actually spotted the features editor for The Hollywood Reporter, Stephen Galloway, at Barnes & Noble the first Thursday we were there. She explained to him why we were all in LA and he invited us to come into his office. While there, we learned about the actual business behind producing and distributing television shows and movies. We also got to sit in on an editorial meeting. It was amazing to see the creative process behind putting together this extremely successful publication.”
Some of the meetings allowed students to connect with professionals who currently have their dream job or even leaders in the field they hope to pursue following graduation.
“I was able to meet a young professional who has my new dream job,” Erin Creedon, junior, said. “I didn’t even know this job existed, but now I hope to someday be a part of it. She was a music supervisor for FreeForm, ABC Family and her job is to pick the music that is played in the background of shows. People pitch her music and then ultimately she makes the decision to which track will be played in the episode. She works on shows such as ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Young and Hungry.’ She also helps discover bands and artists and showcase them on the shows, which I think is amazing.”
“By far the most influential moment for me was meeting Scot Chastain, senior vice president of marketing at NBC,” Barry said. “I was really looking forward to it since my minor is marketing. He has so much knowledge. I didn’t want to leave the meeting because I just wanted to keep asking him questions. We actually connected on LinkedIn and have been staying in touch, so I know he will be a great contact for me when I’m looking for an internship next summer and eventually a job.”
“I enjoyed meeting with the executive producer of Fox Sports and the head of marketing at NBC because I am majoring in sports communications and minoring in marketing,” Ameer Tyree, junior, said. “I gained valuable insight into the industry that I think will help me as I prepare for my career after school.”
As a result of the trip, Hill believes she gained more of an understanding of the entire industry, something not everyone who visits LA gets to experience.
“I went on this trip with the expectation that I would learn a little bit about various aspects of entertainment,” Hill said. “I left with a deeper knowledge of the industry as a whole as well as an appreciation for all of the people it takes to send a production from initial development to the screen. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to visit LA as a production student and not just a tourist. We were given access into the industry beyond that of a typical college student.”