BFA, Film & TV, 2013
New York, NY
What are you currently doing?
I'm currently the assistant to Producer Amy Kaufman on the Showtime Series Billions. I've been working with her for the past 15 months and along with Billions we have worked on the CBS pilot For Justice and the NBC show American Odyssey. I have also launched my own production company with two other producers and we are currently in development for our first independent feature. Along with feature development, we have made various music videos and commercials. Within my time away from school, I have also produced for Beyonce Knowles' production company Parkwood Entertainment and have produced commercials for MasterCard, Vevo, Local Maven, and the UN HE for SHE Campaign.
What aspects of your education, including internships and/or student projects, do you think best prepared you for your career?
I believe in immersion and an interdisciplinary film education, which essentially includes working on your own projects and doing internships. It's really important to cultivate and develop your own style. Film school is an opportunity to take risks. I made some really weird films throughout my four years. Some of them really worked and some of them made absolutely no sense, but I was proud of the fact that I took risks and it ultimately helped form my storytelling strategies. That being said it's absolutely essential to help your peers with their films. Most of my education was through learning with other people and working together to make a piece of art. You never know what will become of people and it's incredibly vital to practice with those around you in hopefully a non- judgmental environment. That being said, internships are a great opportunity to meet professionals of various generations. I always made sure to have good relationships with my professors and made sure to have diverse internships-- I worked for the Sundance Channel, Jonathan Demme, and some small Brooklyn filmmakers. All had positive and negative aspects--but were incredibly informative and formative. It's a time to try everything and to really get to know yourself.
What would you tell your freshman self if you could do it all over again?
I would say: calm down. It will be okay. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Don't be afraid of who you are and what you are to other people. You do you.