Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

In the beginning I a little disappointed because I though I was going to be able to work for my dream company, ARRAY, with my idol, Ava DuVernay. I made it to the last round, but they chose someone else in the end.

However, I did get to go to a premiere in the ARRAY headquarters, which was really exciting. I even got to see DuVernay for a little bit. She did an introduction and welcome before the movie started. I may not have gotten the internship this time, but I’ll work there in the future someday.

While I was there, I met a woman named Salonica Hunter, and we became friends. She and I exchanged numbers, and she called me a week later to invite me to become a part of her production crew for a short film she was creating. I was the gaffer and got to do the slate on some scenes.

It was my first time being on an actual set outside of classes, and I had a lot of fun. Even though the average time for a production day is 12 hours, it was super fun — a great experience — and I met a lot of new friendly people on set.

I also got to take a private tour of the Warner Bros. Studios. I met an actor named George Kosturos who was the main character in “American Wrestler: The Wizard.” He wasn’t much older than us, so it was cool that he was already famous and living so comfortably in Los Angeles.

The most exciting set that he showed me was the set of “All American,” my favorite show. We saw Spencer’s room, the kitchen, the living room and the coaches’ office. Not only did we see the locker room, but they had the players’ actual football jerseys, pads and shoes. They all had their names on them, which was also cool since I recognized all of them.

We were all devastated that our program was cut short, but I’ll always remember the opportunities and experiences that I had and how beautiful it was. I would definitely recommend this program to any student in The Media School, and if I could do it all over again, I would.