Sunday, August 28, 2011

On the Eve of Year Two...

With the start of classes tomorrow, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what an amazing journey this last year has been!

Early on in the dMBA program I began researching Participant Media for a marketing class. I had long been a fan of their films (Food Inc., Charlie Wilson's War, North Country, etc.), but during my 1st year of the program I kept coming back to them again and again, fascinated by their business model. Their mission,"entertainment that inspires and compels social change" resonated deeply with me and my mission became to intern with them this summer.

To my great joy I was accepted as an intern in the Social Action department where I teamed with the staff and other interns to research, develop and execute social engagement campaigns (both online and offline) for PM's upcoming narratives and documentaries (see below). I had hoped to blog about my experience more, however, much of what I did each day was confidential so there really wasn't a way to share what I was doing and learning. Suffice it to say it was a rich and rewarding experience to not only work on these campaigns, but to also learn about the company as a whole. Laurie Luh, PM's Senior HR Director, organized weekly Brown Bag lunches where we had the opportunity to learn from representatives of different parts of the organization including Narrative & Documentary Development, TakePart, Legal and Finance & Business Operations.

After such a rich experience with my internship and so thoroughly enjoying the city itself, it wasn't easy to leave LA! But all I can think now, if the results of Year One have been so rewarding, I can't wait to see what's next!



Friday, August 26, 2011

The List, or, How I spent my Summer


AMAZING internship w/ Participant Media (titles included The Help, Contagion, Circumstance, Page One)
Dolly Parton at the Hollywood Bowl

Horseback riding in Griffith Park (stampede included at no extra charge!)

The Doors at Whiskey a Go Go

Hollywood Farmers Market

Boxing at Freddy Roach's Wild Card Boxing Gym w/ Ray Beltran (USBA Lightweight Champ and Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner)

Dearly Departed Tours

The Grove & Farmers Market

Compton

Watts

Manhatten Beach

Venice Beach

Malibu Beach

Malibu Canyon

Topanga Canyon

Inn of the 7th Ray

Griffith Observatory

Runyon Canyon

Hollywood Blvd

Melrose

Sunset Blvd

Sunset Strip

Little Tokyo

China Town

The Metro (Red & Gold lines)

Thai Town

Mini riot on Hollywood Blvd

Dodger's game (they won!)

Watching Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy film the newest Muppets film

The Go-Go's getting their star on the Walk of Fame

Martinis & chx potpie at Musso & Frank

Dinner at El Coyote on 8/8

Cigars & infinity pools

Lucky Strike bowling

Fashion District

Skid Row

Toy District

Jewelry District

Garden of Oz

Grease's Rydell HS

Muscle Beach

Miceli's

A $30 sandwich at The Ivey

Rodeo Dr.

Beverly Hills

La Brea tar pits

Ecclesia

Private tour of the SAG offices

LACMA

LA Film Fest