One of my main focuses of this program in Los Angeles is to see if this city is the right place for me following my graduation next April. In the entertainment industry, there are two central hubs where most of the work is done: New York or Los Angeles. I grew up in North Jersey, five minutes from New York City. My parents both commuted into the city and I would say I’m quite familiar with it after 21 years. As for Los Angeles, this is my first time in this city. These three weeks have been so eye-opening to the similarities and differences between both cities.

If I were to move here after college, I would probably live in Culver or Century City. Both areas are centrally located to all of the major movie studios as well as the hub of Hollywood right around the corner. LA is such a wide city that it is super important to be in a good location. It is also a necessity for me to have a car. Public transportation is not reliable in LA and if I am here long-term, I need to have a car of my own to use daily. Also, both areas are close to the beach. My family and I often go down the shore in New Jersey so the beach is super important to me. Being accessible to Santa Monica Pier with a thirty minute drive is a really nice and fun amenity.

In terms of my profession, I hope to be a film & TV producer. What I have not figured out is if I will pursue producing in late night TV or feature films first. If I decide to stay in New York, I hope to move into late night on a show such as The Tonight Show or The Late Show. If I move to LA, I may try to work at the major studios that we’ve had the chance to visit such as Warner Brothers and Paramount. LA has such a diverse entertainment scene because it is certainly still the hub for it. There is both late night and the studios out here which both present options for me to pursue.

I love the hustle and bustle of this city. Everyone is working constantly to make the best content and entertainment for their audiences. You can feel the excitement all over the city and it definitely is inspiring for the next generation of creatives to enter this field.