March 4th, 2014

Another great day in LA. We started off at the Jim Henson Studios where we met our tour guide Ashley Griffis. She was so insightful about opportunities in the animation field. This field is something I wouldn't necessarily say I am interested in, but after the tour and meeting Craig Bartlett, I felt like it was something I could definitely see myself doing. Craig Bartlett (the creator of Hey Arnold!) was one of the most passionate people I have met while in LA. He had so much advice for future LA residents like myself about how to get into the industry and make a living. Everybody at Jim Henson had so much to say about following your dreams, no matter where they led you. Like I said, puppeteering and animation is something I never thought I would be interested in, but after the studio tour, I found myself surprisingly fascinated by everything they do. I found it refreshing that these people found work in places they originally thought they would never be interested in. It goes to show that there are so many opportunities in LA that should not be taken for granted.

Charlie Chaplin and I are best friends

After the studio tour, we had some down time to explore Hollywood. I met a Batman impersonator, a Michael Jackson impersonator, and I even found time to buy my family some gifts. 

Hollywood Boulevard 

After our down time, we went to Warner Bros. to meet Bruce Rosenblum. He had a lot to tell us about the marketing side of entertainment. I never knew how much work went into understanding the ratings of TV shows, such as the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I won't lie, the marketing side of entertainment is something I never thought I would be interested in, but Bruce and his colleagues made it very appealing. They have such a vast knowledge of viewers tendencies and what makes a show successful in the long run. Warner Bros. seem to be making large strides in the field of understanding where viewers come from and how they interpret the content in which they are watching. 

At the end of the night, we met with our last panel of OU alums.  This specific group of alums have established themselves in the LA, which means they have extensive knowledge in the area of working in this area after you inititally have your foot in the door. I made it a priority to point out that I have a specific interest in being a camera operator and it caught the attention of both Devin and Houston. Devin who works as an assistant camera had a lot to say about the technical side of production, mostly about knowing your way around different kinds of cameras, whether its Red Cameras or the Arri Alexas. When I spoke with him after the meeting, he basically told me to learn my way around these two cameras by researching both of them and watching tutorials on YouTube about how to operate them. He was very insightful about the technical side of things which is what I'm very interested in and how to get work out here. I'm definitely going to contact him when I move here and see what opportunities may arise out of it. After meeting with Devin, I met with Houston. He happens to be in the process of hiring interns for his latest productions. I told him about my passion for visualization and how when I read a script,  I'm immediately thinking of shots that fit with the overall tone of the script. I hope to work with him in the near future on any projects that may come his way. The overall feel of this panel of alumni was nice because everybody has in some way established themselves in LA already. Its nice to hear from people who have been out here awhile and have tips about sustaining work out here. I was really intrigued about their advice and I really took it to heart because they were all so passionate about what they do and thats the kind of person I hope to be very soon when I can call myself a resident of LA. 

Another great day on Hollywood Blvd.