The First Step In My Adventure

Our day started off with a few small bumps but ending up being pretty smooth for the most, I enjoyed it. The day started off with a production meeting then we made to the Writers Guild Foundation to meet with Karen Peterson. When we walked in we entered into a library that have hundreds of scripts it was insane. Honestly you could've named any movie or tv show and they would have had a script for the movie or for an episode of the tv show. While there I was able to look at a script for The Simpsons, The Godfather, and The Sandlot which wasn't actually the first name they thought of, it was originally The Boys of Summer. The most interesting thing about being there was being able to read all of these scripts and watch how the characters played out within the script. Our next stop was to meet with Glen Gers who's a writer for the sitcom Instant Mom who helped write some of the episode that we saw the night before. Glen talked to is about the process of writing an episode and how difficult it is to get your lines into the show. One that Glen said that will stick with me is that you should never give up and all pursue and working on something or somewhere that makes you happy. Our final event for the day was to go see the final episode of See Dad Run which was a good taping to go see. When the end of the show hit I was glad to see that there were no tears shed and that everyone was hugging it out instead. The audience was ok but it didn't even compare to any of the audiences at the other tapings that we've been to so far. All in all today was I good day and I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.

Waking up this morning was weird. I woke up to the barking of my dogs and I wasn't so what the plan for the day was. Today was a totally different feel than the past twenty days have been. I missing waking up in California and getting ready for the day that was ahead. It was such a great experience and I got to see so many things and meet with so many people. What I need to do now is take all that I've learned on this trip and use it to help better myself and put me down the path for a successful future. Once again I would like to give a huge thanks to Chrissy Guest, Kyle Carr, and Caroline Gilmore for putting up with us and helping us all throughout this trip. Without you guys this trip wouldn't be the same.

Thursday was the last day of this wonderful trip that I’ve been on. It started by having a production meeting which was then followed by Chrissy’s Award Ceremony and then she along with Kyle and Caroline received their gifts from the class. It was an emotional moment but it showed how much these gifts meant ton them an how much time and effort was put into this class to make it what it is now, and for that I would like to thank Chrissy, Caroline, and Kyle for putting up with is for twenty days and for all the help and advice that they’ve given us throughout the trip it means a lot. After that we went to meet Mike and Moni Vargas who are director producers for their own company called Nuyorktricity. They were so cool to meet and that talked to us about not being afraid of criticism and just putting yourself out there to be known and to make a name for yourself. It was really nice of them to take the time out and speak to us it was really appreciated. After that we headed to airport to catch a flight back to NY at 9:40pm. As I was sitting in my seat waiting for takeoff it really hit me how much I’m going to miss California and the times I had on this trip. I can’t wait to come back out here again and hopefully start to make a name for myself.

Wednesday was Disney day!!!! I woke up at 6:30 to get ready to head to the parks for magic hours which started at 7. I went on so many rides yesterday I couldn't keep count. My favorite ride by far was the Pirates of the Caribbean one. The ride was so detailed and look beautiful I couldn't get over it. From Jack Sparrow to Davey Jones the detail on each of the characters was I insane. Another awesome ride was the Star Tours which had you strapped into a seat and on a journey with CP30 and R2D2. When nighttime came around I was able to watch the World of Color which might be one of the best show I've been able to witness. Today at Disney was amazing. I hope to return one day and have just as much fun if not more than I did today.

Tuesday we said goodbye to San Francisco and started our journey to Anaheim to go to Disneyland. Before we started in on our seven hour drive we got the opportunity to visit Allison Leaf at Pixar Studios which was great. From London, Allison came over to Pixar to work as an animator. Before that move she worked at Digital Pictures along with other companies while she was in London. Being able to get a tour I'm Pixar was amazing. Seeing certain characters and items from movies that you've watched when you were younger all the up to now is really neat. After we left Pixar we made our way to Disneyland. While on the ride up I was able to have a phone conversation with my mentor Michael Barcless. Michael does coverages for all of the sport franchises in Arizona professional and college. During this conversation I was able to ask him a lot about his job and what he's worked on over the years. He stressed to me how important it is to practice in order to better your skills. He also told me to not limit myself to one thing and do multiple things while in college because you never know what will happen. A topic that Michael and. I really hit it off on way the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are my favorite team in the NBA and it was really nice to be able to talk to him since he knows a lot about them. We talked about the steps the Suns should make for next season, whether or not they will make the playoffs, and who they should pursue in free agency this summer. Another thing that Michael told me about was when he covered the Superbowl when it came to aril a few years ago. He told me that it was a lot to handle in a little amount of time. Making sure that all the players arrived on time media day was just one of many challenges that he face, but he told me when it was all said and done it was worth it. I would like to thank Chrissy and Michael for working together to make this happen. I will be forever appreciative of that. When we arrived to Disneyland you could feel all of the fun and excitement in the air and I could wait to get up toy room to put my stuff down and then explore. I along with a few others ended up going to Downtown Disney to visit the ESPN Zone which was so much fun with all of the games they had inside. Tuesday was great and I can't wait to go to the Disneyland parks tomorrow to go on rides and watch the World of Color.

Monday was a fun and relaxed day in San Francisco. The morning stated out crazy but after that everyone enjoyed themselves. The day started out by us going to the Golden Gate Bridge which was a exciting experience. Being able to see the bridge in person and to be able to walk on it was amazing. I also got to take a few pictures of it to show the family and friends back home, they'll be excited to see. Or next stop was at the Disney Family Museum which was a really good time. We were able to see a whole bunch of quotes and ideas that Walt had which was really cool because he was so ahead of his time. We were also able to see a display a Disneyland which looked amazing. Tomorrow me make our way to Disneyland and I'm so excited, I can't wait!!

Sunday was my final day along with my partner Jae. The plan was to leave at 10 but that didn't work out because of troubles with petty cash and collecting money from people who owed it from the brunch we had on Saturday. After that was all settled we hit the road to make our way to San Francisco. While we were making our way there Kyle and I along with others witnessed a car accident that look straight out of the movies. I was really worried because if how the crash looked that someone was seriously hurt but luckily everyone made it out ok. After that we stopped at Klondike Pizza for lunch and it was really good, plus I was starving so it tasted even better. Then we made our way to Dinosaur Caves Park which had amazing views to see which gave us some nice shots for our reality show. When left from there the rest of the way to San Francisco I looked at clips with Amanda and finished up a blog post. I would say that today was a successful day.

Saturday was another exciting day on this trip. It started off by us having a group brunch at Back to the 50's Diner and we also had two guest speaker, Megan Macnamara and Jackie Celona. Megan just finished up writing up her first episode of Bones and wants to continue writing. She started out as a writers pa them moved her way up to writers assistant. After that she finally caught her break to write an episode of Bones which she only had two weeks to write it. Our other gust speaker Jackie is a senior at Ithaca college and is currently doing Ithaca's California program. While having a bite to eat with our speakers it was really nice to be able to ask them question to get advice from them and to be able to find out more about them as well. Our final stop was at the Santa Monica pier to spend the day at the beach. Bring able to do that was really nice because I got to spend a day with the group and just hangout with them. Tomorrow is my final day and I hope the ride up to San Francisco goes smooth. I guess I'll just have to wait till tomorrow comes around to find out.

Friday was an amazing and very informative day. We started off by having our production meeting then we went to take a tour at Sony Studios. Our tour guide Tyler was extremely cool and gave us a lot of info all throughout the tour. One of the spots we stopped at was one of Sony's sound stages which was originally built in 1907 as stage one. People such as Beyoncé and Michael Bay have stepped foot into that stage. We also took a stop at one of three foley stages on Sony's lot. Foley originally started when a man named Jack Foley who's now know as the godfather of foley started making sounds that could go along with films. And finally one of the last stops we made on the lot was at stage 15 which is the second biggest stage in the world behind Pinewood Studios in England which are used for the making of the 007 movies. At stage 15 many movies have set foot in there. Men In Black, and Star Trek are just a few that have had the opportunity to shoot in that stage. Our next stop was at CBS Studios to meet with Karen Winchell who's manager of guest relations at CBS. Karen spoke us a lot about CBS's page program which has you work as a page on CBS shows. Karen also told us that being a page is a great way to make connections and get your feet wet in the industry. One thing that Karen told us about the selection process of being a page is that you have to always be ready to work and have a positive attitude while working. After speaking with Karen she really opened my eyes to this program to a point where I would totally want to do it. After our meeting with Karen we meet with Tony Carey who's a producer of a tv sitcom called Young and Hungry. Tony was amazing he answered all of our question while taking us on a tour of the CBS lot pointing out where certain shows have shot. Tony also gave us an inside look at his job and how he plans out the budget for each episode of a show. Tony also talked to us about being ready and willing to take any job possible because you never know what will come out of it. After meeting with Tony we were VIP form the taping of Young and Hungry which was a really funny show and I can't wait for it to air later on in June. After the show we were meet by a surprised guest speaker. The guest speaker was Kym Whitley who has done stand up all across the world and played as a woman named Yolanda in Young an Hungry. Kym was really nice and I along with the whole group was honored to be able to speak with her. Some of the advice she gave us was to always practice what you want to do as a profession and to make sure that you always stay sharp by staying busy and finding a balance between the things that are going on in your life. Friday was such a good day and I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

Today was my second day along with my partner Anjaela and it went ok. I messed up one of our addresses but we were able to get the right address and be on time for one of our guest speakers. One thing I learned today was to make sure that I double check my addresses because it can make all the difference in your day. Our first stop today was to meet Nancy Robinson at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Nancy is the director of of education programs there and she oversees all of educational things that go one within the Academy. With her mother and father both be involved in the industry she's been heavily exposed to the industry and how to make a name for yourself. One thing that Nancy stressed to us was how the industry is based on who you know. In order to know people you need to volunteer your time and find out what you want to do so you can meet people that will benefit you. Another that I learned is that an email or phone call will go a long way and that I shouldn't always rely on social media to reach out to my contacts. Our final stop of the day was to meet with Matt Cross at Maker Studios. Matt is a supervising producer at Maker that has worked as a grip, producer, and has acted before this. Matt stressed to us how important it is to learn how to edit now for the future so you're more well rounded. Also he told us that we need to be good and quick with our computer programs. He also felt that everyone should PA because it gives you the opportunity to make a few connections and observe what's goes on during set shooting days. Matt also told about Maker Tv and how they are singing talent to help expand their brand and branch out. He also spoke out about how Disney brought out Maker Studios. He felt that Maker has a lot to offer Disney and that this deal will be good for both brands. Today was a very good day and I was able to meet with some really amazing people. I would like to thank Nancy and Matt once again for meeting with us I really appreciated it.

Today was another great day and I really got to do some amazing stuff. Before I start I’d really like to thank Caroline, Rachel, John, Chrissy,and Kyle for today because none of this would’ve happened without them. The day started out by us having our production meeting then driving to the Warner Brothers lot to meet with the post production coordinator for Pretty Little Liars John Marler. He was able to share so much info with us on how he worked on two shows last season and the challenges he faced while doing so. Some of the biggest things he took away from that were that you can never take your job for granted and that you never know what life is going to throw at you. After meeting with John Caroline gave a tour of the WB lot which was insane. We got to see so many costume from certain shows and movies and we got to see a wooded area where certain shows shot some of their scenes. All in all the experience at WB was great. After WB went were very fortunate to go to Funny or Die and meet with Rachel. Ithaca college were giving away tickets to tour Funny or Die and the line for the tickets literally went around the Park school twice. It's crazy how we were jus table to walk in and tour know thy people waited hours on end to do what we did. Rachel was so humble about of the things that's she's done so far and she was really great to talk to. What I learned from Rachel was to keep yourself open to anything and be ready to say yes to all things asked of you. Tomorrow is my day and I'm nervous and excited about what the day is going to hold for us. Wish me luck!

We have had great guest speakers this whole trip and today didn't prove any different. We got to meet Will Keenan who's the president of Endermol and Jim Johnston who was The Real World's executive producer for season 6 and from season 16 to now. When we went to Endermol I didn't know what to expect. I've heard the name before because they worked on a show that aired on ABC call Wipeout which I still watch now but other than that I had no idea. Meeting with Will completely changed all of that. I found out that they signed names like Pitbull and Courtney Love along with a few others and they can work around them and produce things. I learned that Endemol is planning to have a New Year's show hosted by Pitbull that is to compete with Dick Clark's in ratings. Will also had a method to his madness by singing Love and Pitbull because since they are traditional talent signings they should bring in digital talent. In the two years that Will has been at Endemol he's done a fantastic job along his team and I just want to thank them for taking the time out to speak to us and I feel that Endermol will continue to grow even more. Meeting Jim Johnston was another great experience today. One of my favorite shows to watch on tv are the Challenges and The Real World so it was really nice to be able to ask Jim certain questions about the show. Is was also neat to hear Jim's story about how he bounced around from different shows and finally found his show which ended up being the Real World. It was also nice to hear him give us advice about our reality show which was to shoot a lot of footage, and to listen anticipate. I also thank Jim for taking the time out to meet with us. I learned a lot from both speakers today and I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

Today, it was gorgeous out and what’s a better way to spend than being outside at Griffith Park. Before I go into depth I would like to give a big thanks to Shelby Murphy and Danny Rodriguez for taking time out there schedules to meet with us and answer all of our questions. I learned a lot and hopefully will learn even more as the trip goes on. As we were at the park we decided to make a short film which involved a soccer ball that we brought while we were there. With the help of Chrissy we came up with the idea of having this soccer ball be magic and since it had every country that is playing in the World Cup on it that if you closed your eyes and wished that you were at a place that was on the ball you’d magically disappear and be in that country. Needless to say it was a blast trying to shoot this short film and it was a great way to spend time at the park. We also took a picture in front of the Shane’s Inspiration playground located in the park. This was a neat picture because our cinema club at TC3 donated money for that playground to be built and Chrissy has been trying to get a group shot of students in front the playground to send to founder Scott Williams for years and I'm glad that she finally got the shot. But all in all today was a good day and I can’t wait to go to Ithaca College tomorrow and meet our guest speaker.

Today was another good day due to the fact that everything went smooth and the weather was perfect. Our day started out by us having brunch at Mel's Drive-In and it was really nice. The setup of the place was good and the food was good. Besides that it was nice to be able to sit down without our phones and have a few laughs with each other about various things. Since we had some extra time before our next even we decide to walk Hollywood Boulevard to see what we can find and possibly shoot some stuff for the second episode of our reality show. As we were walking something hit me, it felt as I was in New York City because of how many people there were around us it was amazing. Our final event for the day was to walk up to the Hollywood sign but the trail was closed so we decided to visit the Griffith Observatory which ended up being a lot of fun. We got a lot of shots for our reality show on the Go Pros we have and there were plenty of trails to hike which provided beautiful views of La. So tomorrow is Anjaela and I's first day on the trip and I'm excited but nervous at the same time. I hope everyone enjoys themselves but at the same time I'm nervous that tomorrow isn't going to be smooth. Tomorrow should be good and I can't wait to jump right into it.

Guest speaker day was amazing and I felt so honored to be apart of it. I have to give a huge thanks to Christine Guest giving us the opportunity to meet with all of these speakers and another thanks goes to Amanda and Wes for putting it together, great job. I would also like to take the time out to thank our guest speakers Caroline Gilmore, Kyle Carr, Jackie Ariel, Keri Kulikowski, Rich Newey, Aubrey Bendix, Ashley Leiva, Amanda Setton, and Rick Tuber thank you so much I appreciate you guys taking the time out of your schedules you talk to us I learned so much from all of you. Caroline really opened my eyes to how important is is to put yourself out in a positive way in order to be known and possibly get a break into the industry. I was shocked that Kyle spoke to us because it’s not his style but I learned a lot from him. He made me think about how I need to be able to plan things out and be prepared to favors for people because they will come back around. I really liked the idea of Audience Network and I hope that it’s popularity keeps rising. What in learned from Jackie was that starting out at a smaller business can prepare you for what’s to come later on. Since Rich and I listen to the same music and he’s really laid back so I could relate to him a lot. What I learned from his was to never give up and keep trying since he’s been in the industry for 15 years and is still working at it. I thought it was really cool to see Aubrey as an executive assistant at such a young age. What I learned from her was that I need to have a plan before a move out to California and I need to trust where I am in the industry at all times. When Rick Tuber walked into the room to talk to us I could feel something coming off of him. I think it was the experience as an editor in the industry. What Rick really stressed on was how organization was key and being down to earth can help you go a long way. Another one of our speakers Amanda Setton I met out in the hallway before she came in to talk to us and I could tell that she was very excited to talk to us and full of energy which made me really look forward to what she had to tell us. What I learned from Amanda was how we need to have tough skin to last in this business and to not take being knocked down personal. Our final speaker Keri has worked on everything possible so I know that she would be able to give us examples and advice on actual situations that we could come across. What I learned from Keri was that even though you may have an assistant that has to do task for you it’s always important to work together with them because it will make that person respect and want to work for you even more. Another thing is to do the unexpected with people because it can make them easier to work with and it can really make their day. Guest speaker day was a total success and I will remember everything that’s happened today for years to come.

A video blog is soon to come.

I take back what I said a few days ago…today hands down was the best day of the trip by far. I was able to witness my first sitcom show taping and get really good advice all in the same day. It started of this morning when we all got into the vans and went to Paramount Studios and visited the Technicolor Sound Studio that they have on the lot. When we got there we were greeted by the Vice President of business affairs for Technicolor Sound Mike Rizzuto. He was absolutely awesome. He gave us a tour of the lot and he got us into a foley lab where they produce sounds to be used in television or film which was really cool to see since I’ve only heard of foley. Mike also sat us down and gave us some key advice about the industry and about life. One thing that he talked about that stuck to me was his friend Dave the barber. Mike first met Dave when he was going to get his haircut for a interview at Sony Studios. If Mike got the job Dave wanted him to come back. Mike got the job and came back to Dave which sparked their friendship.Form then on Mike received great info from Dave every time he saw him. This story suck out to me because it had to do with connections and the fact that you can always learn from someone. Also to establish a connection like that is key because it can help you along the way. To finish out the day the group went to a show taping of Instant Mom which was great. The crowd was so energetic throughout the whole show and the actors fed off of it producing a good show. I was fortunate enough to be able to get pulled out of the crowd and talk to a man named Rodger who was a prime example of a man who loves his job. He kept the crowd excited with his jokes and giveaways and he enjoyed every minute of it. What I took away from that experience was how smooth the crew worked together on set to make sure that the show was done properly. I’m so glad that I was able to experience everything that I did today and I can’t wait for tomorrow.