Expert: Phil Nemy - 12/15/2006

Question
Hi,

Thank you for your comprehensive answers. We will continue to refer to the specifics on each university program.

Looks like she did not turn in her application for the USC Screen Writing program. I think she is moving toward Art Direction.

It is good to hear that you recommend a university program. She needs the extra time and academic education to grow up. I appreciate your encouragement that UT is not completely on the outside. Because it seems like a safer place for a young person to grow up, than in LA.

I appreciate your validating my concern about the safety of young women.

I think her employment record may follow her to NY or LA through her SSN. Doesn't the entertainment industry use an organization similar to the Screen Actors Guild, except it includes all employees? Whether she lists her old job on her resume or not, if the new company and the old company are both registered with this entertainment industry union, her record will be there. If so, finding a job may be more difficult, she may have to work for independent companies, outside the industry.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer all my questions in such detail,
Cathy Matt



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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi,

My daughter is a senior in high school at Interlochen Arts Academy with a major in Motion Picture Arts. She is in the process of applying to USC for both production and screen writing, UT Austin, Chapman and CalArts. My concern is that she is already blacklisted from working in the entertainment industry. And trying to figure out which university program will prepare her for employment, in light of this.

When she was 15, I filed a formal complaint at her place of employment, Hawthorne Communications. I was told by the investigation committee, that if the complaint is "formal," she would never be able to find work in the industry (entertainment/media) I stated that I did not want her to work in an industry where abuse is tolerated. I realize now that this was a mistake, but at the time I was unprepared for this question. And did not realize that this would be her career path.

She had been sexually abuse by her supervisor at work. I later got a letter from the company stating that my claim was substantiated, she had been mistreated. The abuser no longer works there and she has been invited to come back to work for them several times.

I got a call from a talent agency, who said they could not represent her. (She had applied for an agent without my knowledge.) When I asked why, they said it was because of her employment record. I told them she did not need an agent at this point, because she is going to study film at the university level. They replied that there is a different vetting process for executives, so she will be OK. Do you know anything about this?

Her advisor at high school, said she should stay out of NY and LA. But she can find work in Chicago or the Midwest. I think this is because she is blacklisted. (A parent at her current high school shyed away from reporting abuse at school because of fear that the school will have her son blacklisted.)

She already has 1 to 1 ½ years of college credits depending on which school she attends, so a masters may take only 4 more years. She is not currently planning to go to graduate school. Does she need to get her master’s degree to rise above this?

Film School Confidential says USC is Industry, UT and Chapman are Independent and CalArts is Experimental. Are her chances to make the right connections better at the non industry schools?

I do not feel comfortable with the fact that USC requires the students to sign over the ownership rights of their student films. However, the USC screenwriting program allows the students to retain their property rights. Will she be unable to find employment coming out of USC anyway, because she is blacklisted?

She already has 2 years of film school in high school. It seems a waste to repeat these basic classes in undergraduate, then repeat them again in graduate school. Since most schools put their emphasis on their graduate film production program. I think it is better if she broaden her field of study in undergraduate then return to film production for graduate. At CalArts she can add graphics, at USC major in screenwriting or at UT focus on academics. She plans to continue taking film production in undergraduate. Any comments on that?

A distant relative who teaches at USC graduate program said she should not study film at all. She should go for the best general academic education possible. Film school is a waste of money.

Which of the 4 university programs would you recommend for undergraduate film production: USC, UT, Chapman or CalArts?

Which university program is best for making job connections outside the industry?

Which school is best for respecting human rights and women’s issues?

What graduate program is the best?

Prior to Interlochen, she appeared in about 20 major community productions between ages 8 - 16. Plus she helped write, produce, direct and act in many smaller productions for the public library children's reading program.

Her strongest talent has always been writing and general intelligence. Her weakest point is defending herself from manipulation and abuse.

-----Answer-----
Cathy,

Thanks for your letter. Wow! That's a lot of information! Thank you for being so clear, so specific and so articulate. I hope I can respond as articulately as you. Let's go one question at a time.

First, I can appreciate that you believe your daughter has been blacklisted. That may be true in the city where you live and in the entertainment community in which she worked. However, if the city and community WERE NOT Los Angeles or New York, then you need not fear that she will be blacklisted when she arrives here. In order for some kind of bad reputation to follow her in LA or NYC, her formal complaint must have occurred in LA or NYC.

My advice to her would be to simply not mention her previous employment issues with anyone in LA or NYC and definitely not list the company for whom she was employed on her resume. What future employers don't know won't hurt her. No one expects high school or 1st year college students to have that much work experience anyway, so  not listing it on her resume won't hurt her.

She does not need to obtain a Master's degree to rise above any pre-conceived concept of blacklisting. She should pursue a Master's degree if she wishes to further her education and if she wishes to teach somewhere in the future. Most college and university programs require a master's degree in order to teach.

As far as which college to attend, the answer depends upon what career your daughter seeks. For example, if your daughter seeks an acting career, then I would advise her to enroll at a university with a strong theater program that offers a BFA in acting. Acting for the stage is the FOUNDATION of ALL acting. If you can act on the stage, you can act in film, TV, radio, etc. It is not necessarily true the other way around.

If she is interested in a career as a film or TV director, then she should consider schools like the one's you've mentioned. The two with the strongest network of alumni working in LA today are USC and UCLA. After that would be  UT, NYU, Columbia and Chapman. Cal Arts is highly recognized for its animation program, and does have some alums working in film and TV today, but I'd say they aren't as strong as the other programs. Filmmakers need to know "how" to make films, how to use the equipment and be on the cutting edge of technology, and how to tell a story through a camera. This can be learned at a good university.

If she wants to be a creative producer, USC has one of the better MFA grad programs for producing around. It's called the Peter Stark Program named for the deceased son of the late producer Ray Stark. If she is interested in a more traditional business career in film such as in marketing, distribution, publicity, business affairs, new media, etc., Carnegie Mellon has a terrific Master's 2-year grad program where students spend one year in Pittsburgh, PA on the campus and one year in LA. It is best described as an MBA program for the entertainment industry.

Success in film and TV is based in a very large way on who you know, how strong your network is, how good your relationships are. The sad truth is that you don't actually have to have an extraordinary amount of talent to make it in Film and TV. But you MUST have an extraordinary amount of relationships that can open doors for you, and then you must have the skills to capitalize on the opportunities when the doors open.

I don't believe with your relative who says film school is a waste of money. At the right school, it is incredibly valuable. But if you don't want to be an actual filmmaker (i.e., director, producer or cinematographer), then it may not be the best program for you. The more a student can say specifically the kind of career they seek, the easier it is to determine which university program will serve them well.

For job connections, USC, UCLA, NYU and UT have the best opportunities as they have the most alumni working in entertainment. UT has an udergraduate Semester in Los Angeles program where a student can spend a semester interning at an entertainment company in LA by day and take classes in the evening about the business. Other schools that offer similar programs are Ithaca College, Emerson, Temple, BYU and Boston U.

I honestly couldn't tell you which school is best with respect to human rights and women's issues. What I can tell you is that the entertainment industry is notoriously sexist, and can be difficult to succeed in for some women. It is primarily ruled by men, usually thrives on an "old-boy-network" and definitely takes advantage of unsuspecting young ladies. But if a young person is mentored by the right kind of people, the young person CAN have a successful, satisfying and rewarding career.

I hope this information helps. Good luck to you and your daughter.

Phil  

Answer
Cathy,

With all due respect (and I am a parent as well), you're worrying too much. The entertainment industry as a whole does not maintain an "industry database" of sexual harrasment charges or of any legal charges. The only source that maintains legal charges and decisions is the justice system. Frankly, most entertainment companies aren't interested. Major corporations do have Human Resource departments that may keep sexual harrasment information on file, but it is a federal offense for any corporation to deny someone employment because they filed and pursued a sexual harrasment charge. I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it.

At the same time, as I said before, if your daughter is not comfortable in a sexist environment and an industry rampant with "dirty old men" and potentially uncomfortable situations (as can occur in many other industries as well), then she may wish to consider pursuing a career in another industry. Although most men I have worked with do not treat women this way, I cannot guarantee that she won't face this at least once in her career in entertainment. Many men make comments not even thinking that what they've said may cause the woman to whom they are speaking discomfort. They never intended to make an inappropriate statement, never intended to sexually harrass, but unfortunately, they don't know or understand when the line is crossed. That's why the sexual harrasment laws were created, to educate people WHAT IS inappropriate and WHEN.

Good luck!

P.