By Mit’Chell Lee/ reporter
At least 60 students crammed into the small theater on South Campus March 1 to hear about careers in the film industry.
Film curator Eric Shirey and his publicist Kelly Kitchens said they wanted to make one point clear.
“There is so much more out there than what you see,” Kitchens said.
But she said one thing is the most important to remember when going into the film industry.
“You need to know what are you doing now,” she said.
As a publicist, Kitchens said she always asks two questions: “So what?” and “Who cares?” People in the industry want to know what someone is doing now and if it is newsworthy.
People need to determine if what they’re doing now will help them get where they want to be. They must keep that in mind to push forward, she said.
There are many ways to put oneself in the public eye, Kitchens said. People have to branch out. There is no other way of going about it. They can’t just expect it to be handed to them. It takes a lot of hard work to make it in film.
Shirey started his career by opening a website (revengeofthe5th.net) and emailed professionals like producers until someone contacted him back.
He networked and put himself in the spotlight so others would know him.
“Network is key in this industry,” he said.
Kitchens told the students to keep going.
“Ask yourself, ‘What is the next big thing?’ And soon find your niche and work on perfecting that,” she said.
People have to want something different, something that will make others understand that they need to sit up straight and pay attention.
Both recommended volunteering at the upcoming Dallas International Film Festival and any other events that relate to the field.
Also, students should get as many internships as possible and connect with as many people as possible. This is all part of networking.
To make it, Shirey and Kitchens said students must work on a few things.
“Be serious about what you do, know how to talk (definitely on the phone), be a great writer or at least better yourself, and always stay curious,” they agreed. “You will find what your strengths are, and you should work on that. And if you want more information on a career field in particular, go to IMDB and search it up.”
Shirey and Kitchens said the film industry is challenging to enter, but students just need to stay motivated and push for it.
