Whirlwind weekend

I’ve been back from L.A. for a bit now, and finally feel as though I’ve processed the whirlwind of information that was UBC2C. The weekend flew by, but the program crammed an incredible amount of information into three short days.

I spent Friday morning at Variety, getting a taste for the in’s and out’s of the entertainment industry. I found this to be particularly valuable because it had me thinking about entertainment in a way I previously had not. To be honest, when I learned we would be touring Variety in Hollywood, I assumed it was your typical celebrity gossip mag. But I found it surprisingly interesting the way they cover the business, behind-the-scenes side of entertainment. Potentially millions and millions of dollars are on the line, and it was fascinating to see the way Variety keeps up on it.

On Saturday I attended the Entertainment News Media workshop presented by Rosalind Jarrett and Jody Kleinberg Biehl. They did a really amazing job lining up speakers to give us tips about the industry and share their experiences with us. So much of Hollywood seems untouchable. It was encouraging to meet real people using their tenacity and intelligence to become successful in the business. All the speakers provided us with valuable input about the changing face of media, not just within entertainment news, but all areas we report on.

During the Sunday mentoring sessions, I had the opportunity to talk to three very helpful people– Sean Nealon, Alan Steinberg and Seth Burton. They all gave me a lot to think about and new ways to try looking at the writing process. Some of the most important advice I received could really be applied to any industry– be creative and resourceful, and work hard.

That’s the most important thing I took away from the weekend– nothing can replace hard work. You have to be willing to go that extra mile or two to succeed. All of the presenters and guest speakers had vastly different stories to tell us about how they got to where they are today, but there was one common thread– they worked like crazy to get there.

–Keeley Sheehan, Entertainment News Media