The LA Experience: A March Madness Breakdown
(Since it’s March Madness, I decided to summarize my LA Experience as a team making, advancing in, and winning the NCAA tourney. Each day of the trip was better than the last, just as each advancing round of the tourney is more exciting and intense for a team.)
Selection Sunday
It was one of those days. I got caught up going to class, doing assignments, and running errands and forgot to check my email all day. I even went to improv practice and it wasn’t until the end of that when I heard fellow Fugee and Co-President Alessandria Rhines say:
“…By the way, congrats!”
I was confused. “On what?”
“We both made it on the LA Trip!”
This was the best news I could have gotten after a long, grueling day. I was going on the LA Experience. The LA Experience was a 6-day networking program through Marquette University for digital media majors in, you guessed it, Los Angeles. While there, 6 students and some faculty would be touring major studios, attending awesome show tapings, and networking with loads of MU alums in the Film & TV industry over Christmas Break in January. Talk about a jumpstart on the job search. I was thrilled to be participating in this exciting, new opportunity.
1st Round — Arrival
I wanted to hit two birds with one stone for this trip, so I decided to fly out to Los Angeles a day earlier than the rest of the Marquette group to visit a friend and alum Connor Welch. I knew LA was going to be a great, new experience when I struck up a conversation with a guy sitting next to me on the plane. He was flying out for a few weeks to work on a movie production for Lifetime called The Bachelor (not to be confused with ABC’s TV version). He was an outgoing, sociable guy. It made me realize you never know who you’ll run into in or going to LA.
Once touched down at LAX, Welch scooped me and away we drove. It was 55 degrees at dinnertime in January. A great first impression, Los Angeles.
2nd round — Rodeo & MU
Today, the rest of the LA Experience group was arriving. I was eager to see everyone participating again because we had only been in the same room once since discovering our acceptance on the trip. There was a lot of anticipation about this trip, and with it being the eve of the true first day of activities, the hype was real.
To kill time while the gang arrived, Connor and I explored Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I had never experienced the kind of shopping where EVERYTHING was out of my price range. We walked into some stores and immediately got the “I know you’re not buying anything” look from the associate. And they were right. I was not buying anything from a store that catered to customers driving Teslas like Toyotas. Not yet, at least.
Sweet Sixteen — “Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable”
The first day of the actual LA Experience began at Loyola Marymount Univ. We were given an amazing tour of the campus by Dean Alexander and attended mass in the beautiful church there. I knew I was going to have to be ready for anything on this trip when Dean Alexander jokingly gave me a nuggie outside one of the academic buildings. I wasn’t sure if it was something I said of if he just wanted to waft a smell of the my new “Snatch-and-Sniff” Head & Shoulders shampoo. Definitely a coin flip.
After the tour and mass, the group got our tourist on by walking around Hollywood and the Walk of Fame. It was cool to see MU alum Chris Farley’s Star in front of Improv Olympic LA, where he performed. What I couldn’t believe was that my idol Jerry Seinfeld didn’t have a star! I mean, come on! What’s the deal with…(alright I won’t go there).
To finish the day, we had a networking dinner with a handful of MU alums from all different areas of the industry. It was enriching to hear their paths and what they are up to now.
One quote really resonated with me from that night was said by Rondell Sheridan:
“Do not get comfortable. Once you get comfortable, you get lazy.”
This means don’t get comfortable with the ideas you have created. You must keep going and creating, because once you stop and get comfortable, laziness ensues and creativity declines. As an aspiring producer/writer/director, those words inspired and stuck with me all the way to the keyboard I’m typing on right now.
Elite Eight — The Talk & E!
The following day, we had our first set visits: to CBS’s The Talk and later to E! News. At The Talk, we were given a fantastic tour of the set, control room, and studio lot by the stage managers on duty and Emmy-winning director Joe Carolei. Everyone was enthusiastic and informative about the daily process of shooting The Talk. The staff allowed our group to watch the taping live in the audience and in the control room, which gave us two different looks and feels of how it’s produced every day.
At E!, located right outside the Universal Studios City Walk, alum and Line Producer for E! News, Rebekah Ingraham let us shadow her and rest of the production team as they produced the news show for three time slots. Afterwards, she gave us a thorough tour of the immaculate E! offices, modern-style sets, and areas she worked in.
Naturally, we were drained of energy after this, so we returned to the hotel for some R&R for the night.
Final Four — The Price Is Right!
Ever since we received the itinerary for the LA Experience, one activity stuck out to our eyes most: The Price Is Right. That’s right. We were going to be attending The Price Is Right. Plinko. Spin the Wheel. Showcase Showdown. We were going to see it all.
When we arrived at CBS Studios, we quickly got our place in line, hungry to “Come on Down!” Once we filled out the info packets, we were given a number and the glorious yellow name tag. What came after was a series of lines. There was one to get your picture taken, which producers would use during the show to pick contestants out of the crowd. There was one where the producer would briefly interview each possible contestant. (You only got asked about 2–3 questions so it was tough to gauge what they were looking for in a contestant.) The final line was the longest one, but the one that led to the studio. Unfortunately, before we could enter the studio, we had to give up our phones because no photos or videos were allowed inside.
Eventually, after 5 hours of papers, pictures, lines, and bathroom breaks, it was time for The Price Is Right.
The studio itself was A LOT smaller than it looks on TV. It still fit 250 people, but it was a snug 250. If you know where to look on TV you can see the whole MU group’s row in the back right. You can especially see us when the woman who eventually wins the showcases gets called up because we are in the row behind her. Unfortunately, our episode aired on March 10th so unless you recorded it…you’re out of luck.
Spoiler Alert: MU did NOT make it on.
National Championship — Sony, Fox, & MECA
This was my favorite day of the LA Experience.
During the day, we were getting a tour of Sony Pictures Studios and seeing a live table read of ABC’s Modern Family. In the evening, we were participating in the Marquette Entertainment & Communications Alumni (MECA) networking dinner event. It was an action-packed day to say the least.
At Sony, I was able to fulfill one of my dreams: walking through Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment set from the legendary sitcom Seinfeld. No, it wasn’t the actual set, but an almost identical replica, which was the best I was going to get. If you know me, I am a Seinfeld freak and even wrote a spec script for it with a friend of mine, so this was about the best way this day could start.
The rest of the tour included seeing the set of The Goldbergs, the old and new Ghostbusters mobiles, the Breaking Bad RV, set of Wheel of Fortune, and many other spaces that some of the most creative minds and talents of the industry have worked at and/or performed. This was Sony: where they shot the Wizard of Oz, scenes of Interstellar, Singing in the Rain, and thousands more. I was overwhelmed in such a good way.
Next, the group travelled over to 20th Century Fox’s Studios with MU Alum John Schwartz, who allowed us to watch the entire cast of Modern Family table read an episode of the show, a week before actually filming it. Other than being 10 feet away from an Emmy-winning cast, what was amazing was the way they read the script. They read it as if the director called “Lights, Camera, Action.” It was spot on with their characters and insanely entertaining. Afterwards, we were then allowed to walk around the set of the show, too! We walked in and out of the three house sets from the show and, thanks to them coincidentally filming that day, were able to take picture, some with professional lighting.
To finish the day, we attended the MECA event to network with recently met alums and over 20 new ones. This was the perfect end to the crazy/awesome/productive week we had in the City of Angels. At the event, I was like a sponge, soaking up whatever advice, knowledge, and tips these great alums had for us. Leaving the event, I felt like I had a much better grasp on what I wanted to do post-graduation and how I should do it.
National Champion — Me
Usually when a team wins the National Championship, it’s an unforgettable experience. For me, the LA Experience was just that: unforgettable. The amount info I learned and places I was able to encounter during this unbelievable week was unparalleled and I am immensely grateful for it.
Additionally, the team that wins the Tourney usually expresses thanks to the people that made this Championship possible. I figure I ought to do the same, but since this article is as long as a Harry Potter book, I’ll keep it brief. I want to thank Dr. Keeler, Dean Ah Yun, Joel Andryc, and all the incredible alumni I connected with in LA. You all, including many others, made this one of the greatest and fruitful weeks of my life.
After winning a Championship, this team will generally begin thinking about how to be successful and win next year’s tourney. Well, for me, “next year” is coming sooner than anyone is ready for: I plan to make a move out to LA in July. My “next year” is just over 2 months away, and thanks to the LA Experience, I’m more ready than ever before.
