January Intersession Field Trip to Los Angeles
Since 2015, JHU’s Film and Media Studies program offers an intersession course open to eight senior majors and minors, a field trip to LA for a week-long crash course on the business and art of Hollywood.
- meet with a growing network of more than 120 alumni in a wide array of positions in the entertainment industry to hear the stories of how they found their path and how they do their work
- gain invaluable insight and advice on how to succeed, and to make vital connections that lead to jobs, internships, and lasting mentor and collaborator relationships
- see the inner workings of major production companies, studios, agencies, and creative enterprises, and to meet with key personnel from all areas of film and television
- participate in an experience that enhances both student and alumni careers and empowers graduates in the industry. Alumni participation in the trip has unified and grown the JHU network, which is becoming an increasingly visible and influential force in Hollywood. Students on the initial fieldtrips now lead sessions with current students.
Features of the intersession trip
- Daily private meetings and Q&As with top screenwriters, TV writers, directors, agents, producers, and other creatives, after which students deliver their resumes and business cards to the speaker, who in turn gives access to their contact information.
- An evening event featuring a panel discussion with leading alumni in the industry that gives students the opportunity to network with 70+ JHU alumni.
- Private tours of studios, production companies, and top agencies—UTA, CAA, WME—followed by private meetings with agents.
- Private screenings of new film and TV releases with filmmakers, actors, and other talent.
A sample of workshops, meetings, and experiences during the trip:
- Breakfast Q&A with Academy-award nominated screenwriter Zach Baylin. (FMS 2002)
- A master class on directing comedy with Jeffrey Blitz (JHU ’98), Emmy-award winning director of The Office and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker for Spellbound.
- Cinematography 101 with Caleb Deschanel (JHU ’65), six-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer.
- A 2-hour discussion and Q&A with Cale Boyter, producer of Dune and Dune Part II, followed by a private tour of Legendary Entertainment.
- Financing blockbuster films at Skydance Media with Don Granger, producer of the Mission Impossible and Jack Reacher franchises and president of feature films.
- A table read with the entire cast of Modern Family during its final season, followed by a private discussion about writing for TV with MF writers Jon Pollock and Ryan Walls.
- “Packaging Room” a master class with UTA agent Kassi Evashevski, who put together the creative team for the Academy-Award winning film.
- A screening of Room at the Hammer Museum of Art, followed by a private Q&A with actor Brie Larson.