<p>My name is John and I'm currently an undergrad sophomore at UCI in Irvine, CA. I'm a Business Economics soon to be Business Administration student so I'm all for business and everything in that field. </p>
<p>However, recently, I'm becoming enamored of the television industry, especially the television production business. I know college is the perfect place to consider what exactly I want to do for my future so I want to make the right decisions now. But I need your guys' help.</p>
<p>The thing is I'm Business Economics right now but I'm interested in film and media, especially television production. I checked on some college discussion forums and most of them agree that the film program at UCI is only decent if you want to become a screenwriter, which is not what I want to do.</p>
<p>Come to think of it though, I don't really know for sure what I want to do right now. I love to travel, so I really would like to travel with a production crew/team and I want to be on set when all the action happens. But these are just vague descriptions, I don't know anything concrete. I know I don't really want to hold a camera or do make-up or fix the lighting or be a stuntman -none of that technical stuff. I just want to be present when the action rolls and the scene starts shooting.</p>
<p>What do you think, do you know any jobs/positions/titles that may suit some of my description here?</p>
<p>Or maybe I should stick with my Biz Econ major and just business in general and maybe try to enter the television production/entertainment world through a business major/type route, like I dunno...interning at a network broadcast company, and then work my way up to production assistant, and then ultimately get to work on the set with the actual actors and directors, etc.?</p>
<p>So what do you guys think? What's the best route I can take now that I'm still relatively young and still have the time to make critical decisions and choices. </p>
<p>Look into USC’s dual business and cinema arts major. You might be too far along for it to be worth transferring, but maybe a master’s might work?</p>
<p>I would look into internships in the field. There are tons of unpaid internships in the L.A. area with small production companies, casting agencies, and other entertainment industry businesses. Check with someone in the film department at your school and see if they have info on available internships. Generally, the companies will require you to be receiving school credit for the internship. Otherwise, students might get bored and quit after a few weeks. If they are getting credit, they can’t.</p>
<p>Do tv producers actually travel with the production crew as they go around the world filming or do all types of tv producers (exec, assistant, etc.) work desk jobs?</p>
<p>Also, what types of producers actually travel with the production crew as they go around the world filming?</p>
<p>And finally, if i was to get an internship, full time job as a production assistant or some type of production aide, or just a producer’s aide at a production company, will i be able to eventually work my way into, or somehow get into, or just express my interest of wanting to work in the production crew and not a desk job at the production company?</p>
<p>Here are a couple of links that describe the producer’s job. You can do some searching to find more with terms like: “job description” producer tv</p>
<p>Though it’s a commuter school so it’d be quite the change, and I’m not sure what the benefit would be to go to a UC to a CSU, though it seemed to work out for my aunt (went from UCSB to CSULB and now she works in marketing at a major corporation). </p>
<p>I plan on transferring to this program myself, I just wish it wasn’t a commuter and I wish it was UC. </p>
<p>You can’t do the USC program because you are too far along, you have to be a freshman to do that. (besides, USC is like 30K a year! :P)</p>
<p>I’ve worked in the film and tv business for a little while and would strongly encourage you not to switch schools or majors in midstream, particularly if you’re more interested in becoming a producer than you are in the technical side. Aside from doing grad work at USC;s Stark Program, there’s no educational background that will make you significantly more marketable on the production side. Other poster’s note about taking an internship is right on. If you’re interested in working in television production, then take whatever job in tv you can get. You’ll likely have to work at a few different ones before you’ll be in a position to be promoted. But yes, most active on-set producers do begin as assistants to established producers, so you’ll have a chance to work your way up.</p>
<p>I know this thread is a year old but I’m in the same position as John. Majoring in Economics but looking to go into the media/entertainment/production business. Im just wondering what path you ended up taking john? and if anyone knows of any websites or resources where internships for this industry are advertised?</p>
<p>Sure, there are lots of opportunities for jobs and internships on the business side of the industry. I tend to think the word ‘Production’ can be a bit misleading in relation to jobs and what degree to get for some. Although production classes are recommended for the business side of media and entertainment, a Communications and/or Broadcasting degree is better for people interested in the business side of film. The Producer as opposed to Director side of things (which seems to have been confused in this post) is more concerned about maintaining the films budget and scheduling. An up and coming Production Assistant would do stuff like order supplies, pick up/drop off packages, answer phones/emails, maintain a schedule log on paper or in Excel, maintain a tape library etc. Basically they do whatever is needed in the office or on set location.After that they may even start doing a lot of marketing materials and publicity stuff and may travel quite a bit once grow out of the grunt stage and prove themselves valuable. Now an Associate Producer will work more closely with the actors and various directors and be more involved in the writing/scripting process and assist with communication between the Director and Producer side to the editors. The further up the chain on the producing side like the Executive Producer is more concerned with legal, marketing, budgeting, fund raising, and networking over the more technical side of film. Hope that helps. If you have some experience and classes complete I know tons of available internships available in LA.</p>