A Career In Film Takes Different Routes - Creatives of Houston PART 1
Professional Creatives Share Their Story Into the Creative Industry
January 28, 2019
Film is the only art form that supports all other art forms.
Film is a team sport. It takes a range of professionals to collaborate in making a film -- set designers, wardrobe, directors, producers, art directors. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and have different passions, yet all can come together to create something beautiful and well done.
This week in the Bird Feed blog, we talk to successful professionals on different career paths to see how they got their start in the creative industry and what the next generation should learn from them.
Temple Northup
Director of the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career?
From a young age, I’ve always seen myself in the “creative industry.” My brother and I would shoot short movies on a Super 8 camera, which eventually was replaced by a camera that recorded on VHS—but we spent countless time telling stories. That passion has followed me throughout my life—after college, moving to LA to work in the entertainment industry there. And then once I left there, finding my way to Houston to try to help train the next generation of creative storytellers. My role has certainly changed over time, but my passion for this industry has never wavered.
Did you go to school?
I did—but never exactly in this field. My undergraduate degree was in anthropology, which on its surface may not seem connected, except that I like to say it’s because I was a cultural anthropologist and was fascinated with the study of people. Industries like this one is very much a people industry, so I actually think my degree is relevant to understanding how people operate. After working in LA for many years, I did go back to graduate school and got my MA from Syracuse University in Media Studies, and a PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in communication—but both of those degrees are research degrees, not necessarily creative. That said, it allows me now to study the media such that I am able to merge a passion for this industry with a more academic pursuit.
Did you apprentice or intern?
I did not as an undergraduate ever have this opportunity. I went to a university that didn’t really have any sort of film program at the time (they have built a good documentary degree now), and so I spent my years working on my own projects for fun, but never really had the chance to do something with anyone professional until I moved to LA after I graduated. There, I was fortunate to have some incredible mentors, but never a true apprenticeship or internship.
How would you define the work you have done?
I am very proud of what we are building at the University of Houston, and proud of what I accomplished when I lived in LA. When I moved there, I had the goal of writing for a network prime time TV show, and was able to do that. In Houston, I’m taking my experiences and understanding of the industry to try to create one of the premier programs in the country, and feed into a truly great creative industry here in Houston. I think we have made some tremendous steps forward over the past few years and there are a number of other visionaries at UH who share this belief that we can help create a vibrant industry in Houston.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
My biggest piece of advice for the upcoming generation is to intern and work as much as possible during college, and to take every opportunity possible to learn from and network with others. There is tremendous talent in Houston and there are often talks and workshops that are arranged through us and other organizations in Houston. So many students fail to see the importance of taking every opportunity possible to get out there and meet those who are actually working now.
Kim Gagne
Emmy Award-Winning Supervising Producer
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career?
I have known since I was 7 that I would work in television. I spoke it as a child. So for me, the path was set out. I knew I needed to go and learn about the business and decide which side of the camera I wanted to be on. In front or behind.
Did you go to school?
Yes. Jack Yates School of Communications and the University of St. Thomas. Both in Houston and both gave me the valued learning I needed. I have a BS in Communications
Did you apprentice or intern?
Yes. I did two internships at Fox 26. One of my teachers at UST also worked at Fox TV and she gave me my first internship. After I did that one, I begged to do a second tour. After that internship, I was able to get a job in the newsroom and that set me on my course.
How would you define the work you have done?
Well, I just wrote a book and going back over things in the book helped me realize I have done a lot. I've won three Emmy Awards. One regional and two daytime Emmys, so that has been awesome. I've worked in TV news, court shows, film, reality and talk, so I feel like I am well rounded. I have helped to shape and create a few shows. I love being a TV/film person. This gray hair ain't for nothing.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
Keep plugging. Don't give up on your dream and passion. You will hear a lot of nos, but it’s just the one YES that will set you on your way. I think young kids nowadays give up to easy and go work at Starbucks if they don’t get their dream job after six months. You have to keep at it. Move back in your mom’s house for a while, but keep plugging. Keep hustling, and relationships in this business are EVERYTHING. I still reach out to people I worked with years ago for opportunities or advice. It's like mom said, don't burn your bridges.
Maggi Poorman
Art Director, Houston TX
Columbus Business University, Columbus, Ohio
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career?
I knew someone who knew someone who knew someone. My job was in 1989 with David Berman Films as a shopper, which led to me working on “Blind Fury” assisting the amazing production designer Peter Murton and art director John Myhre (2-time Academy Award Winner) before most of the people in this business were born.
Did you go to school for this?
Not really. Studied fashion design - it’s close.
Did you apprentice or intern?
No.
How would you define the work you have done?
I breathe life into other’s ideas.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
Find a good therapist and put them on speed dial.
Jana Erwin
Founder and Designer, NEST Design Group
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career?
I have been doing interior design since I was a child. I had an unfinished basement in Oklahoma that was my playroom. I painted murals on the walls, had multi-colored carpet samples and old furniture my parents didn’t want anymore, which I would move around and have shows. I took a ceramics class with all the old ladies at my church and taught myself how to arrange flowers. No one in my family has made a decision on their homes since I was about 8 years old. My Mom would take me out of school to go to the home tours in Tulsa. It was never a question of what I would be doing for a career.
Did you go to school?
Yes. I have a BA in interior design.
Did you apprentice or intern?
Yes. To become an “official,” licensed interior designer, you had to intern for two years then take the architectural examination.
How would you define the work you have done?
I have done everything from residential homes to restaurants to dental offices in every style you could imagine. The main thread that defines them all is a unique ability to reflect each individual client and their style.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
You have to love the journey -- not just the result. If you only like install day on a design project but have the six months of work it takes to get there, then you won’t be fulfilled. This goes with any career. You need to love the day-to-day.
Nina Juliano
Writer, Director, Producer
Film, TV & Commercial Production
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career?
I decided to become a career filmmaker when I was accepted into FSU film school. I didn't realize it was such a well-regarded film school until I got there, and they really taught us how to start working in the industry, to hit the ground running. As a kid, I was always into creative things: art, performance, even making movies with my siblings on our dad's Sony camcorder he won at work (he was a Sony salesman for a time!). I took lots of art classes growing up, played the piano for a time, was an avid theatre-goer and performer, and loved creative writing. I studied art history on my study abroad trips at the University of Delaware and was in heaven. I was always drawn to all things creative, and film sort of ties all of those interests together in a perfect package, so now when I look back on it, it was a very natural choice for me to become a writer/director.
Did you go to school for this?
I did. I went to Florida State University, as I mentioned. I graduated with an MFA in film production. For me, studying film was important because there were no opportunities to learn the craft where I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. Living in Delaware, no one was a filmmaker around me - there were no directors or films being made there that I was aware of, I didn't think of it as something I could do as a career until I was in my 20s. In an atmosphere like that, I wouldn't have even known where to begin, where to move, what to start doing to learn how to make professional films. So, studying filmmaking in school felt like the only option for me if I wanted to pursue it as a career. There were a lot of benefits to going to film school. 1. We each made 3-4 short films that were included in the cost of our tuition. 2. I was able to get in-state tuition due to a law called the Academic Common Market, since there were no film schools in Delaware, so I didn't spend a fortune. 3. In school, I was not niched in typical gender role jobs as a female. I was able to study to be a director and not relegated to certain jobs that are usually considered suited for women in the industry. For example, as a woman, when you say you work in the film industry, many people still assume you're a make-up artist or something like that (that's a very respectable and important job, but it's often relegated to women), and they are still surprised to find women who are directors. Little by little, we are chipping away at those sorts of assumptions.
Did you apprentice or intern?
I interned at Focus Features in New York City. It was my favorite film production company, and I was so excited to be there. I met lots of great people during that internship and still keep in touch with some of them! That internship was focused on distribution. So while I learned a ton of stuff about production in school, I was able to round out my knowledge with some training in distribution and how that works through my internship. I always thought Focus did a really great job with their distribution strategies and rollouts, and they still do.
How would you define the work you have done?
The work I have done is a bit eclectic. To survive in this industry, I think it's good to be versatile and adapt to whatever project comes your way. I have had to direct films that are dramatic, comedic, western; I've directed feature documentaries, sketch comedies, even corporate videos. Of course, I also work on commercial and music videos too in various capacities on production teams. My biggest directing successes so far have been in telling stories about the Italian immigrant experience here in the US through documentary and narrative films. This taps into my heritage, so I feel equipped to tell these stories from an authentic perspective. My current goals are to make some films here in Texas and pursue a TV series about an Italian immigrant family.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
My advice is to keep learning, keep practicing, and keep trying. This profession is not for the faint of heart. If you don't think you can stomach 99 rejections for every 1 acceptance, then this isn't the field for you. Think of your failures as stepping stones toward success, as many who have gone before me have advised. I think this is the best advice I've received, so I'd pass that along. Usually, you have to put yourself out there more times and for longer than you can imagine, and continuing on in the face of so much rejection involves a certain degree of delusional confidence and the ability to keep getting back up when you feel knocked down.
Elena Coates
Writer, Producer
Staging Solutions Inc
How did you find yourself in a creative industry career? Did you go to school?
I always wanted to be in a creative job; it’s just more fun. I studied literature and theatre and had worked in professional theaters and arts organizations for almost 15 years when I started partnering with a video production company on theatre education projects.
Did you intern?
In graduate school, I got an internship at a theatre company, which gave me valuable insight into project management, fundraising, marketing, and a host of artistic things – all applicable to production, scriptwriting, directing, etc.
How would you define the work you have done?
The work I do is about connecting people to ideas, ideally in an emotional way.
What advice do you have for the upcoming generation?
As for advice, when I figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I’ll feel better positioned to dispense it; until then, I would say pay attention to what makes you lose track of time, or motivates you to get other things out of the way – that’s where your interest is.