Career Path of a Story Associate Producer at Pilgrim Media Group
Dannia's career path, beginning with a film library work-study job at NYU and a BBC internship, unexpectedly led to a first job in LA through a "friend of a friend" connection after "talking to everyone" about opportunities. Now a Story Associate Producer on "Wicked Tuna" and its spin-off, Dannia's current role involves reviewing and categorizing footage from the season's filming to select material for episodes.
Networking, Media Production, Television Production, Film Production, Job Search Strategies
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Dannia Alfonso
Story Associate Producer
Pilgrim Media Group
NYU - Tisch School of the Arts
UCLA Anderson - MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Dannia's career path highlights a strong emphasis on networking and utilizing unexpected opportunities. She leveraged a seemingly insignificant work-study job into her first professional role through a connection made with a former colleague.
2. Her BBC internship provided invaluable real-world experience in the television industry, showcasing the benefit of seeking international opportunities.
3. Dannia's journey demonstrates persistence and adaptability; even after facing periods of inconsistent work, her determination landed her a Story Associate Producer position at Pilgrim Media Group. This highlights the importance of perseverance in a competitive field like television production.
Transcript
Hello, could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had prior to your current role. Specifically, how did you land that first job?
It's actually a pretty great connection how I landed the first job out here. I went to film school at NYU and took a work-study job because I couldn't afford the very expensive private school.
I worked in the film library, mostly checking out DVDs to professors and scripts to students. I interacted with professors and students all the time, and everyone knew me because I had very bright red hair, so I was easy to spot.
I did an internship study abroad with the BBC, which was a wonderful experience. I was very lucky because only eight people got to do that program. I took classes at the BBC Academy in London and then worked on a show that eventually got canceled while I was there.
That real-world experience, especially with a classic TV institution, really helped when I graduated. I knew immediately that I wanted to move to LA because that's where TV everything's happening. I started talking to everyone I knew to see if they knew anybody out in LA.
Funny enough, a girl I worked with in the film library knew a friend of hers who was looking for an assistant at a production company. She forwarded my resume. I had an interview on a Friday and started on Monday. That's how I got my first job out here.
That was kind of my work-study projection. I didn't really do any other internships or anything professional besides that BBC internship my junior year. I moved out in the summer of 2011, and it took me a while before I landed this job.
I started working this job in February, a little less than six months later. I worked a little on day playing jobs, maybe a day as a PA on a show here or there, but nothing consistent. The assistant job was my first real consistent job, and it was through a friend of a friend. Amazing.
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