College Experiences That Helped a Content Operations Director at Global Media Company Succeed
To prepare for a career in content operations, Dillan founded a film club in undergrad, focusing on "a thriving community" through collaborative filmmaking. This experience fostered a "give to a relationship" mentality, transferable to Dillan's later work with independent film producers and ultimately their current role.
Collaboration, Community Building, Project Management, Film Production, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Dillan Damodar
Director, Content Operations
Global Media Company
University of California, Irvine
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA, Spring 2024
Economics, Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Built a thriving community through a film club, focusing on collaboration and support rather than solely on the final product.
2. Developed practical filmmaking skills through a 10-week sprint process, covering story development, shooting, and post-production.
3. Emphasized giving and support in professional relationships, transferring the collaborative spirit from the film club to his career, highlighting the importance of collaborative spirit in career success
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set yourself up for success in your career?
As an undergrad, I was very focused on discovering ways to nurture collaboration in film productions. In my case, it was short films, and I wanted to create a thriving community that was supportive of one another.
One of my major initiatives during my undergrad was creating the film club at UC Irvine called Soft Film. We essentially ran a 10-week sprint that coincided with our normal quarter classes, teaching students the round-trip process of short filmmaking.
The first three weeks were dedicated to story development. We broke students up into four teams and handled the writing process. Then, we spent two weeks shooting, and I taught a week-long seminar on post-production and editing.
We ended every quarter with a gala showcase of all the students' works. We didn't focus too much on the final product itself, but more on the experience and the thriving community.
I think that quality, not just being able to organize that club but also to participate in it, really fostered a thriving community on campus. I kind of transferred that right out of undergrad, working with independent film producers. That's how I met my first feature, through those same techniques of being open, available, and supportive to anyone who needed it.
That sort of openness, thinking about what you can give to a professional relationship rather than what you can get, I think can take one a lot further in their careers. That's something I've had since undergrad, and I think it's paid off.