Career Path of a Coordinator Alternative Programming at MACRO
Erika's Northwestern education, secured through a full scholarship, fueled a passion for entertainment despite initial career uncertainty; this led to diverse experiences including internships at Cards Against Humanity and a documentary production company, followed by post-graduation odd jobs before securing a role at William Morris Endeavor, ultimately culminating in their current position as a coordinator at MACRO in nonfiction entertainment—"across unscripted TV, documentary features and podcasting."
Project Management, Networking, Career Development, Overcoming Challenges, Entertainment Industry
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erika Rodriguez
Coordinator, Alternative Programming
MACRO
Northwestern University, 2020
N/A
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Creative
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. "While attending Northwestern University, Erika developed strong organizational and project management skills by producing student short films and undertaking various internships."
2. "Her internships at companies like Cards Against Humanity and a documentary production company provided diverse experiences, though not all directly in scripted entertainment, which helped her realize her interest in nonfiction entertainment."
3. "After graduating during the pandemic, Erika's proactive networking and willingness to take on various jobs, including an apprenticeship and odd tasks, enabled her to move to LA and secure a position at William Morris Endeavor (WME), a pivotal step in her career path."
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, any internships, or jobs you had before your current role.
I graduated college in 2020 from Northwestern University on a full-ride scholarship. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have been able to afford college.
Because of the pressure to study something I was passionate about, I always had an interest in television, movies, and entertainment overall. I knew I wanted to work in that space but never thought it could be a career because I didn't know anyone in that field or anyone who had succeeded in it.
Northwestern played a large part in helping me realize my potential and that others could also do this job and make money. That was the crux of how I ended up on my career path.
In college, I had strong organizational skills and was good at rallying people. I was also good at project management, seeing something from beginning to completion. I produced many student short films while also doing college internships.
I worked for companies like Cards Against Humanity, a communications company, and a small documentary production company. These experiences gave me a lot of different exposure. Ultimately, none were in the scripted world because I wanted to work in nonfiction entertainment.
I graduated college during Covid, which was not ideal. Everything froze at that point. I took a year to save money and work odd jobs, including being an apprentice to a pastry chef, working at Target, and doing various TaskRabbit jobs.
My lease was ending, and I saw an opportunity to move to LA. Thanks to my Northwestern education, I was able to reach out to people I met through college. I couch-surfed and got my feet on the ground.
I then started working at a talent agency called William Morris Endeavor, or WME, the oldest talent agency in Hollywood. I worked there for a year. After that, I knew I didn't want to be an agent, so I left.
That's how I ended up at my current company, where I am a coordinator/junior executive in nonfiction entertainment, working across unscripted TV, documentary features, and podcasting.