Career Path of an Assistant Operations Coordinator at Ventana Productions

I started out as a theater major at Oklahoma City University. It's a great, competitive theater program that really focuses on theater specifically, not so much film and TV. They have a smaller film program there.

At the end of my sophomore year, I realized I wanted to work in film or TV. I wasn't sure which, but I knew that being in Oklahoma probably wouldn't open those doors. So, I transferred to LMU.

In the summer before starting at LMU, I did a small production internship for my local TV station in Prescott, Arizona, called AZTV Channel 7. They do small segments, cooking shows, and very small cable stuff for a small town. But they taught me the basics of production: how to use a camera, wrap cables, set up lights, and be a good onset PA.

Then I started at LMU. Their theater program is great and allows you to explore all aspects of the theater and entertainment industry. While there, I took classes like screenwriting and stage management, and became more involved on the production side, not just acting.

I also attended a few alumni events. While I don't remember the name of one, I had the opportunity to network and meet LMU alums looking for interns. I interned with McCaffrey Talent Management and Valerie McCaffrey Casting – my first big LA internship. It was a huge experience, from sending pitches to casting companies and submitting actors for jobs, to being a reader for a feature film's callbacks.

From there, I thought maybe I should work in casting. I liked being involved and had experience as an actor communicating with others. I graduated in December 2020, which was a difficult time. I chose to graduate a semester early to avoid more virtual school.

After graduating, I moved to Virginia, right outside DC, to follow my now-husband for a role he was offered. While there, I worked various jobs, including at Pete's Coffee and dog walking, until I had the opportunity to work in TV. I got this opportunity by cold-calling and cold-emailing casting directors in the area.

I started working in background casting in Virginia, as there were many shows being filmed there. It's a surprisingly large film industry, though they're quiet about it. I worked in background casting for about a year and a half until I got burnt out; it's a very challenging industry to do remotely.

After that, I took a step back and started consulting with actors, helping them become more hireable in the DC area. I noticed many actors didn't know the basics, like having a proper headshot instead of sending pictures of their food. I worked on that for about a year.

At the beginning of 2023, I realized I wanted to get back into production. I had spoken with mentors who worked in producing, and given I'm very type A and like having a vision, I felt it made sense. I liked casting, but I didn't have creative say and wasn't as involved.

This opportunity with Ventana Productions came up through a Facebook film group. Local Facebook film groups can be super helpful when you're just starting out. I was initially hired as a part-time operations and billing assistant in January 2023. About five months later, I moved back to California and am still working there, now as the assistant operations coordinator.