College Experiences That Helped An Independent Media Professional Succeed
Willa's undergraduate success stemmed from embracing opportunities, even low-paying ones, to learn and network, emphasizing the importance of "putting yourself around people that have shared goals," and building lasting relationships with peers. This proactive approach, despite acknowledging exploitation in some early experiences, allowed for valuable skill development and the establishment of a strong professional network.
Networking, Career Development, Opportunity Seeking, Relationship Building, Collaboration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Willa Cutolo
Independent Media
Independent Organization
UCLA
N/A
English, Writing & Education, English
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Take every opportunity to learn, even if it doesn't pay well. This allows for experimentation and skill development.
2. Network with people who share your goals and build strong relationships with those you want to continue working with. These connections can lead to future opportunities and collaborations.
3. Be enthusiastic about the success of your peers. Maintaining positive relationships will prevent resentment and foster a supportive professional environment.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I definitely attribute a lot of the success I have now to the decisions that I made as an undergraduate student. Being in college at all is such an immense privilege, and being able to connect with so many people who are going to go on and make their own marks on this world, especially at a school like UCLA, where everyone is pretty top-notch at what they do. Really putting myself out there and taking every opportunity I could find to learn was super helpful.
Also, I put myself around people who had shared goals. Once I took up photography more formally, I started going to photography club, which I don't really think is a thing anymore. I think now it's like the film and both society, which was a thing back at that time as well. The photo club, I think, was more like, "We are doing photography," not motion or anything else.
And as I mentioned earlier, I just never said no to an opportunity. If you have the luxury of time, and you don't have to make rent every month, and you're new, it's okay if you take something that isn't the best paying, or if you do things because they're fun for people that you care about. There's a very fine line you have to tread because I leaned into that too hard.
There were many opportunities where I was exploited, and those sting. Those still sting when I think about them. However, I think about a random party at the Echoplex that someone I met on set at a hair photoshoot referred me to. I made 50 bucks; it covered my ride there and back. But honestly, it was fun. I had a good time and I learned in that environment.
If someone's going to pay $0, and there are really little expectations for what they're going to get, take that opportunity to experiment. Take that opportunity to learn and try something new. If you're taking low-paying gigs and you're just going through the motions, then you're not really getting out of them what you should for the price you're doing them at.
So, definitely saying yes to everything, putting yourself around people that have shared goals, and most importantly, build relationships with people that you want to keep in your life. I know that for my generation and for people who graduated in the years following when lockdown hit, there were a lot of people and friends that I had that I would've loved to keep getting closer to and kept getting to know. But the onset of COVID really, really shut that down.
And now, granted, we're still living in a COVID world, as we will forever. Lockdown and stuff looks different now. Hopefully, there isn't a situation where we have to go back to something like that. So, build those relationships with people that you want to keep in your life, that you want to keep working with, because this is the time where you're going to be around them the most.
It's exciting to watch your peers go off and do incredible things. It's important to be excited about that, be happy about that, because if you aren't, you really run the risk of becoming bitter and resentful. So, the big three: be around the people that share the same goals that you do. Take every opportunity to learn, even if it doesn't pay the best. And invest in the people around you right now that you want to keep around in perpetuity.