As a kid growing up in central Connecticut, Stefan Stankevich saw the media and entertainment industry as an unattainable dream. “It was just a lone interest I had that I tried to pursue,” he confessed in a recent FUTURE NOW Leadership Talk. He didn’t know anyone who shared his interest in video editing, much less worked in the industry in any capacity. Still, he was drawn to filmmaking. In high school, he received a Hi8 camera as a gift. Inspired by the television show Jackass, he began filming content with his friends and editing it in his bedroom. “That show, beyond the crudeness of it, really did inspire me to want to make people laugh,” Stankevich said, and that drive is what has led his career from the WWE to becoming an Executive Producer at Nickelodeon to now working as a creative consultant. Stankevich majored in film studies and TV production at Manhattanville College, where he also minored in history. A career working with film and television “was a dream, but I never thought it’d become a reality,” he said. The early steps of Stankevich’s career didn’t exactly go as planned. After college, he moved to New York with the intention of becoming a production assistant on the set of Law and Order. “I signed a lease in New York, I called my contact who was on that crew, and sure enough, they had left the show and gone on to something else,” he said. With no other connections to the Law and Order crew, Stankevich had to find another way to pay his rent and got a job at Home Depot. He finally got his big break at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), working as a production assistant, a job he describes as “very hands-on.” He was editing live video clips from the wrestling matches that would be posted on the WWE website and on YouTube, while also grabbing lunches and coffees for the crew. His “first real accolade” was as the main producer of an episodic web show called The Dirt Sheet, which featured the wrestlers The Miz and John Morrison. “I was the only producer on the team who was constantly talking to the guys on the road, and getting their creative ideas, and then actually implementing them in the edit,” he recalled. “That really skyrocketed me into other responsibilities at the company.” He gradually climbed the WWE ranks. “My favorite title there was Senior Associate Producer,” he said. “Those two words, senior and associate, don’t really appear next to each other too often.” But the job was a step up in responsibility, nonetheless, and Stankevich continued to create content for the brand. After 11 years at WWE, Stankevich took a job at Viacom (now Paramount) within the Nickelodeon brand. He joined the team at Viacom Digital Studios (VDS), creating content for social media and YouTube. The team grew rapidly as VDS developed. Stankevich admitted that he originally hadn’t seen himself moving beyond the role of “editor.” It never crossed his mind that he might be capable of leading a team or being in a management role. However, as the team at Viacom grew, Stankevich identified a need for more localized leadership to work in tandem with their Executive Producer. He took the helm, reviewing all work, creating content briefs for the channels they worked with, and checking in with each coworker—all without a management title. “People may not want to believe it,” he said, “but it’s very true–you have to do the job before you get the position.” He continued to work as a manager for several years before he was officially given the title. “In order to grow, you need to find something that needs fostering. Find something where a band-aid hasn’t been applied, and figure out what that band-aid is, and then use that as your ‘I figured this out’ moment.” He added that it can be difficult to identify these needs in a digital world. “Don’t wait for those opportunities to come to you,” he added, “because more often than not they likely won’t; you’re going to have to find them on your own. Especially at work, never identify a problem without a solution. Or two.” As a leader, Stankevich sought to ensure that everyone had a seat at the table, especially the creative team, who are not usually included in executive conversations. Further, he sought to “make sure that morale, mental health, work/life balance… is recognized, talked about, and acknowledged.” Stankevich credited his boss at Nickelodeon, John Pagano, as the first to really trust him and his ideas. Stankevich developed a new confidence and realized the value of having coworkers who not only value you, but help you grow. “Sharpening that confidence is not something that can happen overnight. And that’s really what he taught me the most… You have to be open, you have to be honest.” As Executive Producer of the Unscripted Digital Studio at Nickelodeon and the Animation and Editorial Director, Stankevich sat at the helm of a large team of editors for Nickelodeon's animation social media channels. He worked with shows such as SpongeBob, The Loud House, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more. Stankevich is currently working as a creative consultant with various brands and has started down a new path of creating generative AI video advertisements for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) campaigns. “Your career should never be a straight line,” he said. You're going to find things you’re good at, and you're going to pursue that, and you're going to find some things that are best left for others… But really it’s finding the right people.” Reflecting on his path, Stankevich mused, “Be open to change… The only constant in this industry is change… You have to be ready to pivot… to adapt to every day.”

I’ve always been a storyteller. Though my first-grade folktale “How the Crab Turned Red” didn’t skyrocket me to Pulitzer success, it sparked in me a passion for writing that has led me to delve deep into playwriting, poetry, and comedy sketches. I’ve discovered that the stories we share can inspire wonder and connection, allowing us to consider a more united future beyond the world we currently inhabit. Whether through deft comedy or riveting drama, to share that sense of curiosity with the world is a dream I hold dear. The 10th annual FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference was an incredible opportunity to network with industry leaders who have dedicated their lives to that very dream. The mentoring sessions and spontaneous conversations that I had over the three days only deepened my resolve to pursue an entertainment career. It was inspiring to have one-on-one conversations with executives across TV and news, who helped to shed light on the state of the industry and their circuitous paths to success. I learned that I don’t have to have everything figured out right now, and that what’s most important is embracing the journey forward with a positive, resilient attitude. I particularly enjoyed listening to the mentorship panel discussion between FUTURE NOW alumnus Lemuel Greaves and his mentor, Lars Bengston, Head of Agency at HardScope. They were matched for the FUTURE NOW Mentoring Program and have since developed an enduring friendship. Lars spoke candidly about struggles and frustrations early in his career, and the importance of never giving up and always having a steadfast belief in yourself. He encouraged the audience to figure out what you want to do, to put every ounce of effort into making it a reality, whatever it is. I am determined to maintain this mindset as I navigate the twists and turns of my career and the ever-evolving industry. Having just finished my sophomore year at Williams College and realizing that in a couple of years I’ll leave the comforts of college to chart my own path, this conference has instilled me with the confidence that through dedication, hard work, and a supportive network, I can pave my way into a career in entertainment. Beyond the wealth of information I gained from the speeches and mentoring sessions, my mind keeps returning to the NBC Studio Tour. Walking through the storied halls of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the home of SNL, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers, I was enraptured by the decades of television history before me. For a moment, time stood still. To access this space, to walk these halls, and recognize that it is possible to be a part of such a legacy, emblazoned my passion for the field. After attending the FUTURE NOW Conference, I feel inspired to take my first steps forward into entertainment with courage, enthusiasm, and wonder. I am a proud member of the FUTURE NOW Class of 2026.

Walking into 3 Times Square before the start of the first day of the FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference, I was greeted by rows of empty chairs in the 16th-floor conference room. Just an hour later, the room would be filled with students from across the country, all eager to learn from the professionals who would share their experiences. The opening workshop, led by Pasquale Bisecco, Senior Director of HR Transformation at Sysco, started with a simple exercise. He asked everyone to raise their hands if they had ever been asked to do something they had never done before. Nearly every hand went up. Then, he asked how many had felt fully confident going in. Almost every hand came down. Pasquale Bisecco, Senior Director, HR Transformation at Sysco, leads the opening workshop Though the participants spanned from college students to professionals with decades of experience, it was reassuring to see the shared uncertainty we had all previously felt. Bisecco framed this not as something to overcome, but rather as a condition under which growth happens. He then encouraged us to seek stretch opportunities, explaining that nothing develops adaptability faster than experiences that slightly exceed your current capability. Almost immediately, I was given the chance to put that idea into practice. Within the hour, I found myself in a speed mentoring session, seated with industry leaders and fellow students, some returning for their fourth year and others who, like me, were attending for the first time. Though the conversations moved quickly, there was much to learn from everyone at the table, not just the mentors. While the students around me were exploring paths spanning from music, writing, and education, the lessons being shared still felt universally applicable. As we spoke with professionals who had spent decades in media and marketing, many of whom had shifted between industries, they shared their experiences adapting to technologies that hadn't existed when they started, and built careers that looked nothing like what they had first imagined, providing proof that navigating any career requires the same curiosity and willingness to figure things out as you go. That thread of adaptability ran through the rest of the conference as well. Lily Panchasarp, VP of Multimedia Sales at The Walt Disney Company During the panels the following day, speakers shared experiences about moving across the country, taking pay cuts, and pivoting in directions they hadn't anticipated, all out of a willingness to keep moving forward. Even the conversations around artificial intelligence pointed back to the same idea. While many panels circled back to the concerns associated with the rise of artificial intelligence, speakers highlighted the importance of staying curious and utilizing the benefits of the new technology. Specifically, one panelist described AI as a super-tool that can be wielded by humans, who remain the superheroes. That analogy was particularly insightful, as even though AI continues to reshape the media landscape, the true power lies in staying adaptable enough to shift alongside the changing environment. As Bisecco had said in the opening workshop, your network is not built when you need something but through the connections you build over time. Over the course of three days, the conversations, panels, and media tours brought that idea to life. Nearly two hundred attendees filled the conference, and every student I connected with was driven, motivated, and curious about where their path might lead. Even the mentors who guided us had not arrived at their careers with everything figured out either. They had simply kept showing up to new relationships, unexpected opportunities, and unfamiliar rooms. While I came to the conference thinking I needed more direction before I could really benefit from an experience like this, I was left with the understanding that direction is often something you find through action. You do not wait until you are ready. Instead, you keep moving, keep learning, and keep building relationships.

In June, I attended the FUTURE NOW Media Conference for the first time as both a student and a volunteer. The event lasted just three days, but I left feeling I had cracked open a new well of understanding of something that had eluded me for the longest time. I came with preconceptions of what success, networking, and working in the entertainment industry looked like, and what it meant to ask for mentorship from people who seemed so established in their positions in the industry and in life. As a filmmaker and rising senior at Williams College, I also came in with a cloud of uncertainty about my own future, as the media industry has been in constant evolution and facing challenges. I won’t pretend that I left the conference with these preconceptions and anxieties completely lifted from my mind. However, every peer interaction, speed mentoring session, panel, keynote conversation, and media tour helped me develop the mindset I needed to chip away at my doubts and transform my anxieties into something actionable. My favorite parts of the conference were the intimate group speed mentoring sessions and the peer-to-peer networking that occurred during breaks and meals. On the first day, we were split into groups and got the opportunity to connect with different industry professionals in thirty-minute increments. Despite the brevity, the mentors were warm, open, and so willing to speak about their experiences in the industry, offer advice to us in the early stages of our careers, and answer our specific questions about the tribulations they’d experienced in their lines of work across the years. One of my favorite mentors who spoke with our group was Tyra Hanshaw, a creative production leader. Generous and witty with her responses, I appreciated how frank she was about the difficulties of working as a freelance creative, but also insistent on the impact and value her work brought to the spaces and communities she was a part of. One of the most insightful and uplifting pieces of advice she gave our group was “don’t worry about logistics, find opportunities”. She emphasized the flexibility we were all capable of at our ages and urged us to strive openly towards what we wanted at this stage in our careers; everything else would fall into place. All of the mentors I had the opportunity to speak with offered so much wisdom: Stuart Feldman, Patalia Tate, Brendan Kneeland, Brad Samuels, Dana Sohn, among others, and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow from our short interactions. Speaking with the other students at the event was another highlight of the conference for me. Connections and collaboration are the bedrock of filmmaking, and over the course of the three days, I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak to other filmmakers who were also navigating their own journeys in a competitive industry. Because of the lack of a film major at my school, it’s often been difficult to broaden my filmmaking network and build creative connections. The conference offered me an opportunity to connect with people who had similar passions and backgrounds to mine, who were also looking for consistent collaborators to uplift one another’s projects in a multitude of ways. I’m very excited about the LinkedIn connections, Instagram exchanges, and email swaps I ended up with after three days: hopeful future filmmaking partners. All in all, the FUTURE NOW conference has offered me an invaluable experience that is merely the beginning of a long journey. A glimpse of what’s to come and the mindset and community I can draw from as I navigate my way through.

I entered my first FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference expecting to gain valuable insights, and I certainly did. My notebook is full of next steps to take and skills to develop. Further, I’ve been immersed in a rapidly formed but strong and sustaining community of like-minded peers who are eager to support one another and watch each other succeed. I learned about the muscles that early professionals in the media and entertainment industry should develop; the value of adaptability in an ever-shifting world; the importance of service, hard work, and taking full advantage of every opportunity you can get your hands on; and how vital it is to be kind in the process. These lessons were empowering, and the connections I made were even more so. In every keynote and mentor conversation I had, I noticed a distinct throughline. Each speaker, successful in their own right, had the ability to convey their story and advice in a compelling, clear way. In a conversation with Louis Henry Mitchell on the first day of the conference, he emphasized the importance of storytelling and associated it with the idea that to succeed, you must continue to drill your fundamentals. I found that story drives everything, in every industry, at every point. In team settings, storytelling aligns with communication, necessary for the effective sharing of ideas and the creation of content that resonates. There's also the story of a brand. Marketers and advertisers craft stories about their brands to appeal to a given audience. In terms of one’s personal brand, we discussed how reputation precedes resume, and how our actions and words travel farther than we might expect. We shape how our work ethic and personality are conveyed from person to person, and I think this balances on the story we tell about ourselves, both externally and internally. Interviews, for example, require us to tell our personal story compellingly. We need to be concise with our past, our goals, and our experiences, and be clear about what makes us who we are. We should have clarity regarding the story that we want to tell about ourselves. What motivates us? What are we reaching for, and why? As a writer, I was selfishly delighted to find that what I love most seemed to be an integral part of the industry. Leaving the conference, I realized that despite the uncertainty of being at this stage of life, there is plenty within our control as young adults entering the workforce. No matter the circumstances, we as creatives can tell compelling stories and work hard to get them told.

This year’s FUTURE NOW Media and Entertainment Conference opened with a networking workshop led by Pasquale Bisecco, who asked us to write down a challenge we wanted to overcome or something we wanted to accomplish over the next three days. I looked down at my notebook and wrote: “How do I even begin to learn and dive into the abyss of knowledge without so much as a map or compass to figure it out?” I quickly realized that while I had left last year’s conference understanding that it was okay not to have everything figured out, I was still waiting for someone to tell me what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. So, I showed up to the first day of this year’s conference with a journal full of targeted questions and what I told myself was a plan, but in reality, I was walking in the same fear dressed up in business casual. What followed over the next three days wasn’t a direct answer, but something built piece by piece through every speaker and mentor FUTURE NOW brought into the space. Again and again, I heard from people who had pivoted, recalibrated, hit walls, and kept going—not because they had a perfect plan, but because they stayed anchored to a sense of purpose and remained willing to evolve and learn. By the end of the first day, I sat down with my journal and found the clarity I hadn’t been able to access earlier. I had been so used to following a certain set of steps or scripts that I had convinced myself this was all I could do. But the mentors, through their honesty about setbacks as well as their successes, reminded me that the script isn’t handed to you. You write it. For the first time, I let myself explore the question I had been avoiding: what do I actually want to build toward? The answer was so simple, it almost freaked me out. I want to work with stories, helping connect the people they come from with the people they reach. I want to be part of work that uses storytelling not only to entertain, but also to create understanding. I finally had clarity on what I wanted to do, but I still didn’t have the step-by-step answer for how to move forward. That was where the next day of the conference met me. NYC MOME’s Thavary Krouch’s reminder that generosity and character bring you back, Disney Advertising’s Lily Panchasarp’s advice to let your work ethic speak before you do, and NBC News Anchor Savannah Sellers’s call to balance the job in front of you with the work you feel called to do made intentionality feel less like a perfect plan and more like a practice. What made that practical advice land so deeply was that it was connected to a larger sense of purpose. Peggy Kim’s opening speech on the second day framed leadership as rooted in service, asking: What kind of leader do I want to be? What kind of leader do we need? Who am I in service of? Later, VERSANT’s Roy Cho’s reminder that “your life is malleable” helped me trust that my path toward that purpose doesn’t have to be fixed to be meaningful. Last year, I left with permission to be uncertain. This year, I left knowing how to move through that uncertainty. I used to think intentionality was preparation: the targeted questions, the LinkedIn research, and the five-year plan. What I understand now is that it’s something much quieter and harder: being deliberate in what you do, how you do it, and who you do it with. To 20-year-old me, it means no longer feigning fluency in conversations with professionals, but asking the questions I actually have. It means signing up for newsletters, paying closer attention to the industry and the trends shaping it, and treating curiosity as a practice rather than proof that I am already fluent. I don’t have all the answers or the industry vocabulary yet. I’m probably nowhere close to having it figured out. But I know what I care about, and it turns out that can be enough to take the next step. Because at the heart of every story are people, and behind every story are people, too. Being someone who genuinely shows up for both isn’t a gap in my plan. It is the plan. This year’s FUTURE NOW Conference didn’t give me the map I thought I needed. It gave me something better: the courage to trust my own direction, and a community of people who reminded me why the destination matters.

Attending the 2026 FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference as both a volunteer and student was one of the most eye-opening, impactful professional experiences I have had so far. As someone who is new to the media and entertainment industry, I was not entirely sure what to expect going into the conference or even where I fit within such a massive field. But reflecting on it now, I can confidently say that the conference completely changed the way I view both the industry and my own future within it. One of the things that surprised me most was getting to see everything that happens behind the scenes to make an event like FUTURE NOW possible. As a volunteer, I helped with a variety of tasks throughout the first two days, setting up tables, directing attendees, and helping maintain the flow of different events. While these responsibilities may seem small, they gave me a new appreciation for the coordination, teamwork, and dedication required to create a meaningful experience. It was incredibly rewarding to know that I was contributing, even in a small way, to something much larger than myself. More than anything, it reminded me that great accomplishments such as this are always the result of people coming together and supporting one another in any way they can. In many ways, I think this perfectly embodies what FUTURENOW is all about. Throughout the conference, mentors, volunteers, and staff were all committed to helping one another succeed. As someone who is still finding my path, being surrounded by that kind of generosity and encouragement was incredibly powerful. It reminded me that success is rarely achieved alone and that some of the most meaningful opportunities come from people who are willing to believe in and invest in others. Another highlight of the conference was getting to know the other interns and volunteers. Everyone came from different backgrounds and had different goals, yet we all shared a common excitement about being there. Hearing everyone’s journeys and aspirations made the experience feel even more meaningful and reminded me of how valuable it is to be surrounded by people who are equally eager to learn and grow. The mentorship opportunities were undoubtedly one of the most impactful parts of the conference for me. Before attending FUTURE NOW, I viewed companies like Disney, Netflix, and Paramount as big and inaccessible. But through conversations with mentors, I learned about the countless roles and career paths that exist in those organizations. There were roles I had never heard of before, and learning about them expanded my understanding of what a career in this industry could actually look like. One of my favorite moments from the conference happened unexpectedly during lunch. Another volunteer and I were helping direct attendees when a mentor recognized us from a previous speed mentoring session and stopped to ask how we were enjoying the conference. What started as a simple conversation quickly turned into a discussion regarding the NBA Finals and upcoming World Cup. While it was not necessarily a career-focused conversation, it ended up being one of the most memorable interactions I had. It made me realize that mentors are not intimidating people who have everything figured out, but they are people who genuinely enjoy connecting with others like ourselves. That interaction helped me feel much more comfortable approaching mentors and starting conversations throughout the rest of the conference. Perhaps my biggest takeaway from FUTURE NOW was hearing how non-linear so many successful careers actually are. I do not think there was a single mentor I met who had followed a perfectly planned path to where they are today. Almost everyone shared stories about uncertainty, unexpected opportunities, career changes, mistakes, and moments when they had no idea what their next step would be. As someone who often worries about not having a clear plan for the future, hearing these stories was incredibly reassuring. It reminded me that you do not need to have everything figured out right away. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is continue learning, remain open to new opportunities, and trust that each experience is helping guide you toward where you are meant to be. Overall, attending the 2026 FUTURE NOW conference was a truly transformative experience. It expanded my understanding of the industry, introduced me to incredible mentors and peers, and gave me a new sense of confidence in myself and my future. Most importantly, it reminded me that uncertainty is not something to fear, as it is often where growth begins. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this experience, and I hope that one day I can give back to future students in the same way that so many mentors gave back to me.

The 2026 FUTURE NOW Media and Entertainment conference was undoubtedly a life-changing experience for me as an aspiring creative. On day one, I entered the event lobby, unsure of what my future held, knowing only that I wanted to create meaningful media with powerful people. On the third day, I left my last media tour knowing that with enough hard work, I would find my place in the industry. I’m grateful to have discovered the conference through my school, Williams College, and its career center. I was hesitant, knowing I would have to make the trek from my home in Las Vegas, Nevada, all the way to New York City, but when I met with FUTURE NOW Founder Peggy Kim, she assured me it was possible and that I should not let any obstacles keep me from this opportunity. After having attended the conference, I now understand how right she was. Her encouragement and advice to seize the opportunity inspired me. With the help of funding from my school and the travel stipend that FUTURE NOW provides, I was able to travel to New York City with my mom, something we hardly ever have the chance to do. Contents of the conference aside, it was incredibly refreshing to be surrounded by like-minded students and mentors. I learned something from every conversation I had. Even being in New York City inspired me as I began to truly imagine a world for myself after graduation. The environment of the conference alone was incredible, and the best and most valuable part of the three days to me was the speed mentoring sessions. Before learning about FUTURE NOW, I knew no one in the industry. I had no connections and no means of getting them. During the speed mentoring sessions, I was able to speak directly to professionals who work at Paramount, AMC, and NBC. I went from having no network to a plentiful one. I learned about jobs I had never heard of before. My LinkedIn went from deserted to desirable. I was pleasantly surprised at how accessible the mentors were and how eager they were to help me and all of the other attendees. Their help extended further into day two, where I learned so much from each of the panels. Seeing students who were in my position only one or two years earlier moderate a discussion with influential people in the industry was so encouraging. I learned about what recruiters are looking for and what my resume should look like, especially in the ever-changing world of AI. I learned about the NBC Page Program, and now I am planning to apply after my senior year. I was even given a tour of NBC Studios, where they film SNL and Seth Meyers. I left that tour feeling inspired to become a writer and work in 30 Rock one day. After just a short, three-day experience, I feel like I have a head start on my dreams. The FUTURE NOW conference helped me understand my worth, and it levels the playing field for students like myself around the country.

I signed up for the FUTURE NOW Media and Entertainment Conference this year in the hopes of learning how to make my dream of becoming a TV/Film writer a reality. But what I took away from those 3 days was much more than that. I learned that this industry is a complex organism, ever-growing and changing, and there is not one way to achieve your goals. The people volunteering their time and energy to speak and mentor at the conference revealed that behind the curtain of the shifting entertainment landscape, there are people like them who want to see what students like me are capable of and are rooting for us to do our best work. I came into the conference as a ball of anxiety, worried about making a good impression on the people who might someday decide whether or not to give me a job. I feel as though I left knowing that, although it is a competitive job market out there, these were caring people. My first mentor during the speed mentoring sessions was Eric de Cholnoky, Executive Vice President of Distribution & Business Development for AMC Global Media. He began by asking us what we had been watching on TV recently and where we were watching it. I was awed by his warmth and friendliness and that of the other mentors, but more importantly, by their interest in sharing what they knew with us, and the role we played in the conversation. I came through the doors of FUTURE NOW, seeing myself as a child who would be awkwardly vying for the attention of these adults. Despite their years of experience and accomplishments, none of the mentors and speakers I spoke with ever made me feel that way. Instead, they were genuinely interested in what I had to say or in what I had to ask. Maybe it sounds dramatic, but I felt as if some imagined wall was coming down. Stuart Feldman, another mentor and a writer/producer for television, explained that he had first gotten into writing because a cameraman on the show he was working on heard one of his ideas and told him he had to pitch it; he hadn’t really considered doing that before then. What I learned from stories like his and from the repeated mantra of “talk to people,” “reach out,” “make connections and make them last,” was that these people had gotten where they were by building the networks around them. Not just in the job hunt sense of the word, but in the idea that they had made friends and connections that supported them throughout their careers and lives. These “industry giants" were also very willing to share their knowledge about the industry. The conference opened the doors for this kind of community building. It was more than networking. Suzanne Persechino, Senior Vice President of Revenue Research at A+E Global Media, told us that her favorite part of her job is getting to work with teams and finding the perfect people to do every job. This kind of “network” is about more than just reaching some imagined apex. I was looking around at the people who had come to learn at this conference just as I had. Some were marketing majors; others had just finished semesters studying cinematography. All of them had a desire to create, but they were also relying on each other to break in and be a part of this industry. Talking to all of the mentors, whether they were on the business side of the industry or the creative one, I learned that everyone has a part to play in the production of art, so making real, valuable connections—not just as a way to find a job—is the best way to ensure that you become a valuable player.

It was my first time at the FUTURE NOW Media and Entertainment Conference, and I didn’t know what to expect. The promise of industry leaders at my fingertips felt almost too good to be true. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that promise come to life: these mentors, firmly established in their careers, with jobs and kids and many other things to worry about, were conscientious and invested in all of us students, and took the time to share a great deal about their own experiences with us to help guide us. I was impressed by the diversity of mentors and conference attendees, and I learned a great deal over the three days. As a student at a liberal arts college, I had never met anyone with multiple pre-professional majors like business, marketing, or advertising, and I was quite inspired by the clarity my peers had about their career paths. Every mentor I met at the conference was eager to impart wisdom and discover more about my interests. I was touched by their thoughtful and engaged energy, even after a long day of networking with students. My favorite part of the conference was discovering how different people found their path to the media industry. After speaking with so many people with pre-professional majors, I had become convinced that my prospective major of sociology was impractical for the media careers represented at the conference. That is, until I went on the media tour at Google and spoke to someone who had two degrees in sociology. I was pleased to see that the analytical lenses of the discipline could be applied to jobs like his, analyzing Google’s data to improve the experiences of the users of tech and entertainment services. It was inspiring to hear him share about how the tech industry is building anti-racist systems. I think it’s difficult to comprehend what the day-to-day of many jobs looks like — especially those in the media and entertainment industry. That’s why I valued my media tours so much: they allowed me to understand what a job at Good Morning America or Google would feel like. Our host at Google, Jane Park, invited us to eat lunch in their cafeteria before our tour and panel, and it was a highlight of the trip to get our complimentary drinks and food and see employees chatting next to us at the long wooden tables. The cafeteria was incredibly crowded, which Park said is the norm, and it was nice to see how welcoming and social the work environment was. It was also incredibly fun to see the people behind a product I consume in my day-to-day life, like the fact that the guy managing the Good Morning America set has a New York accent (shout out to Eddie Luisi!).

Ever since middle school, the media industry and filmmaking, for me, have meant being on a set, holding the camera, thinking about framing, lighting, blocking, and all the hands-on production elements that bring a project to life. In high school, I was super involved in that world, focusing on cinematography, and I had my path locked onto film school. Instead, I ended up at a liberal college, which has been amazing in so many ways. But I have often wondered whether I took myself off a passionate path without ever fully giving it a chance. Especially as a rising senior now, thoughts of, “Wait, did I actually mess up by not pursuing a much more direct and straightforward route?” Because I already knew that I would be working in New York City for the summer, the FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference caught my attention easily when I first learnt about it from an email sent by my school’s career center. It felt like a perfect opportunity to connect with an industry that had long been the center of my interests while also exploring it from a much more professional perspective. I wanted to see whether there is still a place for me in this industry, even if my path into it seemed more obscure than I once intended. Looking back, I didn’t expect that going to the Conference would be as personally meaningful as it was. It was quite eye-opening for me. Even the name of the conference reminded me that the industry is not just “film” and “content” in the narrow sense. It is so much more. There are so many people doing crucial work behind and around productions, whether it's producing, development, business, distribution, strategy, talent, marketing, and all the other roles that keep the wheels turning. Getting to meet and hear from people who support productions in all these different ways reassured me that there are many paths into this industry, and that not all of them require me to fit into one specific conception of a “filmmaker.” In a weirdly comforting way, the conference gave me a glimpse into how the sausage gets made. It made the industry feel infinitely vast, but paradoxically more accessible. Instead of feeling like I had to choose to commit to being a pure creative or a more logistical-minded person, the conference was a reminder of how those aspects actually work together. It also directed my attention to the process of how different projects actually happen, the leaders that bring people together, find the resources, make the calls, and turn ideas into something real. Practically, I also left with real connections with whom I have already followed up for advice and conversations about different projects I am working on. At the same time, I have also become more conscious of how complex this industry is. I think that is also why I find it so special. Media and entertainment are meaningful because, somehow, in spite of all the challenges, it still manages to be artistic, collaborative, and creative at its core. And after these three days of conference, I feel more confident that there might be a place for me in that mix.