Leah Grossman

I spent my fall semester concurrently working as a development intern for QC Entertainment, a production company known for the global hits Get Out and BlacKkKlansman. Every Thursday and Friday for fifteen weeks, I commuted to Avenue of the Stars to engage in my responsibilities as an intern. QC Entertainment is a small company of a producer duo and a creative executive, so I was able to be in close contact with the people directly involved with making movies happen––an excellent learning opportunity, as everyone was always eager to answer any questions I had about their current projects in preproduction. My knowledge of the business side of the field that I very soon hope to enter was greatly enhanced through my time with QC.

My daily responsibilities mostly consisted of script coverage. Potential scripts would be sent to me, and I would compose a 4-5 page report for each script, engaging my knowledge of screenwriting to provide commentary on the work and recommend that the producers pass, weakly consider, or strongly consider the work. Not only was it beneficial to me to bring in my critical analysis skills for coverage (something that my time in Film and Media Studies at UCSB prepared me for), but I was also learning more about how to make my own work the best it could be through reading the kinds of scripts that were able to make it into the late stages of consideration.

Another daily task was what my internship supervisors called “10 by 10s.” By 10am each morning, I was asked to peruse news reports on new developments in the film industry and entertainment financial updates, and find 10 relevant articles to summarize and send to the lead producers. This kept them updated on developments in the rapidly changing film industry, and it was gratifying to see that my research work in this regard was directly applicable to benefitting QC: occasionally, one of the producers would ask me to do more research on a company I reported on in my morning 10 by 10 so they could reach out and possibly facilitate a collaboration. Seeing the impact of my work was gratifying, and something that I was able to see more clearly because of the tight team I interned for. That morning research was a learning experience for me as well––on the last day of my internship, December 4th, my final 10×10 primarily reported on the frontrunners Warner Brothers sale. I learned about the different bids that were being placed and the possible implications of each one. Later that very same day, Netflix indeed won the bid––and because of my internship, I already knew all the details of what that could mean. Interning was a learning experience of its own, but also provided me with lasting skills and knowledge that I will use to educate myself on the industry moving forward.

One of my favorite benefits of interning with QC Entertainment was our weekly pitch meetings. All the interns would meet with our supervisor, the creative executive, every Friday. In those meetings, we would take turns pitching one of the scripts we had covered in the past week, speaking on the work as if it were our own. This was a great experience. I became familiar with pitching projects, something that will be essential in my future career; the low-pressure environment of pitching someone else’s work made it easier to develop those important skills. We would receive professional feedback after each pitch that refined and improved our pitching ability over the course of the internship. By the final pitch meeting, I could confidently say that I and my fellow interns made huge steps towards being the best at pitching that we could be.

The pitch I gave to close out my internship was the best of all. Instead of pitching someone else’s work, they asked me to bring in a full pitch for a project of my own. I pitched to the producers a TV show––one that I had actually originally conceived of in the Storytelling for the Screen summer program! The producers listened to my pitch and gave real feedback as if I were truly pitching to sell my work, and the notes I got were immensely helpful both from a creative standpoint and also a marketing perspective. It was also gratifying to feel the increased confidence I had in my real pitch, a confidence that was built from the weeks of pitching practice in our intern meetings.

As if all that wasn’t enough, I also gained valuable experience as an assistant. Highly unusual for most internships, I covered the phones and most general assistant duties for about a month during my internship. Nerve-wracking at first, I quickly picked up on the lingo of the business, and found a deep respect for the role. As the literal public face of QC Entertainment, I was the first to answer the phone, direct calls to the producers, and set up meetings, maintaining their good relations with other studios. I saw great improvements to my professional demeanor in my time as their interim assistant, a skill that I care deeply about fostering in myself. The very unique chance to work in the capacity of an assistant during my internship is something that will make me much more hirable for what could very likely be my first job post-grad.

Reflecting on all the wonderful work and experience I gained over the fall semester as an intern for QC, I am so grateful for all the knowledge I gained. All of it is directly applicable to my future career aspirations, helping me become the screenwriter I want to be. I am equally grateful to the Carsey-Wolf Center for their generous support during this time; the financial assistance made a huge difference for me to be able to give my 100% to my schoolwork while balancing my internship responsibilities. My sense of purpose and confidence in my future gives me high hopes for the things I am capable of moving forward. Thanks to the knowledge I gained through interning with QC Entertainment, I am a more intelligent, professional, and creative woman. I cannot wait for the next chapter!