Fox Movie Channel

I was 16 when I saw the very-adult movie The Best Man, written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, but it is one of my favorite movies to this day and I know all of the dialogue. I never forgot that movie for presenting such positive and professional images of African Americans and with laughter and scandal and honest friendships. I truly miss that fabulous genre.  I have found that I am in love with love stories like Romeo+Juliet but movies like X-Men with its message about tolerance and girlfriend stories like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants also move me and I want to give that feeling to others.

I am 25 years old and, in my life, I have been an actress and writer, a journalist, a student, and a businesswoman.  I have a Masters degree from one of the most prestigious film programs in the world and I am an intern at a film studio.

But what I really am is a producer. What does that mean? A few years ago, I had no idea what a producer was, but I knew that every time I saw a movie trailer, I was awestruck and mesmerized. I wasn't interested in writing a script or working a camera, but I was full of ideas that I believed should be on screen. That's where producing begins: a producer is (or should be) the person who maintains the vision of the project throughout the process.

I have always loved entertainment and wanted to play a role in it somehow, but until I figured out a) what producing was and b) that there was a masters program at USC completely dedicated to it (The Peter Stark Producing Program), I was lost. I moved to LA in 2007 and entered grad school and 2 years later, I am in my-life-has-a-purpose type bliss.  Each day is not easy or glamorous - remember that I am an intern - but my graduation from USC gave me more than a certificate of higher education: it was the day my life began.  The years of what do I really want to do? that followed undergrad, are officially over.

I am now developing 3 feature film projects. I have a great internship where my boss is someone I once plotted just to shake hands with, one helluva network of talented friends I can work with, and a plethora of professional connections with people I used to only read about in Variety. My days are spent at work and when I'm not there, I'm meeting with writers, other producers, and possible financiers or brainstorming new ideas and fleshing them out.  To top it all off, I have the outstanding opportunity to be a part of Life After Film School and have interviewed some of the most amazing people about their new projects.  Every day has a purpose for me, but having a long lasting career is still an uphill battle.

Here is a great reference for defining producing credits.

* Stay tuned for my next post about my favorite LAFS interviews.
* Follow me on twitter if you like! I'm still learning a bit about it, but I'd love the support! Find me @CodieElaine