Graduating FMS Major Abby Park describes how her time at UCI has shaped her career path and aided her in landing a position at Walt Disney Company. In the past, she interned at NBCUniversal in their Tech Services department at Universal Studios Hollywood where she solidified her commitment to working in the entertainment industry.
Can you explain your upcoming position at Disney? How did you find this position?
Abby: This summer, after graduation, I’ll be working for the Walt Disney Company! I’ll be under the Disney Entertainment Television division, which houses lots of content creation and distribution brands, including Hulu Originals, FX Networks, National Geographic, ABC Entertainment, and ABC News & ABC Owned Television. The department I’ll be working in, Localish, is a brand created and operated within the ABC News & ABC Owned Television Stations group. I didn’t realize just how complex the Disney structure was, it really is a whole flowchart! Localish originally launched in 2018 as a digital series, and now produces uplifting, community-based content for social media platforms and streaming platforms like Hulu. I’ll be working in production, involved in every step of the content creation process, from brainstorming and development to shooting and editing!
I found this position through LinkedIn! After interning at NBCUniversal last summer in the Tech Services department at Universal Studios Hollywood, I began taking networking seriously. I started to reach out to people on LinkedIn who had roles I admired, asking questions, and learning as much as I could. Since then, I’ve stayed in touch with over a thousand of those connections: hopping on video calls, asking for resume feedback, cheering them on, getting advice, and exploring departments and career path insights.This past fall quarter, I applied to a lot of film and media-focused positions through LinkedIn, and when I landed my first interview with the team at Localish, we instantly clicked. The rest is history!
How did your experience as a Film and Media Studies Major prepare you for this role?
A: My classes definitely helped shape my understanding of both the industry and the kind of work I want to do! As most FMS majors do, I started off with FMS 85 with Professor Hatch, which gave me the basics: how to talk and write about media in a more analytical way, understand film and television terminology, recognize different genres and styles, and start thinking more critically about the media I was consuming- not just in terms of what was happening on screen, but how and why it was being presented that way.
Then in FMS 101D with Professor Gutiérrez, I learned about the history of radio, television, and streaming. Honestly, I didn’t realize how little I knew about how the industry actually came to be until I took that class. We covered everything from the early days of broadcast radio to the rise of network television, cable, and eventually digital platforms. I left that class feeling both proud, especially having interned at NBCU, and curious about what’s next for such a fast-changing field.
And finally, the 120 series with Professor Cane was where I got to actually apply everything I had been learning! That class introduced me to the full production process, from shooting with professional camera equipment to editing in Adobe Premiere. I learned how to work as part of a crew, how to troubleshoot on set, and how to translate my creative ideas into something tangible. It made content creation feel way more accessible, and it gave me the confidence to pursue it professionally after graduation.
What Film and Media Studies course has been the most influential to you?
A: The most influential Film and Media Studies course I’ve taken was FMS 101C with Professor Hildebrand. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, but I really think it changed the way I think about and watch films.
Each week, we explored a different part of the film world from Bollywood, South Korean cinema, Third World cinema, feminist film, cult classics, to animation—screening movies I don’t think I would have picked on my own. I grew up just north of Los Angeles, surrounded by flashy Hollywood, so that was always my idea of what film meant. This class opened my eyes to how much more is out there. There are so many different voices and ways of telling stories that I had never even considered before. Taking other upper-division FMS electives only reinforced that feeling. I took courses on Native American and Native Pacific Film, 90s Black Popular Culture, Bollywood Cinema, and Film and Television Comedy, and each one showed me just how much more there is to explore!
One of the most memorable parts of 101C was actually an extra credit assignment where I went to a live showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Nuart Theater in Sawtelle. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but it turned out to be one of the most fun and unexpected experiences I’ve ever had. People were all dressed up, yelling at the screen, singing, and throwing things at the screen. It was total chaos, but in the most entertaining way. It was honestly a little bit of a culture shock, but it felt like I had stumbled into this whole new world of film and community that I never knew existed. After that class, the world just felt bigger and more exciting. I always walked away feeling more creative, more curious, and more inspired, and I’m really grateful for that!
What is your favorite memory from being a Film and Media Studies major?
A: My favorite memory as a Film and Media Studies major was the alumni panel event “From Script to Screen” hosted by Paul Davidson and Fatimah Tobing Rony this past January! The event featured alumni Fabian Marquez, Sheldon Chau, Nida Chowdhry, Sahar Jahani, and Khaila Amazan, all of whom are now working across writing, directing, cinematography, and more. I loved hearing about all their different paths and how each of them found their way into the industry in such unique and personal ways. It made me feel really proud to be a Film and Media Studies major at UC Irvine and excited to be following in the footsteps of such talented people. That event really stuck with me, I hope one day I can pay it forward and share my journey too.
What is your advice to incoming Film and Media Studies majors?
A: If I could give advice to incoming FMS majors, it would be this: you don’t have to follow the “traditional” path or college experience for it to be meaningful or successful. Some of the most rewarding things you’ll do here might come from stepping off the tried-and-true trail.
To expand, if you’re a FMS major, you’ve already made the bold choice to bet on yourself. Studying film means choosing a path built on creativity, curiosity, and storytelling…
So go all in. Take risks. Say yes to projects you don’t “feel ready” for. Do it anyway. Say thank you, always. Be kind on set. Especially when no one else is. Join clubs. Talk to people who inspire you. Ask them questions. Listen to their stories. Write something just for fun. Then rewrite it. And rewrite it again. And again. Let it become stronger. Let it surprise you. Let it bloom into something you didn’t expect. Watch films that make you cry with joy. Watch films that make you smile through tears. Watch things that stick with you for days. Let yourself be moved. Let yourself feel everything, everywhere, all at once.
Surround yourself with people who motivate you and make you laugh. People who dream big. Learn how to take feedback. Let it make you better, not smaller. Learn how to give feedback with love, intention, and kindness. Create things that make you feel something. Then, create things that make others feel something too. Ask for help when you need it. Offer help when someone else does. Collaboration is everything!
Make your grandma proud. Or your younger self. Or whoever believed in you before you believed in yourself. Take the time to rest. Take the time to reflect. Take the time to do things the long way, the thoughtful way, the hard way. There will be difficult times. Be kind to yourself until it passes. Learn by doing! And when it doesn’t go as planned, try again. And then try again. And again!
The truth is, there’s no single “right” way to go through this major, but honestly, that’s what makes it so exciting. When I got my internship at NBCUniversal the summer after my freshman year, I saw firsthand what a career in entertainment could actually look like. It lit a fire in me, and I ended up accelerating my studies so I could graduate in just two years and return back to the workforce. (That was never, ever the plan.) Now, I’m graduating at the end of the quarter and stepping into post-grad work at Disney. Being “traditional” never would’ve gotten me here. And the same might be true for you. So, be bold. Be curious. Be you! Your story is just beginning, write it your way!