Dear Moody,

This summer I’m spending it in Kansas City, where I was born and raised. When you think of where movies and TV shows and commercials are filming in the US I can bet KC isn’t anywhere near the top of your list. However, you might be surprised. I spend most of my days working at a summer camp but when I’m not there I’m working freelance in the film industry. 

Most of my jobs have been in the corporate world on the production side of commercials. I’ve worked on three major commercials as a paid Production Assistant - two of them were with T-Mobile that will air on national TV, two of them featured a famous NFL Quarterback (I’m sure you can guess who it is given the location) and one starred a 4-time Super Bowl winning tight-end. I like to think that a PA stands for Potentially Anything. Every job is different so my responsibilities can consist of getting coffee, holding up cue cards for major talent, being a stand-in, prepping trailers and crafty tables, making sure the crew is fed and hydrated, and even begging Starbucks baristas to give me extra cups. 

While commercials are amazing, my love will always be narrative films. On top of the commercials, I have gotten the opportunity to Assistant Direct, PA, and Set Design on several narrative projects. I PA’d on a short film and I got to set design on two other short films, including a 12 hour film competition. I also had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things in film and I got to assistant direct my high school friend’s short film and also assistant directed my first ever non-student project which was a music video for a Polish artist.

Getting to work with big talent, see the inner workings of major productions, learn new things, and meet new people has made this summer extremely rewarding. These experiences have given me a clearer view of what my future looks like and I can’t wait to bring back what I’ve learned to the Moody RTF community this year!

Hook ‘Em,

Emelia