Advice From The LA Crew: Kate Nichols on Moving to LA...

Just do it! I know that is way easier said than done, but you really do just have to commit to the move and make it happen. If you think too hard about it, you might possibly become overwhelmed with the details and the many changes to come. Instead of letting these issues overtake you, think about how exciting and amazing everything is about to be. You are about to leave college and experience everything you have prepared yourself for during the past couple years. Also, you already have a home base in LA. We have a great group of Grady grads forming and many more to come soon.

To help prepare you for this commitment, I highly recommend finding an internship in the city where you think you may want to move. I interned with E! True Hollywood Story last summer, and it has made this transition much easier. I had made connections through being here and getting to know people. I knew the area and had gotten used to driving here. I had made LA friends that were awaiting my return. Ultimately though, it made me realize that this is where I need to be. The only way to really know where you want to be is to try it, and the easiest way to do that is through an internship. It is a trial run of what is to come and helps alleviate any major worries about living there after school. It is a great time to find internships now too because in this economy, what company would say no to free work? Biddle and Jen are great with helping with resumes, cover letters, and finding companies to contact in your preferred city. You just have to make the effort and make it happen.

When it came to moving here after graduation, I knew that the details would all work out. Four of us jumped in our cars and drove across the country together. My apartment plans were not for sure, and none of us had secure job positions. In this business, however, you just need to be in the right place. I had an opportunity for a position in LA while I was still at home in Georgia, and I missed it because I had not moved yet. It would have been much scarier if I had made the trip alone, but with all of the UGA people in LA, anyone who wants to join us should know that we will be here and help however we can!

After being here about a month and a half, I have had one job, two interviews, and many meetings with friends of friends working in production. It takes awhile to get established and you just have to think of any way to get yourself in. I have contacted anyone I met out here last summer, have gone through and emailed production companies that I have found online or in the creative handbook, applied to positions online, and am now employed with a temp agency to work administrative positions with any entertainment establishment including studios and production companies.

The bottom line is if you want it bad enough, you will figure out how to make it happen. This is how I am working on it now, and I know that the future is bright. You have to stay optimistic and know that your hard work and determination will pay off. People in the industry quickly recognize the passionate, hard workers who really want it, so as long as you can claim these characteristics, you will be successful.