Jereme was one of our Spring 2018 interns from Kent State University. He contributed several pieces on the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to the Intern Corner, was a big help at our events, and he is currently an on-set intern for the film The Last Summer.
I was excited and terrified when I decided to embark on the path of filmmaking, but some of the very first people I spoke to about it were Ivan and Seema from the Commission. They were kind enough to let me visit their office to talk with them about what my aspirations were, and how I could start working to achieve them. After some helpful advice and reassurance, I knew what I had to do: get an internship with the Greater Cleveland Film Commission! It took a couple of years, but I’m finally here and couldn’t be happier or more grateful.
Learning about the film industry in class is one thing, but seeing how it works first-hand is an entirely different beast. Witnessing the business side of the industry and learning what has to happen behind the scenes for a movie to get made, especially in a big city, is really cool. During my time here, I learned a great deal about location scouting, breaking down scripts, working with others on a professional level and the logistics behind bringing films/television to Cleveland.
Overall, I have a much better understanding of how this industry, and the people who work in it, operate. Using what I learned here, I’ve gotten much better at networking and actively pursuing potential opportunities. With some great advice and support from the film commission, I recently got accepted for an internship on a movie that will be my first on-set feature film experience. Had the commission not been there to answer my questions and offer guidance along the way, I’m not so sure I would have gotten the position.
Interning here this semester has easily been my favorite experience in the industry so far. This small office of seven awesome people really made me feel like I was part of the team. Even though my time here is coming to a close, I have no doubt that I’ll be in touch with them throughout the course of my career, whether it be to support the commission or ask advice. No matter what you walk into this internship with, you’ll at least walk out with some new friends, incredible experience and a free backpack.