MPI recently kicked off the 2021 Hollywood Career Launch Program with its annual Summer Intern Summit. The event serves as a crash course in the inner workings of the entertainment industry, designed to teach interns how to most effectively capitalize on their MPI internship.

“My Summit experience was so informative,” said MPI intern Taryn Cohn. “It was basically a year of film school packed into one day, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have been a part of it.”

Interns heard from Hollywood creative leaders including former Pixar director and animation superstar Colin Brady (Toy Story 2, Astro Boy, TMNT) and Bold Films’ CFO Rob Mitchell (Drive, Nightcrawler, No Escape). MPI intern Joseph Riordon remarked, “I appreciated Mr. Brady’s advice to balance the joy and passion of storytelling with the reality of the industry.”

Sessions from the Summit included discussions about the globalization of Hollywood films, the basics of film financing, and how films are packaged for sale as well as practical career advice from Hollywood production company department managers.

“The MPI Intern Summit makes me feel more prepared than ever for my internship,” said MPI intern Jaci Traylor. “For young people looking to enter the industry, it is an invaluable opportunity to set you up for success.”

Interns will continue to meet throughout the summer and participate in MPI’s Freedom + Film Summer Series, a virtual seminar developed to enhance interns’ understanding of navigating the entertainment industry. Seminar topics touch on subjects such as: analyzing scripts for impactful freedom themes, working with talent representatives, managers, and producers, and job-hunting strategies including protocol specific to the film industry.

Our class of 2021-22 interns will gain experience working either on the sets of MPI Original productions like Melons, Infraction, and Unloaded, at partner production companies such as Skybound (The Walking Dead), or at the Producers Guild of America, a non-profit trade organization that represents, protects, and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television, and new media.

MPI’s Hollywood Career Launch Program is a talent-development program for college students and recent graduates who share the MPI vision of promoting freedom in film. Thanks to MPI’s partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, participants in our summer internship class are eligible for selection to attend Academy Gold, the Academy’s seven-week internship enhancement and mentorship program that gives participants access to special panels with Academy members, screenings, and countless career advancement opportunities.

Are you a freedom-minded student or recent grad trying to break into the film industry? If so, we encourage you to apply for consideration to MPI’s Hollywood Career Launch Program! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.