MPI recently kicked off this year’s Hollywood Career Launch Program (HCLP) with its annual Intern Summit. This event prepares MPI production interns for success as they enter their first work experiences in the film industry.

During the day-long event, participants hear from a wide range of speakers on topics including how Hollywood films export ideas to a global audience, how films are packaged for sale, the art and practice of pitching a film, professionalism in the workplace, and career advice from program alumni.

“The Intern Summit was extremely helpful because it provided invaluable context for what I should expect in the industry,” said summer intern Kiera Williams. “It also reminded us how important our habits are and allowed us to engage with industry veterans and MPI Rising Filmmaker Program alumni.”

Interns enjoyed in-depth conversations with industry experts such as former Pixar director and animator Colin Brady (Toy Story 2, Astro Boy, TMNT), Bold Film’s (Drive, Nightcrawler, No Escape) CFO Rob Mitchell, and pitch and development consultant Laura Brennan, as well as HCLP alumni Carly Hicks and Elizabeth Mirzaei.

“I learned a lot in the span of a day,” remarked Zachary Spilo. “I really enjoyed that there was a focus on the aspects of the industry that are not typically stressed and hearing from people who are at the top of their respective fields.”

This summer, MPI has placed these Summit participants at production companies such as Millennium Entertainment (The Expendables, Olympus Has Fallen) and Bold Films (Drive, Vox Lux) as well as on the set of film productions. The participants will also meet regularly for MPI’s Freedom + Film Summer Series, a virtual seminar developed to help our interns better navigate the entertainment industry. Topics include how to effect change with film, how to analyze scripts for impactful freedom themes, practical guidance on how to distribute their own freedom-focused film projects to the largest possible audience, and job-hunting strategies.

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.