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A glimpse inside the television industry

Paramount Talk
Event advertisement from ArtBoard Initiative

Entering the workforce can be challenging, and the entertainment industry is among the most daunting to navigate. Fortunately, aspiring professionals can learn from those who have successfully paved the way.

Jen Conod-Clausell has one such story to tell. As a seasoned producer who has worked for Paramount and CBS, she knows what the entertainment industry looks like from hands-on experience.

On Tuesday, over 230 individuals around the world joined a Zoom meeting organized by the ArtBound Initiative, eager to learn industry insights from Conod-Clausell. 

The producer began by sharing her career journey. With family in the entertainment industry, she always had a foot in the door. 

“I mean, how could I be on set as a kid and not think it was the coolest thing in the world,”  Conod-Clausell said.

But it wasn’t until college that she truly began to pursue the industry, securing an unpaid internship on the set of the Rachael Ray show during her senior year. This hectic on-set environment allowed her to learn a lot.

Today, Conod-Clausell works on the corporate side of entertainment as a production manager, with her hands on many well-known projects, including television shows “Yellowjackets,” “Dexter: Resurrection” and “Yellowstone.”

This career trajectory is just one example of how one’s path might unfold in entertainment.

“There’s so many different jobs in TV,” said ArtBound Initiative co-founder and CEO Laura Bennegadi. “It’s not just directing or being on set.”

So there’s a wide variety of roles in the field, but how does someone get in? That was the million-dollar question for many attendees. According to Conod-Clausell, it’s really who you know.

“People do hire internally, but sometimes you just don’t know,” Conod-Clausell said. “Networking is super important. Sometimes there’s not even an interview, you just know someone who knows someone.” 

Without connections, it’s hard to break in. Interested students should start now by building relationships in college and early jobs to get their foot in the door.

“If you have zero connections to begin with, start with what’s around you,” Bennegadi said. “We all have to start somewhere.”

Meetings like this are just one of many resources students can use to gain insight into competitive industries and start fostering important connections. 

“Just be open to whatever comes your way,” said Conod-Clausell.

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