I am majoring in Diplomacy and World Affairs and minoring in film production. Ultimately, this combination has been a catalyst for my passion for international documentary filmmaking on social issues. I was funded* to make a documentary film in Turkey in coordination with the research I had done on the social barriers to access to methods of reproductive health in Turkish society. I cannot express enough how beneficial this opportunity was to me as a documentary filmmaker. I came out of the experience with a great deal of knowledge, confidence and the ability to apply this new understanding to the current film projects I have been working on at my internship at the United Nations.

I am currently working in two different branches of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at the United Nations: gender and public information. At the United Nations, I have been able to work on policy analysis and make recommendations for constructing the gender architecture of humanitarian action. In addition, I have been able to take an active role in constructing Public Service Announcements and media campaigns from their ideological birth to their final destination on international television. I have worked most heavily on a media campaign for Stop Rape Now, a UN movement to address impunity towards perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict. I was able to assist in developing, planning, filming and editing a PSA featuring Charlize Theron. Success in this project led to the opportunity to fly to LA to help with the shooting of a public outreach campaign with George Clooney. I have also gotten to edit films for UN websites as well as an advertisement for the Central Emergency Relief Fund. While it is exciting getting to see my work go places, the best part is that my faith in the UN has been restored.

*Julia was funded by the Young grant and the Values and Vocations grant

Max Davis

In Professor Yau's Politics and Poetics of Documentary Film class Max planned a to shoot documentary in Beijing China. “I wanted to explore how education and art interact in China, especially in the sphere of college students living in an urban setting. I was lucky enough to actually travel to Beijing and spend two months living in a student dorm at a prominent art and design academy. There I interviewed students, professors, and artists. I completed post-production in the fall of 2007 as part of an independent study.” The film was screened in the 2009 Oxy film festival.

*Max’s project was funded by a Richter Grant.

Summer 2009 Murphy received the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences internship in Casting*. She worked for eight weeks with two different casting companies. At ASG Casting, a commercial casting company, she assisted casting directors with administrative duties, holding auditions, and organizing callbacks for a wide variety of commercials. Then at Greenstein Daniel Casting, a theatrical casting company, she assisted with casting sessions for the new Melrose Place, Rita Rocks, and the NBC pilot 100 Questions. I learned so much about casting, talent agencies, and television production from my internship. In addition to working with amazing people, meeting other talented interns, and gaining lots of hands on experience, I was able to participate in many Emmy events. I got to go behind the scenes at So You Think You Can Dance, meet the executive producers, and watch a rehearsal. I also attended an intern networking event where Nina Tessler, the Senior Executive VP of Programming of CBS Television, spoke. And last week I attending the Creative Arts Emmys. I am grateful not only to the Academy for this experience but also the Occidental AHVA department as the classes and projects I have participated in, and the amazing professors I have learned from, helped me to earn this internship.

*This paid internship was made possible by a stipend from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation.

*The Richter Traditional Scholarship for Independent Research Abroad is funded by the Paul K. Memorial Fund and the Evalyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Fund.