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Career Center (CC): What are your main job responsibilities?

Kevin: Feature development is the never ending task of finding new material whether it be scripts, books, comics, video games, TV shows, foreign films, news articles, pitches, your grandmother's story, or whatever might have potential as a vehicle for feature films. Feature development also involves selling, buying, financing, packaging, producing, and marketing projects in hopes of getting the infamous "green light."

Because feature films are so capital intensive, the risk is extremely high and there is never any guarantee of returns. It's one of the reasons the film business is often characterized as a wheel'em/deal'em cowboy game. It's also the reason making features has so much backwards momentum; it's very much like pushing a rock uphill. Everyone wants to say no. So, getting someone to say yes is a very difficult thing.

Finding an idea is difficult. Literally, everyone has a script or an idea which they feel can be a good movie. Unfortunately, maybe 1% of them, might be even close to decent, so it's my job in development to find that 1%. If I am lucky enough to find a story that is worthy of being made into a film, it's then all about convincing everyone that it should be made. Generally, I want to bring as much to the table as possible before presenting it to the studio, buyers and financiers. If it's just the idea alone, usually we'll take it into the studio as a pitch, which is just a presentation of the idea. Otherwise, an idea can be used as the basis for a script which can be shopped around town to the different studios. At any stage in the process, it can be good to package the material, which is getting talent, actors, writers, directors, or other producers attached and hopefully they will push a studio to buy the idea.

CC: What experiences/training were important in getting you to where you are in your career?

Kevin: The thing to understand about Hollywood is that everyone starts at the bottom. It doesn't matter if you have the experience, ability, talent, education or the money...well, except money...everyone starts at the bottom. Understanding that, this town is all about relationships (knowing who's who), information (knowing what's going on and where), knowledge (knowing your films and scripts), perseverance (knowing how hard it is), and of course passion (knowing what you want). Throw in a little luck for good measure and you're all set.

I knew getting as much exposure to the entertainment industry as possible was going to be valuable while I was at Cal. And getting your foot in the door is no easy task, so like everyone else, I was willing to do anything. I got my first internship at PolyGram (which is now part of Universal Music Group) working in music up in Saulsalito. I commuted four hours daily for no pay (and please never expect it!!), but I was able to get some work experience and a ton of free CDs. I moved out of the mail room by utilizing some graphic design skills designing posters and promotional items.

After that I got my first "film" internship at LucasFilm: THX in San Rafael where I was fortunate enough to learn about the exhibition side of film. In addition I got limited exposure to more of the creative process, especially around some of the best people in post-production business at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and was around when Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was still in development. As a film geek, I was in heaven. My final internship while at Cal was with the advertising firm McCann Erickson, which serviced the publicity and public relations for Sony Pictures Entertainment and Artisan Entertainment in San Francisco. I learned how to promote films in addition to getting free screenings to every film which they released.

After graduation, like everyone else, I was desperate to get a job. I was literally sending out 20-30 resumes a week in hopes of landing something. After three months of "uh oh, what am I gonna do?" and scouring every website for jobs and not getting one interview, I got very lucky in getting in at Pixar Animation Studios. After showing them a portfolio, I was able to get a position in their Creative Resources/Corporate Marketing group. The job was primarily doing graphic design work and illustrations for MONSTERS, INC. We would work with director, Pete Doctor, and the art department for elements within the movie. We'd also be the liaison between Disney and their consumer products group as well as help develop website and press materials. After a year at Pixar, I got the opportunity of a lifetime and was accepted into the USC School of Cinema-Television in the Peter Stark Producing Program where I pursued my MFA in Motion Picture Producing. The program really exposed me to what the feature (and television) world are really like, learning development, finance, marketing, filmmaking, law, etc. and the program was very industry specific. The program was also very small and unlocked a network of executives and students to me, and really opened my eyes to what people meant, by "It's all about who you know."

Through networking, I got an internship at DreamWorks in feature development that I was able to parlay into a fulltime position the following summer. I continued working, learning how a studio operated and the perspective of a buyer, which was invaluable for my current position. After a year and half, I left DreamWorks to finish up my thesis for USC.

In feature development at a production company, I now see the business from the seller's perspective and how the spec (speculative script) market runs as well as how producers function in the studio system with agents, talent, and other producers.

CC: What do you like about your work?

Kevin: Nowhere in the world will you find a group of people in one industry who are so equally passionate about what they do; to be able to interact on a day-to-day basis with these people is quite indescribable. It makes coming into work and seeing how the town churns quite an incredible experience. But ultimately it's when you sit down with the audience and see all the passion, the energy and the love poured into an hour and half long piece of celluloid which makes people laugh, cry, get inspired and sometimes just get in a better mood that you begin to understand how magical this industry really is.

CC: What are some drawbacks?

Kevin: The thing that most people don't understand is when you take away the glitz, the glamour and the eventual income, how difficult and harsh this business truly is. It really is driven by passion because at the end of the day, that's all you really have. This business is really all about a lifestyle change. Your friends are in the business and the business is your friends. It's inescapable as it encompasses your life and is literally a 24 hour job. It is the constant pressure to watch more movies, read more scripts, meet more "friends" and to always be able to face more rejection. People invest so much into this business and of course, there is never a guarantee.

CC: Do you have any tips regarding what Cal undergraduates can do to prepare for a career in the field?

Kevin: Perseverance. Hard Work. Passion. And a bit of Faith. It's a long difficult path, but of course it is not a sprint, it's a marathon. There are many Cal alumni at the top who have proven that it is possible. Try to expose yourself as much as you can and realize that it's a lot of work to get to where you want to go, so focus. There will be many people who will tell you that you can't, you won't, and you shouldn't; but there will be just as many cheering you on - so good luck and ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

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