LOS ANGELES
HRTS / JHRTS MENTORSHIP KICK-OFF: 3/1
The annual Mentorship Mixer on March 1st was a big success and brought together HRTS, Associates, and JHRTS members alike who spent the evening mingling at the Beverly Hilton poolside in a crowd of about 150. Mentors consisted of HRTS members, TV executives, agents, and HRTS-Associates who all split their time equally between mentees and industry colleagues, seamlessly networking and making the most out of the experience. It was a great way to break the ice and kick off another year of the mentorship program!
JHRTS COMEDY NIGHT @ The Lab – Emerging Talent Showcase: 3/16
On Thursday, March 16th, JHRTS partnered with the world-famous Hollywood Improv (for a third time!) to bring JHRTS members a night full of comedy from the hottest emerging comedians in Los Angeles. Over 50 young professionals from across the industry showed up for an exciting night of comedy and networking. The emerging talent showcase featured an impressive lineup of unique comedic voices including Jackie Fabulous, Rebecca Corry, Gus Constantellis, Mateo Lane, Thomas Dale, Joey Bragg and Lydia Popovich. JHRTS, in partnership with the Hollywood Improv, remains committed to connecting JHRTS members to comedy experiences and emerging talent. The next JHRTS Comedy Night will be hosted at the Hollywood Improv and is in the works in May 2017.
READING TO KIDS Philanthropy: 3/11
On Saturday, March 11th, 15 JHRTS members spent their morning at Los Angeles Elementary School instilling students aged kindergarten to 5th grade with a love of reading through the non-profit Reading To Kids. This month was extra fun for all involved because we ended our volunteer morning with a musical guest and songs about macaroni & cheese.
A CONVERSATION W/ LILLY SINGH: HOW TO BE A BAWSE: 3/20
International superstar LILLY SINGH held an intimate conversation with JHRTS members on Monday, March 20th at WME. A week before releasing her first book, “How To Be A Bawse,” Singh opened up about her career and experience in both digital and traditional media. Offering high-level insight and advice to a room full of aspiring creatives and business executives, those fortunate enough to attend can all agree that Lilly Singh’s career trajectory has been astonishing, all due to her tireless work ethic and the incredible team she’s built to support her endeavors.
WESTSIDE HIKE & BRUNCH MIXER: 4/1
On Saturday April 1st, JHRTS members enjoyed a strenuous hike in Temescal Canyon where they bonded out in nature. Afterwards, members flocked to a nearby brunch location where they solidified their new friendships over green smoothies. It was a great event and everyone left feeling accomplished for completing their 10,000 step goal.
PROJECT ANGEL FOOD Philanthropy: 4/9
On Sunday, April 9th, several JHRTS volunteers teamed up with Project Angel Food to help put together meals for individuals in need all over Los Angeles County. Volunteers graciously spent a few hours working with a professional chef to chop, mix, scoop, and sauté ingredients catered towards special diets. They helped create enough food to feed around 1,500 people for an entire week, all while networking and meeting other members in a fun setting.
HEAL THE BAY Philanthropy: 4/15
April is Earth Month and JHRTS helped by joining Heal The Bay to collect trash along Santa Monica beach on Saturday, April 15th. Through this organization, they’ve been able to take what they learn of what volunteers find on the beach to pass laws to help keep the ocean safe. One example we learned is after they noticed extreme amounts of styrofoam collected, they were able to ban use of styrofoam from the local restaurants. JHRTS members walked along the beach on a beautiful Saturday and did their part in keeping the beach clean while networking!
WRITING PROGRAM PANEL: 4/17
On Monday April 17th, following the impromptu mixer held in the CAA lobby thanks to a faulty fire alarm, JHRTS members were treated to an inside look at what it takes to make it into a few of television’s most prestigious writing pipeline programs. Program leaders from Warner Bros., NBC, CBS, ABC and Nickelodeon gave insight into their application process, tips to make a script stand out among thousands of submissions, and the grueling but rewarding curriculums that await the talented few who are selected. The programs represented in this panel have discovered and groomed some of the most sought after up-and-coming talent in the industry, and there just may have been a few future graduates among the JHRTS audience.
NETWORK IT FORWARD: 4/24
The 4th Annual Network-It-Forward took place at the Nickelodeon offices on April 24. We brought together JHRTS members with students from several universities, including Temple, Scripps, University of Miami, Claremont McKenna, and Azusa Pacific. Our members gave career advice to the students, many of whom followed up on the connections they made that evening to continue the conversation.
WOMEN IN DOCS: PATTY IVANS ‘HUNGRY’ SCREENING & DISCUSSION : 4/27
On Thursday, April 27th, JHRTS hosted a documentary film panel called “Women in Docs” at CAA at 7:30pm. The event began with a screening of the Logo documentary, Hungry, and was followed by an audience Q&A. The event was intimate which allowed for an open and personal conversation. The Director/Executive Producer, the Head of Documentary Films at Logo, and the EVP of Casting at Bunim-Murray led a conversation about the making of the film, working in predominantly male fields, and their experiences in the industry. The night concluded after almost an hour of thoughtful questions and insightful responses.
ACE OF HEARTS DOG RESCUE PHILANTHROPY: 5/6
On Saturday, May 6th, a group of 15 JHRTS members teamed up with the Los Angeles based non-profit dog rescue organization ACE OF HEARTS at PETCO in West Hollywood (ACE founded by Kari Whitman). These volunteers had so much fun spending an afternoon caring for and playing with these dogs all while helping them find loving forever homes. On a positive note, an amazing number of dogs were adopted! On top of spending time with the dogs, walking them, and giving them treats, the volunteers also helped put together goodie bags for the dogs’ foster parents for the upcoming week. Several new JHRTS members attended the event as well as familiar faces making for a productive networking experience!
NEW YORK
Philanthropy update: 3/25
JHRTS is committed to giving back to our community through skills-based volunteering and non-profit partnerships. The New York chapter has an ongoing relationship with Bronx-based Care For The Homeless and their Women’s shelter, Susan’s Place. Susan’s Place is dedicated to serving medically frail and mentally ill homeless women, providing them with healthy meals, clean clothing, recreational activities and a broad range of primary health care and social services. On the last Saturday of each month, our members take two hours to mingle with each other and help those in need.
In addition to monthly volunteering, we partner with New York Arts organizations such as Ghetto Film School and Reel Works to participate in educational enrichment programming for students interested in the arts, media, and entertainment
Mentorship Panel: 4/17
The Developing Mentorships panel was hosted by Eden Sutley and Katy Sherman and featured their JHRTS Mentors, Marco Bresaz (AMC and Sundance TV) and Angel Annussek (truTV), respectively. The discussion touched on everything from the role of a mentor to the TV development process. JHRTS members were able to ask questions to both mentees and mentors to learn more about the Mentorship Program.
Indie Film Producers Panel: 5/3
JHRTS held a panel to expose members to the unique world of independent film producing. Our panel included Jon Kilik, Kyle Martin, Wendy Finerman, and Peter Newman; an eclectic group of producers who have worked side by side with some of today’s best filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Bob Zemeckis, Lena Dunham and Noah Baumbach. Getting your film seen in a competitive industry requires heavy lifting and creative collaboration, and we were happy to offer the insight of these producers to our membership.
Two member testimonials from the jobs board we launched a year and a half ago:
David Miller
I had been looking for a job in the entertainment industry all summer to no avail. After tirelessly checking job boards, industry specific sites and company career portals, I just wasn’t quite able to land anything. Then, one day, someone handed me a flyer for JHRTS and I thought why not? Through the help of the Jobs Board a few amazing and generous individuals in the organization, I landed a job at an amazing company within a month of joining JHRTS. I am still a new member, but I can confidently say that without their help and support I wouldn’t have found such a great opportunity.
Amaka Ekeocha
As I started my search for a new job I decided to look at the job postings on the members only JHRTS-NY Careers Facebook page. It was there that I spotted 2 job postings that were of interest to me and fell in line with what I wanted to move towards. I sent my resume to the two different members who posted the jobs and the response time was practically lightning fast. Two days after submitting my resume for the positions I heard back from both within the same week. Interviews were set up and then second interviews were set up. I finally was offered a position and it seemed like the whole process occurred in the span of 2 weeks. I’m now settled in my new job and appreciate the help that JHRTS-NY provided. I don’t know how successful I would’ve been without the support of my fellow JHRTS members. Finding a network like this reminds me that there are so many people starting out in this business and an organization like JHRTS, comprised of future executives and creatives, is an important community to join.
Strategic Partnerships Update
The primary focus for the strategic partnership committee this year has been to secure relationships with colleges and universities along the east coast. Our goal has been to encourage college students to pursue a JHRTS membership after graduation and to use current JHRTS members to help them with internship opportunities and networking within our industry. We create these relationships with schools by doing Skype panels. We’ve talked to students from Harvard, Penn State, the University of Maryland, and the T Howard Foundation. The goal of the panels is to help students understand the jobs that await them after graduation. Everyone wants to be a producer or an agent but they don’t always understand the steps to get there. We explain to students how our companies work together and what each person’s role is in creating the films, digital content, and TV shows we all love.