MIXED MEDIA
Camera Ready Andrea Bucilla • Rob Pittard • Quinton Smith CARRYING A JOURNALISM DEGREE INTO THE FILM INDUSTRY
BY TATE DYE PHOTOS COURTESY OF BUCILLA, PITTARD AND SMITH
A JOURNALISM DEGREE is both valuable and extremely versatile. News anchors, magazine editors, educators, and a seemingly endless collection of careers have emerged out of the School of Journalism and New Media. A number of journalism alumni have even landed jobs in the world of movie production and independent filmmaking. Each filmmaker’s journey is different, from landing first jobs after graduation to making connections and creating new stories. Throughout the challenges and memorable achievements in a film industry career, a degree in journalism has proven to be a helpful advantage to those working in movie production. QUINTON SMITH began making movies with his family’s VHS camera at the age of four and creating short sketch comedies with his middle school friends. Smith knew that he wanted to turn his passion into a career upon coming to Ole Miss, where he graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in cinema. He now lives in Anchorage, Alaska, as the owner of Landsick Media, LLC and a freelance filmmaker. Smith’s education was much more than his experiences within the classroom. He recounts the number of hours spent working up the courage to interview strangers outside of the Union for soundbites. “My journalism degree was so useful because it got me out of my shell,” says Smith.
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The post-college job hunt is not always a smooth ride. Even though Smith knew he wanted to work in the film industry, he could not find a job anywhere. Eventually, a prior connection helped him land his first job in Alaska. The production company was impressed with the demo reel that Smith had created as a part of a 500-level Ole Miss journalism course. He worked here for two years before he began freelancing. “That was one of the most terrifying experiences in my life,” says Smith. “I hadn’t planned on ever working freelance and didn’t know the first thing about how to start a business.” Through hard work and determination, contracts fell into place and Smith continued to make connections that would lead his production company into a safe and successful position. ANDREA BUCCILLA was a middle school English teacher in Brooklyn when she uncovered her fervent interest in film production. Graduating in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and new media, Buccilla decided to remain at Ole Miss, where she earned her master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2012. After seven years of teaching, she knew that her heart was leading her down a different path. She found herself spending time on indie film sets and learning more about production, going back and forth with the idea that she could be capable of succeeding in the film industry.
