What jobs can I get into in the movie industry if I don't want to be an actress?

Hi Vanessa! Many of my friends are lawyers for the studios - they handle all of the contracts/paperwork that go into hiring actors, getting locations, getting rights to use the screenplay, and things like that. A few others do make up, hair, costuming and styling. Like the others have said, there are so many people who work behind the scenes to make a movie happen!

Most people find it hard to start in entertainment right out of college, so they go to large, well-known organizations (big accounting firms, national law firms, etc.) and then transfer over. It also helps to live there - LA is where the vast majority of entertainment positions will be located.

Also, leverage your network! If you know people in the industry, ask them how they got there. If you don't, search for people who do things that sound interesting and see if they're willing to spend a few minutes talking with you about their careers. Good luck!

Hello Vanessa,

If you're anything like me, watch the credits after every movie and observe how many people were involved in the making of the film, and what exactly they did. I know friends that chose the actor route, but I have a few friends that stepped out of the box and are involved in other ways. One in particular was a musician and decided to be more involved with the musical aspect of films. Have you ever wondered why there are certain songs in certain scenes of movies, and who gets to choose them? That could be you. If you are a gifted writer, it could be your stories that are being scripted and acted on these films. Whatever your gift or talents are, there is most likely a role for you. You just need to figure out what you are good at/like to do, or want to learn, and look through those credits and see which one should have your name next to it.

Good Luck.

Hi Vanessa! A movie studio is just like any other business so they'll need people who specialize in finance, HR, payroll, operations, etc. If you really like numbers and math, you could look at becoming an accountant. If you like interacting with people, you could look at being a recruiter. It could be helpful for you to visit LinkedIn and search under employer name to see the different support functions for the big move studios (ex. Sony, Paramount, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal, Disney, Fox).

I've had friends go into the movie industry and do business development, marketing, and finance. There is so much you can do besides acting! Based on what you are interested in- for example, do you like marketing or maybe math, you can narrow down options. My advice would be to look for an internship over summer breaks. It's a great way to meet people, network, and really show your passion for this industry. Good luck!

Hi, if you are into technology, you can also try animation, post-shot editing, special effects, etc.

In addition to what Lana noted, a good deal of the animated films use custom written software by the studios. Pixar and Disney for example have their own in-house software developers. It's basically a software company inside the studio. So, if computer science, mathematics, statistics is your passion, then yes, there's opportunities in film!

Good luck!