Though her interest in entertainment began as a young child on the amateur stages of Los Angeles, it didn’t take long for Evan Pearl ’21 to start wondering: What goes on behind the camera—and behind the curtain?
As she prepared for college, Pearl knew she wanted to work in entertainment, but she didn’t know what that might look like, or what opportunities existed.
After completing her freshman year at Emory University, she interned at IMAX and loved the experience. From there, her interests shifted toward television, or “media for the common good,” as she calls it. During her sophomore year, an internship at The CW Network solidified her decision.
“I was providing script coverage, going to set, reading articles in the trades, and seeing what the public was responding to,” she explains. “All these elements were less communications-based and more content-based, which was a new experience for me.”
A third internship during her junior year—this time at NBC—gave her experience in monitoring the press, collecting daily clip packets, and assembling press roundups, status reports, and coverage on competitors. Through this work, she had her first opportunity to focus on content for scripted TV. During this time, she also interned for Haymaker Content in a development role.
This combination turned out to be exactly what Pearl was looking for: a chance to unite the scripted world of television with a role in development and programming. She graduated from Emory in 2020 with a degree in media and film, a minor in business, and big career plans—which were quickly derailed by the pandemic.
As she rethought her next steps, she saw a mention of Northwestern’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises (MSLCE) program on LinkedIn and decided to go for it.
“I didn’t plan to attend graduate school so soon after earning my undergraduate degree, but I didn’t have a job at that point,” says Pearl. “The program seemed like a great fit and was only one year, so I went after it full force. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
She especially appreciated that the program is designed to be directly relevant to and reflective of what’s happening in the world today. “It’s not all based on theory, like a lot of film and media classes tend to be,” she says. “Instead, it felt very pertinent and timely.”
For example, she shuddered when she found out she would have to write a contract in her Entertainment Law course. Today, however, she says she wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. “I kept my textbook and still reference it,” she says. “As someone who now looks through documents and reads contracts for clients all day long, this course couldn’t be more transferable. I know which clauses I’m looking for, and I know what they mean and why they have to be included.”
Today, Pearl works in New York as a theater, TV, and motion picture assistant for Creative Artists Agency (CAA). She supports a literary agent who represents writers, directors, composers, choreographers, and set designers—one of her clients even received a Tony Award this year.
In the future, she envisions putting her skills to work for a streaming service in TV scripted comedy or dramedy originals. “I could even see myself producing down the road,” she says. “My degree and the work experience I’m gaining will be huge differentiators for me going forward. It was such a privilege to sit in those classes and hear from some of the most profound and highly regarded professors in the industry.”
Four pieces of advice for future MSLCE students from Evan:
- Be intentional. “Remain selective but not overly selective. Even if you think you won’t like something, try it. You can’t rule anything out until you do.”
- Work hard. “Be humble, put your head down, and be willing to do the work. It’s not easy, but it will pay off.”
- Stay connected. “You meet so many people in this program, and there will be so many people in your corner. Make sure you stay connected to them.” (You can connect with Evan here.)
- Remain kind. “This industry is circular. You never know what position you’ll land in or when you may come across someone you’ve met or worked with in the past. It pays to be nice to everyone.”
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