By Ethan Chi

While most students spent their summer off campus, John H. Mitchell scholars were invited back to school to participate in the program’s first annual summit hosted by the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Mitchell Scholars are students who have earned scholarships from the Patricia W. Mitchell Trust, named in honor of television programming pioneer John H. Mitchell. The scholarships are funded by grants to UCLA, USC and the University of Michigan, to facilitate programs in the business of the cinematic arts.

“To be a Mitchell scholar means that you are a part of a program or group that has invested so much into their students and they're willing to give time, money and effort for your betterment and to towards your success,” said USC sophomore and John H Mitchell Scholar Gaëlle Jean-Pierre. 

SCA alumnus and entertainment industry executive Bill Allen is the trustee of the Mitchell Trusts. He said a crucial goal of the Mitchell family endowment was to produce an annual summit so that Mitchell scholars from the three universities would get to know each other. With that goal in mind, Kellie Brook Malone from SCA's Office of Industry Relations organized a full-day summit at USC for the inaugural gathering of Mitchell Scholars. The event featured mixers and panels, offering valuable networking opportunities and insights into the entertainment industry. Allen was on hand to greet the scholars, and provide insight on why the Mitchell family wanted them to meet each other. 

“It was important for John and Patricia [Mitchell], to encourage networking of young people entering the industry and to learn from each other and help each other along the way,” Allen said. He worked with Bonnie Chi, who Chairs the John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts program at SCA to highlight the exciting things happening at Mitchell programs at USC, UCLA, and Michigan. “All of which have slightly different approaches to preparing the next generation of entertainment industry leaders,” Allen added. “And we thought it would be ideal at least annually to bring the students together from these three great institutions.”

In addition to Mitchell scholars, a few other students from other programs were invited to attend the summit. Senior Brooklynne Bates is not a Mitchell Scholar, but was nonetheless excited to be invited by University of Michigan's film department.

“I was invited here because I'm interning in Los Angeles this summer, and I'm really passionate about media and entertainment, ” Bates said. “I thought it'd be a really great opportunity for me to meet other young people who are starting off their career in this industry. I also wanted to see what we can teach each other and learn from each other.”

USC Senior and Mitchell Scholar Thomas Endashaw, highlighted the importance of approaching peers, especially at events like the Mitchell Summit.   

“I learned today that just saying hi to somebody goes a long way,” Endashaw said. “Today, one of the panelists had a mutual friend that we both know, and I don't want to be the name drop guy, but I just told myself to just be a normal person and say hi. And I made that connection. That was a big takeaway for sure.”

In between networking periods were guest speakers from the industry who ranged from producers like the head of production and business operations at Hulu, Jenna Cavelle, to franchise manager at Legendary Films, James Ngo, and alumni from the three university programs. They offered nuanced perspectives on the entertainment industry.

UCLA student Eric Pitz said he connected deeply to what the writing professionals presented. “The biggest things that I took away from the writers specifically was about the amount of persistence that it requires to continue through in pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry, and what it means to what it means to be persistent,” Pitz said. “As well as just the importance of being your own self advocate and trying to do the work that it's important to you.” 

In addition to professional advice, the panelists also passed on anecdotes from their own careers to help inspire the students. According to both Bates and Pitz, practical and technical information is good for logistics, but advice that comes with a personal touch can sometimes be more valuable.

“One of the panelists told us to ask the scary questions. That really stood out to me because she was saying that you have to, at some point, come to terms with the fact that you may always be scared to ask questions, and you may always find yourself feeling shy in certain situations, but you absolutely cannot let that stop you from getting in the way of asking questions that can help you move forward in your career.” Brooklynne Bates said. “And I think it's also important because as a young black woman, sometimes, oftentimes, I don't see myself represented in these spaces. So it just really reinforced the fact that I need to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”

The Mitchell Summit proved to be insightful and proved to exceed expectations according to Jean-Perre, who called it a “success.” 

Bill Allen agrees. “I couldn't be happier and I know John and Patricia Mitchell would be thrilled. The engagement that the students had with the speakers this morning was fantastic. The thoughtfulness of the questions and the candor of the answers from the panelists, were just what we were hoping would happen,” Allen said, “And now to see the students from Michigan, UCLA, and USC, sitting together at lunch and tables, getting to know each other, establishing contacts that they can build upon in the years to come. It's exactly what we envisioned and I couldn't be happier.”