has never been particularly interested in following a conventional path. Whether pursuing opportunities in the entertainment industry, developing creative projects, or launching her own business, the �鶹��Ƶ alumna has built a career around trusting her instincts and finding the courage to pursue her ideas.

She calls that approach “chaotic good.”

Watkins, who studied cinema and television arts, explored that philosophy in a TEDx talk, challenging audiences to reconsider what it means to take risks, break the rules and create opportunities.

“To me, ‘chaotic good’ is having a strong sense of intrinsic motivation, trusting your vision, and having the courage to make it happen,” Watkins said.

Her recently published talk, titled “” was recorded May 8 at TEDxLaSierraUniversity in Riverside, California, as part of the event’s “True Possible” theme.

While the term originated in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, Watkins has adopted it as a guiding principle in her own life.

“Over the last decade, I’ve challenged myself to try new things, make new connections, and see ideas through from conception to execution,” she said. “Sometimes that means doing things outside the box (or, in earlier cases in my career, breaking the rules and making my own) and creating a new path for yourself.”

That willingness to venture into unfamiliar territory doesn’t mean the process is always comfortable.

“It’s absolutely terrifying because you don’t know what’s on the other side or how your idea will turn out, but it’s about taking a leap of faith and trusting yourself,” she added.

One of the clearest examples of Watkins’ philosophy came this summer, when she produced and moderated celebrating the 10th anniversary of the video game “Watch Dogs 2.”

The idea began in her living room.

While playing the game, Watkins noticed how closely its themes mirrored contemporary conversations about digital privacy, surveillance and technology. With the game’s anniversary approaching, she envisioned a panel celebrating its cultural significance while encouraging discussion about digital rights.

What began as an idea evolved into a five-month undertaking that required Watkins to recruit participants, secure sponsorship and coordinate the event. She connected with actors, creatives and digital rights advocates, securing support from cybersecurity company Malwarebytes. Fellow �鶹��Ƶ alumnus and Madeline “MJ” Johnson helped film the resulting panel.

I had to take multiple leaps of faith to make this happen, but each one pushed me to trust myself and have the grit to bring the vision to life.

– Mia Ginaé Watkins ’16

For Watkins, that mindset began taking shape long before her professional career.

She credits her �鶹��Ƶ experience with providing an environment where she could explore her interests, build relationships, and develop the confidence to pursue opportunities beyond her comfort zone.

“�鶹��Ƶ was actually the perfect space to practice being a chaotic good,” she said.

After high school, Watkins promised herself she would pursue as many opportunities as possible. At �鶹��Ƶ, she connected with classmates across disciplines, pursued creative projects outside her coursework, and sought advice from entertainment industry professionals.

She recalls carrying a camera around campus and spending hours in editing suites, developing projects that eventually became part of the portfolio that helped her land a job in the video game industry.

“�鶹��Ƶ was a sandbox to test out new skills and try new things, equipping me with the growth mindset I needed to flourish out into the world,” Watkins said.

Today, Watkins is channeling that entrepreneurial spirit into , an event strategy company focused on creating in-person experiences at the intersection of gaming, culture, community and entertainment.

As the company’s founder, she hopes to collaborate with brands, organizations and creative partners to develop memorable experiences that bring people together.

It’s another example of Watkins putting her philosophy into practice, building on her background in filmmaking, entertainment and gaming while pursuing a new professional direction.

And through her TEDx presentation, she hopes others will recognize that they, too, have the ability to create opportunities rather than wait for them.

“I hope it inspires people to trust in themselves more,” Watkins said. “To take more leaps of faith and not be afraid to go after the life, goal or objective they envision.”

Submissions for funding consideration will be accepted from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31. Funds awarded will come directly from contributions by �鶹��Ƶ LA-based alumni, alumni from other geographic areas and contributions from other sources.

The 2025-26 grant competition awarded funds to �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles alumnae Julia Boyd ’15, Bex Evans ’16 and Mirai ’07. Their films had their world premieres last July at the sold-out Inaugural �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival, at Sony Pictures Studios, in Culver City, California. For all three filmmakers, being awarded these funds and the world premiere event have been enormously impactful, both personally and professionally.

“Winning the grant gave me the seed money, a deadline and the accountability I needed to actually produce my film,” Mirai said of her project “#StopAsianKate,” which she wrote, produced and starred in. She proudly added, “Since its premiere at Sony, my film has gone on to screen at the Oscar-qualifying Hollyshorts Festival, the Catalina Film Festival and the Broad Humor Festival, where we won the Audience Award.”

Boyd, who received funds for her short film “The Life and Times of,” said, “Receiving this grant allowed me to create my narrative directorial debut and tell a story that is deeply personal to me in the exact way I want to.” She wrote, directed and starred in the film. Boyd added, “I feel so buoyed by the support I received from the �鶹��Ƶ community as I make my creative dreams a reality.”

Evans, who was awarded a production grant for their short film “Shadow Dusk,” was thrilled to get a green light for their project.

“The �鶹��Ƶ grant gave me a great base to start making a film I’d been thinking about for years,” said Evans. “It was great for requiring accountability, giving me a framework to start from and affirming for me that this was something that I could do.”

Selected filmmakers are required to make production, performance and other opportunities available in their projects for students who are participating in the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Spring 2027 immersive experience.

Funding award decisions will be made by a selection committee comprised of �鶹��Ƶ community-associated and entertainment industry-affiliated individuals. The announcement of award recipients will be made in December.

�鶹��Ƶ alumnus Jordan Roman ’15, who co-chaired the selection committee for the 2025-26 grant competition, will serve as chair of the selection committee for this year’s competition.

“The dream was to create to a program to remove the barriers to (production) funding for our LA alumni grant recipients and to provide �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles students with an opportunity for hands-on learning experiences in the professional production process,” Roman said. “With such great work coming out of last year’s competition, we’re all excited to see the great submissions we’re expecting for funding consideration this year.”

The three projects selected for production will have their world premieres at a special festival screening event at Sony Pictures Studios in July 2027.

For information about the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition and for detailed submission requirements, visit the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles National Campus alumni grant information page.

A conversation with last year’s grant recipients, via Zoom, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). The online gathering will explore how to create, craft and submit a grant award-worthy submission package with an opportunity to ask questions about the process. To receive a link to join the Zoom session, e-mail LAShortFilms@elon.edu.

For nearly 20 years, �鶹��Ƶ, through Study USA and National Campus Programs, has had a thriving presence in historic Hollywood, where students have an opportunity to spend a spring semester or summer core capstone program immersed in professional development-focused academic classes, experiential learning, community service and alumni engagement.

Founded by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, Imagine Entertainment is one of Hollywood’s most respected film and television production companies, with acclaimed credits including “A Beautiful Mind,” “Apollo 13” and “Friday Night Lights.”

Since joining the company more than six years ago, Choi has risen from an executive assistant to vice president of film, where she leads development across the department’s slate. Her projects include “Dangerously Funny,” a feature about the Smothers Brothers’ battle with CBS censors, and she secured the rights to the books “200 Monas” by Jan Saenz and Rebecca Yarros’ “The Last Letter” for Amazon. Imagine’s upcoming releases include “How to Rob a Bank,” “Whalefall,” “The Mosquito Bowl” and “Spaceballs 2.”

Choi said the recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the relationships she has built throughout her career.

“You can’t succeed in a vacuum, and I think the best part of this industry is the camaraderie and community that you can find if you look for it,” Choi said. “To be recognized by the company where I grew up as a producer is incredibly meaningful, and even more than that, to look around and be celebrated by my peers and creative partners is everything.”

In her profile, the �鶹��Ƶ graduate reflected on the experiences that sparked her passion for filmmaking.

“Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to watch many movies, so the ones I did manage to see felt especially meaningful,” she told Variety. “That experience shaped the kinds of stories I gravitate toward today.”

Reflecting on her career path, Choi – a Leadership Fellow at �鶹��Ƶ – offered advice for others hoping to break into the film industry.

“No matter how you got into the room or what room you’re in, make the most of it,” she said. “Do everything you can to hone your craft so that, in an industry where opportunities are increasingly harder to come by, you’re the most prepared you could be to take full advantage of whatever comes your way.”

Three �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles area alumnae attended the world premiere of their grant-funded films at the sold-out inaugural �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Julie Boyd ’15, Bex Evans ’16 and Mirai ’07 were recipients of $3,000 each through the 2025-26 �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition last fall.

Grant recipients were selected through a review and ranking process by a selection committee comprised of industry leaders, including several �鶹��Ƶ alumni. The selection committee was co-chaired by Jordan Roman ’15.

To view photos from the festival, .

Production of the three short films – Boyd’s “The Life and Times of,” Evans’s “Shadow Dusk” and Mirai’s “#StopAsianKate” – took place in the spring and included opportunities for spring 2026 �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles students to participate in and observe the production process.

In addition to the screenings of the three films, the festival included a panel discussion with �鶹��Ƶ alumni Lindsey Emerson, vice president of streaming, global strategy & operations at Paramount Skydance and Alex Stevenson, account lead at Creative Artists Agency. They each offered perspective and advice to both current students and alumni about creating job opportunities and career growth in a shifting industry landscape.

A meet-and–connect reception on one of the studio’s back lot streets followed the festival screening program.

Unique alumni engagement opportunities for �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles students are at the core of the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles experience. Based in the heart of historic Hollywood, applications are now being accepted for students to participate in the spring 2027 and National Campus Programs Los Angeles experience that also features specific LA-focused academic courses, site-based internships and community service.

Los Angeles has been serving as one of the key U.S. locations for the FIFA World Cup 2026; Skladan’s work responsibilities have brought her to LA for the duration of the games this summer.

Students and alumni guests had the opportunity to learn about her impressive career in sports so far and her journeyposition to her current . “It is wonderful to be back at �鶹��Ƶ LA’s home base at The Preserve, in the same space where my classes were held and from where I began the journey to launch my post-graduation professional career,” Skladan told the gathered group.

Each semester, �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles brings together alumni and students for conversations that benefit emerging young professionals in a wide variety of career fields. The program offers an exciting, immersive and robust spring semester and summer program experience in the heart of historic Hollywood through �鶹��Ƶ’s �����Ի� National Campus Programs. Applications are now being accepted for the spring 2027 semester.

From production, post-production, content creation, producing, writing, directing and performing, the panel offered a wide range of information to students of diverse majors who are in Los Angeles this summer for a unique core capstone course, experiential learning, alumni engagement and community service.

Zaman, who works at the post-production house Picture Shop, shared the excitement of being in the middle of the artistry of post-production. Among Picture Shop’s most recent projects was providing color correction work on Steven Spielberg’s current film “Disclosure Day.” She is also a first-time site supervisor, mentoring summer student Hammond Sherouse at a first-time �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Picture Shop internship.

Campisano, who served as a selection committee member for the first �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition last fall, spoke about the wide range of professional creative opportunities that await students who return to Los Angeles after graduation. Campisano is an award-winning filmmaker who often turns to the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles alumni community when staffing and casting projects.

Kestlinger is a Physical Production Manager for television and feature films at SK Global Entertainment. Seawright, an actor, model, and entertainment and brand marketing specialist, currently performs at Disneyland Resort.

�鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles offers an exciting, immersive spring semester and summer program experience in the heart of historic Hollywood through �鶹��Ƶ’s and National Campus Programs. Applications are now being accepted for the spring 2027 semester.

Tickets are now on sale for the inaugural �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival on Wednesday evening, July 22, at 6:30 p.m., at the historic Sony Pictures Studios lot, in Culver City, California.

The festival will feature the world premieres of short films from three �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles area alumna who were recipients of last fall’s �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition funds.

Julia Boyd ’15, Bex Evans ’16 and Mirai ‘07 each received grants of $3,000 for the production of their original short films. Their projects were selected for funding from among numerous submissions received. A selection committee comprised of industry professionals and �鶹��Ƶ alumni reviewed, ranked and voted on all of the submissions received; Boyd, Evans and Mirai’s projects were the three top selections from this process.

The short film festival will also feature a conversation with �鶹��Ƶ alumni Lindsey Emerson, vice president of streaming, global strategy & operations at Paramount Skydance and Alex Stevenson, account lead at Creative Artists Agency, about the current state of the entertainment industry and the impact these shifts are having on students transitioning from college to the professional world, as well as how current working professionals might navigate the new landscape for new opportunities.

A reception will follow the festival presentation with the opportunity for current �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles summer students to connect with �鶹��Ƶ alumni and other industry professionals.

Limited availability tickets for the film festival are $25 each, with 100% of all ticket revenue designated to support next year’s grant competition.

For information and ticket purchases, and for contributions to the grant competition fund, please visit the .

For Mirai, her short film shoot was an opportunity to both produce her original script and bring together several �鶹��Ƶ alumni for a Hollywood reunion. Serving in various production capacities on her “#StopAsianKate” were Lauren Gadd ’06, who worked camera, Katie Laurence ’24, who worked as assistant camera, Alicia Reynolds ’07, who acted in the film, Stevie Kloeber ’07, who traveled to Los Angeles from Minnesota to serve as script supervisor, and Dean Karasinski ’06, who worked in production design, art department, craft services and as producer.

All three short films, Boyd’s “The Life and Time of …,” Evans’s “Shadow Dusk” and Mirai’s “#StopAsianKate,” will have their world premieres at the first �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival, in late July.

Moeller has made a name for herself as a five-time Emmy-nominated senior producer at E! Entertainment Television, who now works as a producer at Entertainment Tonight.

“Back in high school, I used to watch all the red carpets and read all the entertainment magazines,” she explained. “I knew I wanted to work in entertainment television, and I knew �鶹��Ƶ had one of the best schools for communications in the country.”

Recognizing that �鶹��Ƶ was the perfect fit for her academic and personal aspirations, it became clear that she had to attend. Upon arriving at the school, Moeller dove right into her classes and even picked up a minor she had never considered.

“I majored in broadcast communications and minored in theater arts because I was told the Theatre Arts minor would be helpful with an on-camera presence,” she said. “My junior year in 2007, I studied abroad in London, and I now credit an entire career in entertainment news, due to �鶹��Ƶ helping me acquire an internship abroad.”

Moeller remembers �鶹��Ƶ asking her to choose her top three companies she would want to work for in London, and E! Entertainment was her first pick. With �鶹��Ƶ’s help, she secured exactly what she’d hoped for.

The initial internship with E! during her London study abroad changed her trajectory for the better.

“I kept in touch with the London office, so when I did �鶹��Ƶ’s inaugural ‘�鶹��Ƶ in LA’ program in the summer of 2008, I was able to land my second internship at E!,” she explained. “One week after graduation in 2009, I moved back to LA without a job. I hustled and kept in touch with the E! team, getting my first paying gig with them in 2010, working in the international department, all thanks to my first internship in London.”

Moeller made the switch from the international department to the domestic department at E! News and then rose through the ranks, from intern to senior producer. Over her 15 years at E! News, she was nominated for five Emmy Awards,�����Ի� interviewed people like Steve Carell, Charlize Theron and 50 Cent. She also had the privilege of working on the red carpet at the Oscars and Golden Globes.

“I think one thing that’s gotten me far in this business is realizing celebrities are just normal people too, and they want to be treated that way,” she explained.  “When working with and writing scripts for celebs and hosts, I’ve always had success connecting with them on a personal level and not treating them like royalty.  They will always feel more comfortable around people who treat them normally�����Ի� give them honest feedback, good or bad.”

Moeller credits her continued success to strong relationships with her coworkers, interviewees, and former hosts, always keeping in contact with them even after some of their shows had ended.

When reflecting on her favorite experiences so far in her career, she recalls being able to work on one of the biggest pop culture stages as a top moment.

“I recently worked the Golden Globes red carpet this year with our host Keltie Knight, and it was my first time doing a major awards show red carpet; we were positioned right at the limo drop where we saw all the celebs exiting their cars, like George and Amal Clooney, Julia Roberts,�����Ի� Leslie Mann, to name a few.”

This unforgettable experience solidified for her that she was in the right career.
Another memorable project was producing live coverage for Kobe Bryant’s memorial service in 2020, outside of the Staples Center.

“It was just me, my host Will Marfuggi, and a cameraman. We were reporting live from downtown LA, getting footage and statements of the fans showing up to mourn his death.  It was a surreal experience to be in the presence of that historic moment,” she said.

Moeller’s journey at E! News was marked by steady growth in leadership, as she took on a variety of roles throughout her time at the company. When E! News was cancelled in September 2025, she unexpectedly lost her job. However, the strong professional relationships she had built over the years quickly became a source of support and opportunity.

“One meaningful connection I made along the way was with Jerry O’Connell, who at the time was hosting ‘The Talk.’ After our interview, he followed me on Instagram and has been a huge supporter of my career ever since. When E! News was cancelled in September, we went out to lunch to talk through opportunities and strategies. He even reposted my Instagram announcement when I shared that I had landed a new job at Entertainment Tonight,” said Moeller.

Building on her professional network, she transitioned from a freelance role at Entertainment Tonight in October to a full-time position in January of this year. She credits this milestone to her connections and a pivotal, “game-changing” internship in London.

�鶹��Ƶ’s top-notch curriculum and amazing professors helped her feel prepared for the real world, knowing she could succeed outside the classroom. �鶹��Ƶ’s study abroad center helped many students, including Moeller, afford transformative international experiences. Opening doors to life-changing internships and meaningful global connections while abroad.

Moeller has come a long way through courage and perseverance,�����Ի� now she works for a nine-time Emmy Award-winning nationwide show.

“This business, especially out in LA, is 100% about who you know, but it’s how good you do that is what keeps you there,” she explained.

“My main advice is to take the internships, do the study abroad, make the connections, and always keep in contact with people and never burn bridges,” she said. “You never know who’s going to end up where and who can help you down the line. And when you’re on top, know that it can always change in an instant, so always be kind to the people below you, as one day you may be working for them.”

Do you know an alum who has an interesting story to tell, maybe even yourself? Please feel free to share your feedback or those stories online.

The gathering, held at The Belmont in West Hollywood, brought together an enthusiastic group of alumni, many of whom had participated in the �鶹��Ƶ LA semester experience during their �鶹��Ƶ academic journeys.

Current students shared internship and academic class experiences with their new �鶹��Ƶ connections. Many took advantage of the opportunity to request meetings later this semester with individual alumni as a part of the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles “Coffee with an Alumnus” program.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals, and site-based experiential learning.  for Spring 2027 open April 1.