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I now have a clearer plan for my next two years at Duke, and for life after graduation.
Shankul Lohakare, Duke in LA (Spring 2025)
What was your favorite memory from your study away experience?
My favorite part about the Duke in LA program was my internship. Undoubtedly, the search for a film-related internship in LA as a film beginner was the most difficult part. I didn’t really know what I was looking for, but I knew I wanted to be in filmmaking. The only other level of specificity I knew was that I liked music videos and commercials over TV or Feature. Still overall, in the dark. My process ended up being cold-emailing production companies that I found with a quick google search, and it actually brought me upon my internship that I did for the semester.
I was a production intern at SixTwentySix productions. This company highlights culturally relevant storytelling in commercials and music videos and provides amazing creative advertising for brands like Liquid IV, Popeyes, and Postmates as well as for artists like Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, and Megan Thee Stallion. It was during this time where I was able to actually understand what it meant to be in “production.” Although my tasks were tedious and menial (like making gifts for clients, calling moving companies, etc.), it wasn’t until later in the semester, where I understood that these tasks were very necessary and added to the real picture. All those calls and gifts I made contributed to the success of a project and subsequently the whole company.
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My favorite part of my internship was getting to be on set. This was the first time I was on productions that were not completely student-run, productions that would actually be used for advertising for major companies. I helped on a commercial for LesserEvil, another one for Priceline, and some others that I am not at liberty to say just yet as they have not been released.
My days on set taught how productions work together on single day shoots, and my days in the office showed me how production worked before and after those shoot days. I met incredibles celebrities like Atsuko Okatsuka and others. As a Set Production Assistant, when I was not given a task, I got to observe and ask questions about how everyone worked together for these films – like every gear in its place making the machine work. This is an experience I would never get anywhere else, and I feel so lucky.
What was your favorite class excursion?
In the beginning of the semester, we took a tour of the Warner Bros Studios lot. It was such an incredible experience, being able to see how such a piece of land in the middle of Hollywood has brought to life so many memorable classics.
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The tour consisted of a guided trolley tour and then a self-guided museum exhibit. The first part included amazing sets that we learned were reused for shows like Gilmore Girls, Pretty Little Liars, as well as more other productions like Friends and Spider-Man. The guided tour provided much information and even had TV screens attached to the trolley to help visualize how these sets can be transformed with the proper production design.
The museum exhibits at the end included exhibits on Harry Potter, with amazing photo ops and interactive opportunities, as well as an entire portion focused on the Batman franchise! While these productions were not necessarily filmed on this lot, they were financed and produced by Warner Bros so still cool to see. It was an incredible tour, followed by delicious food at a local Mexican restaurant where we were able to Celebrate a member's birthday. The overall day was an amazing experience!
Cohort in front of Hollywood sign
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Vintage car collection in LA
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On the set of Friends at Warner Bros Studio
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Clippers Basketball Game
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Group learning excursion
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Why did you decide to do Duke in LA?
I found out very early in my interest in filmmaking that much of the skills in this industry are taught on the job and the way you get these job opportunities is through your network. As a Duke student, I feel very fortunate to have an amazing alumni network that spans such a wide breadth of careers, especially in the entertainment industry. While other schools may also offer that, what makes Duke’s alumni network special is that they actually care about you and will help you make your way into the world. I knew I had to take advantage of that and the best way was to come to the core of the entertainment industry: LA. It was only right.
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While Duke University may not be the most well known for its filmmaking education, this program fills in that gap by providing students an incredible immersive program that allows us to take classes and experience via an internship what it is like to be in Los Angeles.
The entire semester is set up to let us get our foot in the door, to test the water and make connections so that we can come back and rely on these Duke in LA experiences to guide our career path post-graduation. I have made connections within the Los Angeles Duke Alumni community but also outside that during my internship, all extremely valuable and will come in handy when I come back!
I will say this experience has been nothing but fulfilling and has helped me figure out my plan for the rest of Duke, but also for after graduation, which to a lot of students is scary matter in of itself. I cannot recommend this program more for anyone who wishes to pursue careers in the creative industries.
How did the program help you grow?
Professor Karen's class, “Studies in the Culture Industries”, was an eye-opening experience. Once I started becoming interested in filmmaking in high school, there was only so much I knew about what careers existed: I think I knew director, producer, writer, editor. I also didn’t know much about other facets of the creative industries like music production, TV writing, or entertainment law, all of which I was able to get an insight of first-hand accounts from Duke alumni that were in these fields!
Not only was I able to understand what their job entailed, their responsibilities, and all the cool perks that are included with it (like working with Emma Chamberlain and Beyonce), but I also was able to know how they got to the position that they are now, specifically what they did during college and right out of college and how they were able to make their way into the world. These aren’t my words, but a friend in my cohort said that while he feels more unsure about what he wants to do with his career now at the end of the semester than he did in the beginning, he feels like it was a blessing in disguise as his options have exponentially expanded, in a good way of course. It just comes to show that our perspectives opened up drastically during this time in the program!
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How did this program further your career goals?
The main way this program has affected my career path is by giving me clarity. Duke in LA introduced me to careers I never knew existed, helped me understand how production departments function—especially in commercials and music videos—and gave me the confidence to move forward in this industry.
While I’m still interested in editing, as I was at the beginning of the semester, I’m now much more open to other paths, such as production management and entertainment law. I’d also like to explore working at an ad agency, which I plan to pursue during my junior year back at Duke. At the same time, I hope to use my time at Duke to sharpen my editing skills—it’s a valuable asset to have regardless of the direction I ultimately take.
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I’ve already received postgraduate job opportunities from SixTwentySix, who said they’d love to have me back after graduation! Even if I don’t return there, the experience has been incredibly valuable and sets me up to apply to other production companies or ad agencies with confidence.
Overall, this semester has given me a sense of security in what often feels like an impenetrable industry. I know it can be incredibly difficult for many people, and I don’t want to diminish those challenges—but in just a few months, I’ve made real progress in my career path. I now have a clearer plan for my next two years at Duke, and for life after graduation.