UC Irvine’s Illuminations initiative and Department of Film and Media Studies (FMS) hosted the third event of their “From Script to Screen: Wisdom and Advice on the Filmmaking Path” series where guest speaker Mallory Schwartz discussed the production aspect of the filmmaking process on Jan. 29.
Schwartz began her career in production working on “30 Rock,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Saturday Night Live.” She then worked for Alec Baldwin’s El Dorado Pictures, collaborating on films such as “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,” “Aloha” and “Still Alice.” More recently, Schwartz was recruited to produce the third season of “The Morning Show” for Apple TV+, in which she was nominated for a PGA award and Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
Schwartz’s presentation was part of a five-part series of weekly Zoom webinars at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. Students who register and participate in all five events are eligible to receive an alumni gift and official certificate for completion of the “From Script to Screen” workshop. Each event invites professionals in the film industry to share advice about getting started in their career, choosing the right path and how to be successful during the interview process.
Schwartz answered questions from UCI students pre-selected by FMS, ranging in topics from landing entry-level interviews in the film industry to the production differences between independent projects and feature films.
“Just be real. I don’t know. I understand this question, and a lot of people feel this way and ask me how to be impactful. It’s like, was it impactful for you? That’s my biggest question,” Schwartz said about creating new connections. “But like, if the interaction is memorable, it will stand. And don’t think that you’re forgettable. I think most people are very terrified about forgetting somebody that they know or have met. So I think the greatest thing you can do is to remind them of it quickly and formally and move on.”
Schwartz attributed most of her early experience to being curious and persistent as opposed to a long list of connections. She recalled getting her first internship by waiting outside studio gates to speak to anyone who walked by about available opportunities. As the film industry grows increasingly competitive, Schwartz encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones and create their own path rather than wait for formal opportunities to present themselves. She also shared advice for students who aren’t sure what their role is in the film industry yet.
“Just start getting experience. And then same for internships — any chance you get, any experience is good experience right now,” Schwartz told the audience. “It’s funny, if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, the best thing to do is find out everything you don’t.”
This is the second year of the webinar series moderated by Entertainment Executive and FMS alum Paul Davidson and Director-Producer-Writer and former professor Fatimah Tobing Rony. The series kicked off with an alumni panel in the McCormick Screening Room on Jan. 15 discussing the transition from being a FMS student to an industry professional. The rest of the series explores the four major stages of a film’s lifecycle: script writing, producing and packaging it, directing, then releasing and marketing.
Davidson spoke about his passion behind the webinar series and reflected on the variety of pathways within the film industry.
“Oftentimes what’s so fascinating about doing these webinars is everybody’s story is so interesting and unique and how they broke in and how they found those first opportunities to get moving in the space,” Davidson said at the event.
Those interested in future FMS events can find information on the UCI School of Humanities site.
Melissa Mixon is a Features Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. She can be reached at mixonm@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon