The UT in Los Angeles Program Helps Kickstart Students' Entertainment Careers

Adrian Gonzalez, BS ’21, knew that attending the Semester in Los Angeles Program, known as UTLA, was his goal when he first applied to be a student at The University of Texas. Even during the pandemic in the spring of 2021, he was determined to get to LA to further his dream of working in the entertainment industry. 

With the support of Moody College of Communication faculty, he was able to make the dream a reality his senior year. “They were still very committed to making sure that we had a lifeline, even during a time when it was nearly impossible to do anything,” Gonzalez says.  

Established in 2005, UTLA combines internships, experiential learning, courses taught by working professionals, and guest lectures by industry experts to help students gain the skills, confidence, and contacts they need to make it in the entertainment world. While every student has their own unique path in the television, film, music, or media industries, they share the benefits of the intensive, real-world immersion offered by the program.  

“They say it’s not what you know, but who you know that opens doors in the entertainment industry,” UTLA program director Amy Lasser says. “I’d also add that who knows you and your interests is very important, too.”  

At UTLA, Lasser says, students build a network that includes their cohort, UT alumni, and a wide range of industry professionals who are invested in getting to know them and helping them navigate and explore careers in the industry. Students come from multiple disciplines, as the program is open to any UT Austin student, regardless of their major. Some may be studying to become screenwriters, while others could be focused on business or even music.  

The first UTLA cohort had only seven students, but the program has grown substantially due to student interest and generous gifts such as one from the Cain Foundation. Their gift established the current UTLA facility, the Wofford Denius UTLA Center for Entertainment and Media Studies. Its namesake, Wofford Denius, chairman of the foundation and a music attorney based in LA, knows firsthand what it takes to make it in the city and the entertainment industry.  

“This program gives students a leg up,” said Denius, BBA ’74, Life Member. “It’s an opportunity not afforded to a lot of other people. It gives you that networking ability, [and] it gives you an opportunity to show your work ethic and skill set, and I think that’s critical in this industry.”  

Now in its 20th year, more than 2,300 students have come through UTLA. About 49 of those were part of Gonzalez’s UTLA cohort. Now a literary agent at Culture Creative Entertainment, he says his experience at UTLA changed the course of his career.  

And he’s not the only one.  

“There’s a direct line from my UTLA internship to my career now,” Barbara Friend says, who attended the program in the fall of 2011. “I wouldn’t have this career without UTLA.”  

In addition to her work as a television drama writer, Friend, BS ’11, is now a lecturer for UTLA’s Working Hollywood Writer course. She found her way into the role after starting a virtual writers’ group with UTLA students during the pandemic. Her class covers what it’s like being a writer in Hollywood and introduces screenwriting, along with how the business works.  

“The experience of being here is much different than what you get in Austin classes,” Friend says. “The students are doing an internship while they are in classes, [for example,] which gives them such an amazing perspective on how things get made.”  

Both Friend and Lasser say that while many students come to UTLA with a desire to work in one specific facet of the industry, others may be undecided. Being part of the program can help them find their way.  

Valerie Puente, BS ’22, a talent assistant at Creative Artist Agency and part of the UTLA class of 2022, can attest to this.  

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do or how I was going to do it, so I think I just came to LA with a goal to meet as many people as I could and make the relationships that could help me along the way,” Puente says.    

Puente says that her internship, her coursework, and the rich UTLA alumni network helped her realize that the business side of the entertainment industry is where she belonged. “I knew that I wanted to work in entertainment, and I was always too afraid to just make the move out there,” she says. “So, when I saw the opportunity to do both my education and work here, I figured I’d take it.”    

Making a move to Los Angeles can certainly be intimidating for a college junior or senior, the typical school year when most students attend the program. Beatriz Chahin, a UTLA alumna from the 2010 cohort, a current student mentor, and a television production supervisor and independent film producer, said program participants should take solace in knowing they won’t be doing it alone.  

“You are coming here with other students who are going to UTLA,” Chahin says. “So, you have that built-in connection. You have to trust that even if you don’t have a lot of friends who are applying, that you will get close to those who are coming out here because you’re going through the same thing.”  

Chahin adds that while students coming to Los Angeles do need to be prepared to hustle, they’ll get out what they put into the program. Taking advantage of mentor opportunities, or even having coffee with an alumnus, can help them navigate their internships and the semester coursework.  

“It’s nice to be in a safe place with a mentor that you can bounce ideas off of,” she says. “So many people were very generous with me, and that’s how I try to mentor as well. No question is too small. No question is too silly ... We all start somewhere.”  

As the program continues to grow and expand, Gonzalez believes that UTLA will always set Moody College, and UT Austin, apart from other universities and programs.  

“Kids who come from UTLA want to do the work, and I think that is so special. That grit, it separates us from all the other colleges,” he says. “UT, in my opinion, is the place to be, and they do a great job mixing business with creativity and really setting you up for the best.” 

CREDITS: Courtesy of Lexi Guthan (1); Valerie Puente (1)