Lessons from My First Meeting as an Extern

As I drove through LA for the first time, I couldn’t help feeling like I had entered my own personal fantasy world. Palm trees, coffee shops, trendy boutiques- in many ways Los Angeles was exactly as I had pictured it. It was glitzy and beautiful, a world filled with opportunity, wealth, and abnormally attractive people. As I maneuvered the dense LA traffic, excitement teemed inside me. I could not wait. I was about to enter Creative Artists Agency, Hollywood’s premier talent agency.

Arriving at CAA, I endured a long waiting period. I was greeted by a plethora of receptionists and assistants, each telling me to wait a few more minutes. I soon learned that in LA, every important person had an assistant. Sometimes, they had a few assistants. But this only heightened the anticipation, and I eagerly waited for my meeting with Elie Deckel, an agent specializing in corporate clients. The externship organizers, Rich Battista, Steve Dormer, Barbara O’Hara, Catherine Hagney Brown, Greg Kampanis, and Michelle Garam created a specialized schedule, built around my personal areas of interest. The externship is customized for each individual, which is one reason the experience is so special. For me, customization meant talent management and corporate development. Thus, I found myself in the office of Elie Deckel.

Elie was very LA. About forty years old, Elie had a cool, chin hairdo thing going on. The design, as far as I know, has yet to be named. Accompanying the facial hair was a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and a short tussled hairdo. Yes, Elie fit nicely into my image of the Hollywood agent. But unlike my preconceived image, Elie was nice. In fact, he was really nice. He spoke at length about his own career path, his current responsibilities at CAA, and some general points about the industry. Throughout my externship experience, I learned immensely from the stories of successful men and women. I was afforded advice for which many would beg. Absorbing every word possible, I gained invaluable insight during my time in LA.

The glamour of CAA alerted me to the significance of my experience. The externship is a rare opportunity. With Elie, I learned to ask good questions, but most importantly, I learned to listen. Each person has a unique story, and a unique perspective. During the externship I learned what fields interested me, and perhaps more importantly, what fields did not. By tapping into the very heart of Hollywood, I was able to gain clarity on my own career goals. And as a sophomore extern, clarity was what I needed. I returned to Georgetown energized and focused, and I cannot wait to see what the future will bring.