Eric J. Cheng AB’ 20 is a Chinese American actor, writer, and producer based in LA. He recently was a part of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals and acted in AFI thesis Cure. At Harvard, was a cast member of The Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Q. When did you know you were a storyteller? What experiences in Michigan made you know you wanted to act?

A. I remember growing up and performing with kids in the family friend group—five girls who all danced and sang. I vividly recall performing in front of all the Chinese families every New Years and having the time of my life. It wasn’t until I approached high school though that I got to really act. When I was in eighth grade, I saw a production of The Drowsy Chaperone at my local high school, and I immediately fell in love. I promised myself that I would try to be a part of the troupe, so when I started freshman year, I took a leap of faith and auditioned. If I remember correctly, I got cast in a tiny role in the play Harvey but later got promoted to a slightly bigger role when the boy originally cast dropped out (or got kicked out— I can’t remember). After that, I kept at it, and with every production I fell in love even more.

Q. What has it been like transitioning from Harvard to LA, even part-time, as a recent grad? Can you talk about the journey to LA and what you've seen thus far in our increasingly remote (and changing) industry?

A. It’s been a crazy ride with ups and downs; I’m very thankful for it. My move to LA feels like it’s been a long time coming. I came to LA for the first time during the summer of 2019 to pursue an internship at MTV. I aimed to know once and for all if I really wanted to pursue this path after graduating. The summer served its function; I had gotten a taste of LA and the industry, and I left the city with the awareness that that I wanted to be a creative as an actor and writer.

Outside of coming to LA for few weeks or months at a time before going back home as the pandemic worsened, I’ve attempted pursuing an acting and writing career remotely— writing at home, taking Zoom classes, doing virtual performances— for the past year. Now that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic (fingers crossed) , I feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment being here. I’m finally able to shoot the project I’m working on and collaborate with other creatives.

I have a lot of hope for the industry with regards to representation. This past year has demonstrated that we need stories that reflect the state of our world. As someone who creates projects from the Asian and LGBTQ+ perspective, I feel a sense of excitement. Though I still get discouraged at times, I think that the change that we are seeing will only continue. In a way, I think that the shift towards more virtual processes has actually been conducive to this. There are new ways to tell stories and get one’s voice out that didn’t previously exist, and the need for content to be high-budget has dissipated. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all of this (and one singular piece of advice that I’ve universally received), it’s that creating one’s own work and opportunity leads to positive outcomes. And in a time when people are looking for authentic, diverse, and new stories, I like to think that holds true now more than ever.

Q. For a young actor/writer/producer, how do you balance your days? What do they look like?

A. Often I still don’t know! I think I am still and will continue to be striking a balance; I feel like my day-to-day always changes. Usually though, my day starts after I knock out some tasks for my part time jobs. I try to prioritize writing at least four times a week, though in reality my inability to counteract distraction sometimes makes this an unmet goal. Other than that, I spend my days taking acting and improv classes at The Groundlings (which I’ve loved), filming tapes/doing auditions, trying to meet new people and collaborators, and producing the project that I’m currently working on.

Harvardwood is excited to offer educational entertainment company events for members who are interning in the arts and entertainment industries this summer, two of which will be open to all Harvard alumni!

Dates and speakers open to all Harvard alumni include:

July 13 - Jamie Dávila - Campanario- A Los Angeles-based television and digital content production company approaching things from a distinct Latinx perspective.

To register for Jamie Dávila/Campasario, go HERE.

August 3 - Gene Pao, SVP Digital Enterprises at Shout! Factory - Capitalizing on both traditional and emerging digital platforms, Shout! Factory is a media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture.

To register for Gene Pao/Shout! Factory, go HERE. 

All events will begin at 6 pm Pacific Standard Time. 

If you are interning this summer, fill out our form and you will be invited for free! Events are free for Harvardwood members and summer interns and $5.00 for non-members. 

Please email [email protected] if you are interested in attending, and look for a registration page in the coming days!

What do the films Swallow, The Tale, Children of Invention, The Invitation and the upcoming I Carry You with Me have in common? They are all independent films. They are all lauded by critics. And they are all produced by Mynette Louie AB ’97, who has already made an indelible mark on the world of independent cinema in a remarkably short amount of time.

But it was never certain that Mynette would end up in the world of film, a point we returned to numerous times throughout our conversation. Born to working-class parents who immigrated from China and Hong Kong, Mynette didn’t have the opportunity to form industry connections until years after she graduated college. That doesn’t mean she wasn’t interested, however. In her characteristically peppy and charming manner, Mynette informed me, “I’ve been consuming films like crazy since I was a little kid.” She also attended Hunter College High School, which has produced the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robert Lopez. “So I’d been around that world, but I never thought it was a practical path,” she told me. “And it still isn’t, it’s a very impractical path. So, I decided to just do well in school and go to Harvard.”

At Harvard, Mynette concentrated in East Asian Studies but focused on Chinese literature and film, never relinquishing cinema from her life. “Leo Ou-fan Lee was one of my professors,” she said, “and he introduced me to a lot of film theory and cultural theory and feminist theory… a lot of my papers [took] a socio-political view of films.” Mynette said that taking East Asian Studies and, more specifically, classes like Lee’s that dealt with fifth generation Chinese films, “was a great education in Chinese sensibilities… and indirectly influenced how I approach story and the kinds of notes that I give.” It also instilled her with a need to make films that, while not overtly political, have something to say about the world around her. When we discussed her filmography, Mynette explained, “I Carry You with Me is about these two gay undocumented immigrants living in New York… The Tale was about child sexual abuse and dealing with trauma… [and] Swallow was about a woman feeling stifled by the patriarchy.” She paused for a moment. “They aim to be entertaining, you know, first and foremost, and compelling… [but] there is something that I want to say with my movies.”

These films would come years after she graduated from Harvard. “After graduating from Harvard with debt,” she laughed, “I was like, gotta find a job to pay [it] off!” She wound up working in marketing at Time Magazine and later in business development at SportsIllustrated.com. “I didn’t love the jobs that I had right after college,” Mynette said, “But I thought it was a great general media business education that has served me well as a producer.” Our conversation was full of answers like these, because Mynette is someone who chooses not to focus on what a situation takes away from her, and instead on what she gained and how she can apply it to building herself and her career.

It was right after 9/11 that Mynette’s life took a dramatic turn. “A bunch of my colleagues [at SportsIllustrated.com] had been laid off and, you know, I was hoping to get laid off and get a severance package and that didn’t happen,” she told me, chuckling. “They [said], if you want to leave you have to quit.” I could almost hear her shrug over the phone. “So I actually did quit my job… and decided to figure out how to get into this film industry once and for all.”

Her decision was courageous, especially considering she still didn’t have any connections in the film industry. Her networking began when she answered an ad with a post.harvard.edu address. It belonged to a Harvard alumnus working on a PA-starved NYU graduate student film. Mynette worked as a PA on the short film for three days, her first hands-on foray into the film industry. She would go on to produce two more NYU graduate student films. “I feel like I got a free NYU film school education, just by producing these short films,” Mynette told me, laughing. “Then I moved on to co-producing my first feature, Mutual Appreciation.” 

Four years after Mutual Appreciation, Mynette got her first self-described big break when she produced the film Children of Invention, an even more impressive feat considering she was still learning on the job. “As lead producer, I didn’t have a lawyer,” she explained. “Our film was so small, it had a $150,000 budget… I basically had to read a bunch of books on film law, and [make] a bunch of my own contracts, and it was a very DIY effort.” The film got into Sundance and, according to Mynette, “just blew the doors wide open… I was able to build my network from there and continue to produce feature films.”

Company: Ipsos North America
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Start Date: IMMEDIATELY
Type of Position: Paid Internship
Minimum Education Level: N/A
Minimum Years of Experience: N/A

Job Description: Immediate opening for paid Internship, reporting to SVP, Media  Development and Head of Revenue Activation at Ipsos North America.

Company: NBC Sports
Location: Stamford, CT
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 5 years

Job Description: 

• Responsible for the design and production of animated elements for network graphics including packaging and insert graphics
• Effectively communicate concepts and ideas to the Art Director and design team
• Understand and translate network’s brand strategy into quality design

Harvardwood is pleased to announce that it has received a $5,000 donation from Angela Chao (AB 1995, MBA 2001), Chair and CEO of Foremost Group and Co-Chair of The Asian American Foundation Advisory Council, to support Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists. The donation will support Harvardwood members who self-identify as AAPI and their work, artistic efforts and desire to share their lived experience as a member of the AAPI community. 

The duration of the gift will span one year of Harvardwood programming and provide a financial stipend to both a Summer Internship student participant and 101 Boot Camp student participant, a Heroes grant, prize awards for the 2022 Harvardwood Writers Competition, and free participation for both the fall and spring modules of the Jeff Sagansky TV Writers Program and the Features Writers Program.  All Harvardwood members who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander will be welcome to apply, and Harvardwood will announce opportunities for each program. 

Harvardwood is committed to spotlighting and promoting diverse voices, as a core aspect of our mission is providing creative and professional growth opportunities to artists who have been traditionally under-represented in the arts and entertainment fields. This gift enables AAPI students and alumni to gain opportunities to explore a creative field regardless of financial support.

 “We are thrilled and honored to partner with Angela Chao on an initiative to uplift AAPI artists and stories,” said Harvardwood Co-Founder Mia Riverton Alpert. “During this challenging time for our world at large, and the AAPI community in particular, we continue to believe in the power of the arts to foster empathy and understanding by telling stories that highlight the common humanity we all share.”

Justin White, Harvardwood’s Director, shared; “We look forward to working with Ms. Chao as we implement this incredibly generous gift over the next few months, and we are excited about this new chapter for Harvardwood.”

Angela Chao commented, “It’s always an honor for me to be able to support Asian-American and Pacific Islander students and graduates as they express their voices and tell their stories through art. Especially during these times where issues facing Asian-American and Pacific Islanders are at the forefront of public attention, I’m looking forward to seeing the artists’ work and highlighting our community’s stories and experiences.”

Company: WarnerMedia
Location: Remote / Burbank, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Internship
Minimum Education Level: 
Minimum Years of Experience: 

Job Description: WarnerMedia seeks a Fall Music Intern for the Warner Bros. Pictures Music department.

The Fall Music Intern will work alongside the Music Team of WB Pictures Music, New Line Cinema Music and WaterTower Music providing assistance in various aspects. They will collaborate with the Music Creative team on feature projects that are currently in development, production and post, as well as some of our soundtrack releases for those titles.

Company: Paramount Pictures
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year

Job Description: Do you love all things movies and entertainment? We are Paramount's Marketing in-house production and creative division responsible for storytelling beyond the film itself! From greenlight to release, we work the entire life cycle of a film, capturing behind the scene's content on set, executing special shoots with talent during post and working on branded content with partners among many other tasks!

Company: CBS News
Location: New York, NY
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 2 years

Job Description: CBS News is seeking an Executive Assistant to support the President and Co-head of CBS News and the CBS Television Stations.

• Provide executive-level administrative support including meeting and travel planning, managing of expense reports, scheduling, phone/mail, supplies, filing, and other business-related duties.
• Schedule and arrange meetings and conference calls with internal and external parties at a fast and constantly changing pace.
• Handle heavy telephone contact with all levels of internal and external executive management and employees.
• Screen telephone calls, visitors, and letters. Answer routine questions and furnish information.
• Keep executive abreast of trends and new developments in the news space by reading industry publications, monitoring social media, and tracking competitor’s initiatives.
• Providing good judgment in monitoring and prioritizing information flow and meetings throughout the day
• Utilize judgment in handling inquiries from vendors, candidates, employees, and resolve concerns/issues, as necessary.
• Handle confidential information with absolute discretion.
• Plan staff and other team events including staff meetings, senior team meetings, and off-sites when necessary. This includes managing all aspects including vendor selection, catering, audiovisual, and other logistics.
• Assist with short and long-term projects, research, and presentations.

Company: WME / Endeavor
Location: Nashville, TN
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: 
Minimum Years of Experience: 

Job Description: Floating Assistants service the company across all departments, primarily within the Music department. They complete ad-hoc projects and temporarily cover desks while assistants are away. The position also entails assisting with a variety of daily administrative office tasks. Floating Assistants will be eligible to apply for assistant desks after training is completed.

Company: A Beverly Hills Talent Management Company
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year

Job Description: A Beverly Hills Talent Management Company seeks a sharp, ambitious, and dynamic assistant to talent manager who represents on-screen talent. Ideal candidates should have superior organizational and communication skills, be detail oriented, resourceful, have the ability to multi-task and shift priorities. Assistant  will manage a busy desk where duties range from office tasks to interacting with A-list clients. Must have a ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude. Candidates must have 1-2 years previous experience at a mainstream management company or talent agency. Must know the players in town and the basics of the talent landscape. Bachelor’s degree required. 

Company: NBC Sports Bay Area
Location: San Francisco, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year

Job Description: 

• Graphics Producer: Produce, Create, Research & Generate Graphics for Pre/Post Shows & any other scheduled Linear programs.
• Work closely with Producers & Show Pilots/Directors on Graphic Ideas/Style/Layout & implementing graphics/video in Studio Monitors.
• Generate Segment/Breakdown/Story Ideas for Pre/Post Game Shows
• Work as a Fill-In Associate Producer:  Perform all the duties of an Associate Producer when needed including creating & generating story/segment/breakdown ideas, using our Libero segment breakdown program, editing & writing highlights, contributing to social media coverage & field producing. 
• Stage Manager: Work on-site at games helping the talent & producer on Game Day.
• Log Content:  Logging any content including games, game melts, interviews or any other content.
• Communicate and collaborate across Production, Creative, Editorial & Digital Departments
   

Harvardwood has announced its Writers Competition winners and Most Staffable TV Writers List. Several categories are led by writers from underrepresented groups. The winners are chosen via a blind judging process, and Harvardwood’s writers programs and competition have always had a far more diverse population than any WGA statistics on TV writers’ rooms or feature projects. 

“Harvardwood has strived to support new voices in the industry, and we are proud to see those efforts reflected in our competition winners,” says President Allison Kiessling.

Please see the Deadline announcement here.

Company: Warner Brothers
Location: Remote 
Start Date: September 20, 2021
Type of Position: Internship, Part-Time
Minimum Education Level: Students must be currently enrolled in a college degree program for full duration of the internship.
Minimum Years of Experience: 

Job Description: Our internship program is designed to provide an opportunity to gain knowledge of and exposure to a working studio environment. The Company makes a special effort to provide the support and training needed to prepare interns to succeed in real-time projects and assignments. 

• We are seeking interns who would be able to bring their knowledge of film/television and pop culture, and organizational and administrative skills to our teams involved with Film/TV development. This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in pursuing a career within development, production, creative affairs, or other related fields. Interns will gain insight and knowledge of the industry by way of practical work experience, such as script coverage, reviewing dailies, creating and maintaining lists of available actors, writers, and directors, and other various projects to gain exposure to all facets of the business.
• We have multiple internship opportunities available within Creative Development. By applying to this posting, you will be considered for all internship opportunities within this area. If you are selected for further consideration, a recruiter will reach out to you, and he or she is happy to provide more detail on the specific roles at that time. Please note that our applications are filled on a rolling basis, and you may view your current application status by logging into your application profile.

Company: Simon & Schuster
Location: New York, NY
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: 
Minimum Years of Experience: 

Job Description: This is a unique opportunity for a Publishing Assistant with the new Simon & Schuster lifestyle imprint to support both the Publisher and the Editor in Chief. This role will provide an opportunity to learn both the editorial function and the overall publishing process.

Company: Creative Artists Agency
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: Bachelor's
Minimum Years of Experience: 10 months

Job Description: The Assistant, Music - Touring (Hip-Hop/R&B) will provide administrative support to three Agents in our Music - Touring department. The ideal candidate should be passionate about music (specifically in the Hip-Hop/R&B space), motivated, quick-thinking and open to working in an environment where he/she is capable of performing administrative tasks in a fast-paced environment. The individual should be flexible, highly organized and have the ability to multi-task under pressure.

Company: The Jackal Group
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: 
Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year

Job Description: This is a great opportunity for someone with  at least one year of agency experience who wants to dive into development in TV (scripted and non scripted), Film and Theatre. Ability to give thoughtful creative input is a must! The role will also entail basic assistant duties: high-volume scheduling, sending submissions, managing tracking grids, to-do lists, organizing and generating materials for pitches, as well as gather market intel, help to identify/target writers, creators and IP. Ideal candidate is hard working, takes initiative, and can start right away.

Company: CBS
Location: New York, NY
Start Date:
Type of Position: Full-Time
Minimum Education Level: 
Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year

Job Description: Watch Magazine, a leading entertainment content magazine that publishes 6 times a year with a commanding web profile, is searching for a full-time Assistant Editor to join our team. As a member of the ViacomCBS company, Watch's ideal candidate will have a love of all things editorial and a strong knowledge of pop culture and CBS Television content. This candidate will join a top tier editorial team with the main goal of promoting our key brands like CBS, Showtime, The CW and Paramount + on the pages of Watch Magazine and our website. They will assist our Art, Edit, and Photo departments with the day-to-day duties of the magazine including: