CIS in LA : Sarah Lane Davidson

I arrived in Los Angeles believing I had a decent working knowledge of the industry….which is hilarious. I have grown so much more in two months than I even knew I had room for in such a short period of time. I completed my first industry internships I’ve ever had at two small boutique companies, Aperture Entertainment and Hybrid/Barnholtz Entertainment. I discovered that phones aren't that scary, I can make a mean spreadsheet, and I have some very strong opinions for the revision process of potential client scripts. Most importantly, I’ve participated in something I’m proud of.

When I first arrived to LA, I needed to pick up my rental car. I was only 19 at the time, so I had to go through a truly sketchy car rental place in Burbank. It was so sketchy that my uber didn't want to leave me there so he stayed out in the parking lot for about 15 minutes before going his own way. I was promised a newer economy vehicle, BUT that hadn't been returned yet from a previous renter so I got this:

This thing was the true beater your parents claimed to have driven when you made any negative statement about the car they gave you. Faded gold, dents everywhere, strange carpet stains---all of that. It was pretty funny pulling up to the Oakwoods for the first time blasting a spanish music station and trying to convince the front gate that I actually could afford to live there. It was also pretty great when I dragged some of the guys to accompany me to trade it in in the most sketchy way possible (nightime, past close) and snapped this picture.

Rest assured that if there’s art, I’m already there resisting the urge to touch everything. LACMA, MOCA, MONA, The Broad...I’ve explored them all. I loved mural hunting too, since it's such a key feature of Los Angeles art culture. I got lucky and was able to touch some art at Cantor Fine Art’s exhibit “Please Touch the Art.” This experience stuck with me as I got to watch many members of the blind community come out to support each other and explore the textured and sculptured art the only way they can--through touch. I realized how much I take for granted and how lucky I am. Many got emotional as they explored the art with their hands and excitedly discussed their opinions to each other. It was such a beautiful thing to watch that the people became like art to me and art finally felt more like a grounded, human thing, not a lofty painting on a wall.

Every day of my summer I was going out and doing things that I never dreamed I would do. I was ecstatic to attend Local Native’s surprise album release concert in Silver Lake, which resulted in me catching lead Taylor Rice from off the roof of the building to crowd surf and then later getting to meet him. I also attended up-and-comer Atlas Genius’ performance at The Grove for free! I also attended countless studio tours, panels at the WGA, LA Film Festival, and Arclight screenings.

This summer was the most amazing adventure, and I’m already thinking about coming out next summer.