The best experience anyone could ever ask for

A Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) Film student, Kelsi Gemmell interned as an Assistant Producer to the Operations Team at Weta Workshop. She was pleased to learn that the skills of a producer are transferable across the creative industries: “Coming from a Film background at Victoria University of Wellington and going into a Games Development Studio at Weta Workshop (who are in partnership with Magic Leap) has taught me that if you possess a core set of skills—time management, prioritisation, the ability to remain calm and collected under pressure, and the knowledge to complete a task—you can apply these as a producer within any discipline or field you choose.”

She now understands that honing these skills to a high standard and developing the right attitude is what she needs to do to get ahead in the industry: “My key motivator, passed on to me from one of my mentors, is ‘do it right the first time, every time’.”

Practical learning
Kelsi says that her favourite experience during the internship was learning how to run a studio space efficiently. Under the guidance of two experienced and highly skilled mentors, she was given the opportunity to work on tasks independently but also collaboratively as part of a core team. She acted as a logistics and organisational aid to the Operations Producer and learned to attend to the general operations of the studio while also assisting in the organisation of key projects, run sheets and proposals. “No day is ever the same in the studio, so you have to be prepared to act quickly and skilfully, adapting to any given situation whenever it arises.”

A royal presentation
Another highlight was being a part of the Weta Workshop team that demonstrated a newly released device and Dr Grordbort’s Invaders game to Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Career goals
Kelsi says that through her MFA(CP) and her internship at Weta Workshop, she is now armed with a wealth of knowledge, practical skills and self-confidence. Her goal is to seek a producer role within the creative industries and she believes she now has the necessary skill set and industry connections to help her move forward.

“My internship with Weta not only gave me the best experience anyone could ever ask for but has also shown me what it is to love your job. I am confident that I am pursuing a career that I have been well trained for and that I will love.”