Living the Dream: Natalie Brundage
Email this article to a friend 
Print this Article
Name: Natalie Brundage
Age: 24
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Job Title: Production Manager/Coordinator for City Lights Media Group
Education: Bachelor in digital video production from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
What She Does: Natalie works on set for various films and television shows, hiring and overseeing the film crew, managing the equipment, and generally making sure things run like hot butter. She sometimes spends months on set, like last fall when she and the entire crew lived in a hotel off the coast of New York while shooting The Dissection of Thanksgiving, a family “dramedy” available on DVD. “It was like summer camp for adults,” says Natalie. “We were all together on this little island, and everyone was getting along.”
How She Got Her Gig: “The way this industry works, you start with an apprenticeship and work for nothing,” says Natalie. In keeping with tradition, Natalie started out as an unpaid intern on a film called Murder Party and was offered a paid position after only two weeks. From there she bounced from project to project, freelancing for two years until landing her current position with City Lights Media Group. A lot came down to networking: Her initial contact at City Lights was close friends with the woman who hired her for Murder Party. “Everything in this industry is through people you know.”
Working 24/7: Despite the quirky co-workers and creative environments, working in TV and film production is no picnic. “It’s go-go-go all the time,” says Natalie. “It helps the day go by, but it can wear you down. Especially in film, you start to find that all your friends are in the industry, and it becomes hard to have a personal life. Not only do you work with your co-workers, but you have to go out drinking with them after work. You don’t have downtime, and when you do you’re just sleeping.” Because of this, Natalie takes breaks between film projects, working on (somewhat) less draining television projects and storing reserves for the next big gig.
Make Me a Star: To state the obvious, success in film production depends in large part on stamina. But that can be a great thing if you’re willing to work, because eventually you will rise in the ranks. “One thing I love about this industry is that it’s one of the only industries left where someone who starts out in the mail room can become the president,” says Natalie. “It’s nice—people bring you up. In a lot of other industries you really can’t move up vertically like that.” So how to get that initial foot in the door? “Ask everyone you know,” says Natalie. “I’m sure someone has a contact, which would be your best bet. People are so excited to break into this industry that we really want to help them.” If, however, you come from a long line of accountants or have no inside access to the industry, bombard production houses with your résumé. Web resources like mandy.com and reeljob.com and associations like Independent Feature Projects (ifp.org) are also great places to try. Above all, don’t give up—people are desperate for interns.
This Job’s for You if: You handle stress well and are good with various types of people, from Teamsters to celebs. You also should be ready for anything: “This job is hard in different ways. One day you’re moving heavy equipment, the next you’re dealing with stars’ agents and all their demands.” At the end of the day, though, Natalie is truly passionate about her work. “There’s really not a whole lot I don’t love about this industry,” she says. Now how many of us can say that?