Career Advisor and Public Speakeris - Krista Parkinson

Krista Parkinson, Episode #151

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Career Advisor and Public Speakeris, Krista Parkinson

KRISTA PARKINSON, career advisor and public speakeris the person to know when you want to find your first job. With 18 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Krista guides hundreds of executives, assistants, producers, talent, crew, students and others in the art of gainful employment in the entertainment industry. Those same principles can be applied by any recent graduate to any sector of business.

When Krista moved to Hollywood in 1997 fresh from Brigham Young University, she had no idea how to find her first job in the entertainment world, much less how to help anyone else. With a phone call from her grandfather and a little luck, she was able to get her first job as a temporary employee at the iconic William Morris talent agency (now WME/IMG).

From temp to agent, Krista learned the art of procuring employment opportunities, interviewing techniques, making meaningful connections via networking, finding a mentor, how to dress for the job, staying current on trends in the marketplace and everything else you need to secure your first job and build a career.

In addition to William Morris, Krista worked as a VP of development for Tony Hawk's production company 900 Films and spent the last 7 years in entertainment finance as the SVP of Business Development for Content Partners (Mark Cuban was an original investor.) In 2012, she sold a sitcom to ABC Family and started working as an adjunct Professor in the Cinema School at USC the following year. She teaches a course she created called "Breaking Into the Entertainment Business" which empowers students to find and land their first internships and jobs in the entertainment field.