Potential jobs in the Film Industry/Production Companies for a non-US citizen

Hey Guys, 

I know this has been talked about before but just wanted any perspectives on potential roles in the entertainment / film industry, specifically for non-US citizens, and potential ways to break in.

Brief background: I finished my BBA in Finance from the US and have been working as an Analyst in Big 4 CF for the past two years in India. Initially I was pretty set on going back out to get an MBA after around 3 years or so but now I'm not so sure it's the right path. As for my current job, as many of you would know, Big 4 CF primarily works on smaller deals, mostly with private companies / family-owned businesses as clients. While I've enjoyed certain aspects and have done really well on the whole, I'm slowly losing enthusiasm / can't really see myself in this line of work for the rest of my life.

In school I really enjoyed theater / acting and was also very interested in movies - really loved analyzing them in great depth, right from themes to movie production / casting of actors / box-office earnings etc. For a brief time, I considered if acting could be a potential career path but being an Indian citizen, it's obviously very difficult to get work visa sponsorship for meaningful roles as an actor in western cinema (which I was more drawn to), so I opted for business instead. 

Growing up, I lived in six countries due to my dad's job and got to really immerse myself in many diverse cultures. I want to be able to use this experience in some meaningful way. Business/Finance is also a huge passion but the way in which that knowledge is used in banking feels stultifying after a while. Would appreciate if anyone has stories / potential pathways for a non-US citizen to move closer to this industry. Also would appreciate if anyone has insights on work visa sponsorships for non-US citizens in the entertainment industry, whether you're an actor/producer/employee working in the industry. 

3 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

You should checkout the MEIM. It’s a great program. The second year they place you in a Hollywood internship. Their website has detailed employment report from 2012-2022.

Good luck to your journey

 

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