Profiles of Tenacity: Siena Miyamura

Siena Miyamura is a fourth-year entertainment and media studies student. Siena Miyamura is a fourth-year entertainment and media studies student. She encourages students to go outside their comfort zones and seek new opportunities.

Why did you choose your major?

I originally came to UGA as a marketing major and added EMST simply because it sounded fun. I saw the word “entertainment”, and knowing how much I loved bingeing TV shows and movies with my father, I thought it would be a fun way to supplement my education. As I began the EMST major and saw the range of opportunities within the industry, I decided to focus on working towards a career in the entertainment industry, since it finally felt like a possibility for me.

What does tenacity mean to you?

For me, tenacity is the ability to keep trying. The entertainment industry is a place that is full of rejection, and I feel like one of the best things you can do for yourself is learn how to push forward. Even when you get to work on that project you always wanted or that dream internship, being ready to meet the next goal is super important (just as important as celebrating your wins!).

What is one piece of advice that you would give to other Grady students?

Being involved in Grady means more than just attending classes. Joining GroupMe chats, messaging upperclassmen working on short films, going to Industry meetings, making friends and internships are where you can excel within the major, even if these opportunities don’t always happen in a classroom. I got my first internship by attending an alumni Zoom for extra credit for one of my first EMST classes. Like I’ve heard before, you get out of this major what you put in.

What is your most memorable Grady experience?

My most memorable Grady experience was actually visiting the big three talent agencies during the Grady Los Angeles program. I had heard a lot about talent agencies, and how they were a common place for people to start in the entertainment world. But they also felt oddly mysterious to me, so getting to be inside the buildings themselves was a cool opportunity. I can still picture how polished each of those conference tables, was and how impressive the marble staircase at Creative Artists Agency felt to me. Seeing for myself how amazing United Talent Agency’s art collection was not what I expected when I joined the summer program, and I’m still so glad I went. I ended up referencing my trip in my UTA interview and ended up interning there the following summer.

What motivates you?

I’ve always loved storytelling in every form. When I was younger, I was really into reading, and that slowly evolved into a love of TV and media. Getting to pursue something so abstract and unattainable for me as a kid is exciting, even if I can lose sight of it sometimes. At the end of the day, I love getting to experience new stories every day through my classes and internships, and knowing that the middle school version of myself who was obsessed with books got to find a career that allows her to keep reading is truly motivating.

Who is your favorite Grady professor and why?

My favorite Grady professor is Dr. Bernabo, who I had for Media Industries, and then during Grady in LA. I loved how conversational and interactive she made her class, and the amount of effort that goes into finding new speakers and opportunities for Grady in LA speakers is absolutely unparalleled. She’s been an incredible mentor for the past four years. She is always there to back up her students no matter what, and that has included me. I’m extremely grateful that I was in her class as a sophomore, and she has supported me in every step I’ve taken since then.

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

I would advise my freshman self to be more open to opportunities outside my comfort zone. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I first entered UGA, but at the time, I thought it would be business. Being open to new opportunities presented through clubs, student film sets, and classes within Grady made me understand the scope of the entertainment industry. Having the flexibility and bravery to choose my dreams over my initial major was huge, and I feel like that decision was only possible because I immersed myself as much as possible in the entertainment world.

How have the classes at Grady prepared you for your future?

When I first came to UGA, I saw jobs within entertainment as an actor or director, and nothing else. I never saw myself fit for either role, but through my classes at Grady, was able to understand the full extent of jobs possible between production companies, management companies, marketing groups, studios, and freelance. The entertainment company is an unbelievably complex and interconnected machine, but there’s a niche within it for everyone. The classes have been an amazing jumping point to start networking with alumni to find where I fit and doing the internships that have defined my college career.

Editor: Jin Lee | jin.lee2@uga.edu