Gone Hollywood. During her senior year at Temple, Samantha was accepted into TFMA’s Los Angeles Study Away program, which sends students to L.A. for a semester. Despite being cut short by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Samantha says the experience was essential. Not only did she gain valuable real-world experience, but she also found an apartment to rent immediately after graduation, taking the proverbial “leap” and never looking back.

Temple connections. Samantha was inspired by the mentorship of Associate Professor Rea Tajiri, a fellow Asian American who Samantha says is a rarity in film production. Later, Tajiri connected Samantha to a production manager in L.A who gave her work during her semester away. In turn, Temple’s L.A. internship coordinator Amy Olk connected her to another alum and associate of Goldberg, helping her land the job with Reel Start. Temple professors Doug Claybourne and LeAnn Erickson also played a significant part in her producing and professional journey, she says.