Elaine Keyes

Major:  Communication Arts (Radio-TV-Film)

Certificates: Digital Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies

Graduation Date: May 2018

How did you end up working at FIFTH SEASON?

I did an internship in international, theatrical marketing at 20th Century Fox in 2017 which helped me narrow down my post-grad plans of pursuing a career in entertainment marketing. When I graduated in 2018 and moved out to LA in January of 2019, I didn’t have a job but I knew I would have better luck landing something if I was in LA. It took about a month before landing a job at Endeavor Content as a marketing assistant. I joined at a time when the company was trying to create their first website, which I had experience doing as I worked at the Wisconsin Union during undergrad managing the Union’s website. I was still working events with an emphasis in international distribution but over time I started to take full ownership of Endeavor Content’s websites. I was then promoted to Marketing Coordinator and eventually offered the newly formed position of Digital Marketing Manager. This past fall Endeavor Content rebranded to FIFTH SEASON.

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

This is a tricky question because my day-to-day is always evolving. I manage the company’s social media accounts in addition to our various websites. FIFTH SEASON (fka Endeavor Content) is an entertainment company that creates, produces, and distributes feature films and premium television globally. As a result, each digital platform that we use serves a different purpose. For example, our Instagram account is reserved for our studio titles while our screening site for buyers is reserved for our distribution titles. FIFTH SEASON is fairly new so I have had the pleasure of creating and launching all of our websites and social accounts. My year is based around the various film/TV markets (such as MipCom or LA Screenings) and also our release calendar. These two schedules are what dictates my day-to-day!

How has Digital Studies influenced your career path?

The Digital Studies program taught me the base of everything that I do today and helped give me the confidence to speak up as an assistant to tell my boss I could manage the new website they were building. Whether I am designing graphics for Instagram, creating a new website, or editing screeners for our sales site, I am using skills that were introduced to me in the Digital Studies program.

Did you have a favorite Digital Studies class or professor when you were a student?

Eric Hoyt and CA 155: Intro to Digital Media Production was one of my favorite classes I took while at UW Madison. I remember really liking the photoshop assignment where we created a TV poster for a show about ourselves. The class was a great overview for Adobe Creative Suite which was a real bonus to have on my resume while looking for jobs after graduation. Professor Hoyt was also super kind and made a point to get to know his students which I really appreciated.

Do you have any advice for current students?

Be open-minded to opportunities that arise! I was looking for production experiences in the Madison area to grow my portfolio and ended up stumbling across the job at the Wisconsin Union managing their website. I had no idea at the time how helpful that would be later on in my career.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career thus far?

Getting to be part of the launch of FIFTH SEASON was such an amazing opportunity. I designed our corporate website and started our Instagram to promote the new brand. It was such a rewarding experience and I am really proud of how it turned out and continues to grow!