CATCHING UP WITH ... Buffy Cautela (COMM '22) catches up with Autumn Olson (COMM '20) - part one of two

Welcome to CATCHING UP WITH ... where Fitchburg State students and recent graduates talk to Fitchburg State alumni, reflecting on their time here on campus, celebrating their accomplishments, and discussing how they got from here to where they are now.

In this episode, Buffy Cautela, a 2022 Film and Video and Theater graduate of the Communications Media Department, catches up with Autumn Olson, a 2020 graduate with a major in Film and Video and a second major in History. 

Autumn is a screenwriter and novelist who stayed in Los Angeles following internship, working as a Production Assistant for Skydance Animation.  They discuss Autumn's process in choosing Fitchburg State, her favorite classes while a student in her Film and History courses, and the film/video alumni's well-regarded reputation out in LA.  She also shares tips on her approach to writing, networking, setting career goals, and finding a mentor.   

Recorded in April 2023 -- just before the Writers and Actors strikes in the Summer of 2023 that disrupted her industry -- this discussion demanded a part two follow up!  So join us again next week when Buffy and Autumn catch up again -- this time in August 2024.

Episode transcript available here.

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Episode produced, edited, and sound mixed by Adam Fournier, a member of the Perseverantia staff, and a Film/Video Production student in the Communications Media department.

Click here to learn more about Perseverantia. Join us for programming updates on Instagram. Or reach out with ideas or suggestions at podcasts@fitchburgstate.edu.

Transcript

[Catching Up With…theme pops in]

[Opens with Cold Open]

Buffy Cautela (cold open):
Autumn, we're gonna like break down your life and kind of figure out how you ended up where you are now. If that, are you ready to do that? 

Autumn Olson (cold open):
I'm always ready, yes. 

Buffy Cautela (cold open):
Oh, I'm so excited.

Autumn Olson (cold open):
You know, I got my job that I got because of Fitchburg State. I'll be walking around Los Angeles and I'll have random people stop me when I'm wearing my Fitchburg State sweater and they're like, oh, that's a great school.

We always look for interns from that school. Like, like it's not necessarily a name recognized school and yet in Hollywood it is. 

Buffy Cautela:
Welcome to Catching Up With, where Fitchburg State students and recent graduates talk to Fitchburg State alumni, reflecting on their time here on campus, celebrating their accomplishments and discussing how they got from here to where they are now. I'm Buffy Cautela, a 2022 Fitchburg State graduate with a communications media degree in film and theater. Today's interview was conducted on April 17th, 2023, where I caught up with Autumn Olson, a 2020 graduate majoring in communications media, with a concentration in film and a second major in history.

In this episode, we explore Autumn's journey from Fitchburg State to where she currently is now, working at Skydance Animation in Los Angeles, California as a production assistant. Autumn shares her enthusiasm and passion for learning both as a student in the classroom, and in the writer's room. We talk about Fitchburg State's notable reputation in LA, and Autumn shares some advice for those looking for a mentor, encouraging you to put yourself out there and sharing your enthusiasm for what you do. 

Thanks for joining me as I catch up with Autumn Olson.

Hello everybody. Welcome to this little conversation we're about to have. I'm Buffy Cattella. I'm here with Anam Olson. 

Autumn Olson:
Hey, how's it going? 

Buffy Cautela:
It's good. It's good. So a little background on us before we start. I'm a recent college graduate of Fitchburg State University, class of 2022. I had a degree in film communications media with a double concentration in film, video and theater and Autumn what did what's your deal? Why are you here? 

Autumn Olson:
Yeah I am a graduate class of 2020 double major with communications concentration in film, video and history and currently a production assistant at Skydance Animation.

Buffy Cautela:
Oh wow. That's a big deal. 

Autumn Olson:
Yeah. It's nice to be able to talk to people who, you know, are passionate about film because sometimes you forget how cool your job is, and then they're like, oh man, that's so awesome, and you're like, it is awesome! I do get to do really awesome, like I wake up and I just get to do basically what I love every day, which is pretty fantastic.

Buffy Cautela:
Pretty special, too. Not everybody gets to do that.

Autumn Olson:
Yeah it's a luxury that I'm really fortunate to have. 

Buffy Cautela:
Well, Autumn, we're going to like break down your life and kind of figure out how you ended up where you are now. If that, are you ready to do that? 

Autumn Olson:
I'm always ready, yes. 

Buffy Cautela:
Oh, I'm so excited. So, your college application process, what was that like?

How many schools were you thinking of applying to? 

And then how did you end up going to Fitchburg State University? 

Autumn Olson:
Yeah I, you know, I probably, I didn't actually look at too many schools. I remember I had you know, a lot of people, especially because it's local, were like, yeah, look at Emerson.

You know, it's a great school and I'm sure I didn't attend it, but I'm sure Emerson is a fantastic school. I've met a lot of people who really enjoyed their time there. But I remember when I had initially been doing, you know, the sort of college search process, I had gone to do a weekend at Emerson to tour the campus and whatnot and was like, yeah, that was pretty cool.

And then I think the following week I came here and when I was doing my tour around campus all of the film students got to like, you know, pulled off to a separate room where they could sit down and talk to one of the film professors. And I think I had left Fitchburg State that day going, I would rather go to a school where the professors are present and take the time to meet with students who are considering this and everything, than Emerson, where, you know, it was really cool to be able to meet the other students who were there at the time and to explore the campus.

But like, you know, I, a lot of the schools with film programs that I had walked through and toured a lot of them had been going like, oh, we have this equipment that is fantastic, but you'll only be able to book it like once a year because everybody else has it. Whereas like coming here and, you know, being able to see the equipment and being like, no, we want you to have the hands-on experience.

We want you to be able to talk to the professors was something that I had just really resonated with me that I really appreciated. 

And so, yeah it's really funny. And Skydance at the time when I had initially first started there I think had two or three other Fitchburg State alumni. So it was fun to have a little community and even recently, a few weeks ago there's still one other Fitchburg alum at Skydance.

And it's like, we were out for coffee a few weeks ago with a giant group of people from work. And, you know, it's cool to be able to have a community like that who helps each other and, you know, stays in touch. 

Buffy Cautela:
So can we reel it back to when your time here? No, I love that we're jumping around cause it's all kind of connected, but I'm curious about.

What was your, like, favorite course that you ended up taking here? 

Autumn Olson:
In terms of favorite film classes oh gosh I looked up the titles before this, but it was like an audio design and mixing, I think, was the course. So it was just a really really fun course to, especially because I had not really worked with the audio aspect before.

So I think that lesson was- and plus it was a field course. Ton of fun. I also did a screenwriting, it was a short story screen development course, which again prepared me with a ton of tools that I use every day now, literally just in terms of script formatting and, you know, what to look for from page to screen.

And then in terms of history courses I'm going to do a plug for the history department. I think everyone should be well versed in history. I think it's one of the most essential things to being not just in film but just like a citizen of the world. I think it's such an essential skill to have a historical understanding of what's happening.

But the two, two of my favorite courses for that had to be Renee Reeves teaches Comparative Slavery, which is one of the most amazing classes I've taken in my life. And then also Professor Wachtel I took a class with him that was American Revolution. And he does these integrates like RPGs and stuff into his classes, where you like get assigned a historical figure and you reenact it, and I think that was one of the most important skills to just learn in general, like, in terms of, oh, oh, no, I am playing this historical figure.

And now I have to figure out what their rhetoric is and, you know, like, really study this other person and write my essays from their perspective, which I think from not just a creative standpoint, but from any standpoint is a really fantastic, both rhetorical and empathetic skill that you can equip yourself with.

So, this is so ridiculous to say, but my one regret is that I wasn't able to take more courses here. Which, you know, enjoy the courses while you get them. It's so much fun. I love learning. 

Buffy Cautela:
So, you kinda, this is, I'm going off the cuff here. It wasn't an original question on the list, but I am, I wanted to talk about your time here, well your time at Fitchburg State in relation to like some of the films you created. I know I've seen, I saw your film Mom's Coming Home, right?

Autumn Olson:
Oh gosh. Yeah. 

Buffy Cautela:
So I guess I'm curious about how your process, your creative process has changed from when you first did your final college film here to where you are now. 

Autumn Olson:
I mean, oh my gosh, it's, I don't even know how to answer that question. That's so complicated. I mean, it's changed immensely. I mean, just because I think with any person, you know, working on a creative project or process, I think firstly, any project is its own thing and I've talked to one, I remember talking to one screenwriter one time and she mentioned how every time she writes a script for a new film or a new project she is relearning how to write.

And it does feel like that way sometimes. You come up with new little, you come up with good processes, you come up with, you know, creative ways to go about things, you get faster at writing, or you get faster at working at things but every project in some ways is it's own a new entity that you have to almost I don't wanna say relearn how to build the wheel, because that makes it sound, you know, futile to a degree.

But to some degree, you almost do, you start from square one with this new project. You're working with new people, sometimes you're working with new genres and you just have to figure out how to do it. I think one of the things that I have been so fortunate to learn both from my mentors and like just working in animation in general, I think has been so informative is just the fact that, especially working with Pixar people.

I think Pixar people have a sense of theme that really, so many of them really have worked theme like clockwork and know how to integrate it into a story and being able to be in a writer's room with them or a creative space with them and hear their process and, not just that, but hear them fail and hear them pitch ideas that don't go well, or hear them come up with something and a year later realize it's not working and restart.

I think animation in many ways is like high altitude training with how intense it is and how rigorous it is and how many other mediums then almost feel as not easy by comparison, because all of them come with their own challenges, and so I've just been so fortunate to really have a chance to be in rooms with people who not only teach me, but who very often want to teach me, who very often will call me up after a meeting and be like, hey, just wanted to hear your thoughts, wanted to see if you, you know, what you thought about this writing meeting and whatnot, and you know, just all the fantastic people I've been able to meet along the way who have really taught me how to approach storytelling in ways that I just totally wouldn't have understood back in college just because, you know, you you don't have the tools for it.

And I think that that's always, if you're out there and you're looking for it, you know, whether it be that you are a student in need of a master, or if you are a master in need of a student. 

There are always people out there who are amazing and willing to help you. And sometimes, sometimes you're just so lucky to be thrown in a room with them.

And they just naturally take the time to teach you. And for whatever reason they see something in you that they want to help grow. Or you if that doesn't happen, you just show up and you keep annoying them until they teach you. Like you just, like, hey, I want to hang out with you. Can we get coffee?

Can I pick your brain about this? Hey, can I, you know, like, they're all fantastic people and they're all people who are just amazing and took the time to do it and, you know, always be thankful for your mentors. 

Buffy Cautela:
Yeah. So what is your strategy when you're trying to get people to mentor you? 

Autumn Olson:
Oh gosh. You know, it's so many factors that play into finding a mentor.

I think just letting people know you're curious, letting people know you're willing and available and not because people won't think you're amazing. I think a lot of people think really highly of other people. It's just that if you don't communicate that you are interested, and if you do not communicate that you're available, then they have no really, they have no reason to think otherwise.

One of the, one of the best experiences I ever had; it all happened when, in the middle of COVID, I was at this animation studio and I had pitched a short film and it was picked up and in development for like a year and a half or so. And so I had that going on and had become pretty good friends with someone who was in development who, you know, like he liked Shakespeare and we both would talk about that and we had a lot of similar interests.

And he would help me out when I needed to like, you know, talk through some ideas about this short film and one day during lockdown, we are all working from home for animation and I was kind of between projects and nobody had really told me what I was going to do because it, you know, you're in lockdown and nobody knew what I was doing because I was just floating there.

So I sent him a note and I was like, hey, Brian, like, is there, is there anything I can just help with? Like I'm in the middle of stuff and I don't really have much to do, but if you need any help with anything like or if there's any projects who just need someone to take notes, you know, let me know.

And he literally messaged back like five minutes later, sent me a zoom link was like, hey, we need this for, we need a, we need a writer's assistant for this room. You want to jump in? I was like, Yeah, I can, I can do that. And I basically until we had pitched it like half a year later I was just in this, right, I was basically working as a writer's assistant in this room, all just because I sent a team's note just because I wasn't really doing much.

And it was without a doubt like I met, you know, three of the people that I consider mentors were all in that writer's room. So just like letting people know that you're there and that you exist and, you know, want to play in the sandpit with them. And letting people know that you're grateful, letting them know that you like them.

It's really basic things, but there's times I think we've all been there where someone will turn around and be like,

Hey, like you're amazing, and I love being in the room with you, and you're like, oh, my God, I just I assumed you didn't even know who I was. Thank you for saying that. And I think we've all been on both sides of a conversation like that, where you know, someone shows that they appreciate you.

And you're like, oh, wow, that. That made me feel good and it made me feel more comfortable and confident. And so not just paying attention and really, you know, taking it to heart when people say good, positive feedback like that to you, but also making sure to say it to other people, saying it to, saying it to your peers who you enjoy working with, saying it to your teachers, saying it to your mentors, just taking the time and going, thank you for what you do, and I hope that I can keep coming back here and, you know, keep doing it with you which, you know, just keeping an open eye out for those types of opportunities. 

Buffy Cautela:
That was all like incredible information. I was wondering when you, when COVID happened, were you in LA? You were in LA, right?

Autumn Olson:
Yeah, I was in LA. 

Buffy Cautela:
So was that the semester you were supposed to come back and graduate? 

Autumn Olson:
Sort of. So, so the deep lore there.

Buffy Cautela:
Yeah, the deep lore. Please tell me. 

Autumn Olson:
The deep lore, I basically had so my internship was the fall of 2019 and when I finally started to get to the end of that, I decided to, you know, as I said, I was going around and trying to meet people.

I was, I got in contact with Charles Sides and was basically, like, hey, can you send me the information of any Fitchburg kids out here that would be willing to just meet with me? And he put me in touch with a ton of Fitchburg state kids, and I was able to meet with a ton of them.

They were a fantastic community. There's so many awesome people out there from Fitchburg. One of them was Christine Dunlop, who I met towards the end of my internship. But basically what had happened was I was kind of meeting with Christina one on one during the last, you know, kind of the near the end of my internship and, you know, we really hit it off.

We're just talking about film, all this stuff, and a week or so later, she gets in contact with me, and she was like, hey, we have an office assistant job opening up at Skydance Animation, and, you know, you should really stop in and interview for it, if you're interested in moving out here. And I was like, yeah, you know, I've nothing else really going on. So I went and interviewed for that office assistant job, maybe the second to last week of my internship, I graduated in January of 2020 and when the plane landed from Los Angeles, while I was returning to graduate, I looked at my phone messages, and one of them was from Christina, and she was like, hey you got the job. You, we, the interview was amazing. They loved you. So you have the job. So I basically graduated, was able to spend the holidays with my family and then hopped on a plane and went back to Los Angeles.

And then was an office assistant until March of 2020 and then the office shut down and there was basically no need for an office assistant. 

I mentioned him by name earlier, Brian, he, this awesome guy in our development team who I had hit it off with you know, after we had shut down, we were like a week into COVID shutdown, and he calls me up and he's like, hey, we like want to find something for you to do. So he was like, we need somebody to help with research for a script. Do you have any, you know, experience researching? And I was like, funny story. I'm a history major. So, I can do anything you need for me in terms of research and that's actually sort of how I ended up being pulled into a lot of creative rooms and like, you know, these fantastic experiences of pitching research to like, executives, like, I think that's one of the craziest things, like, you know, being not even a year out of college, being, you know, it was like May of 2020, I would have been graduating around that time.

And there I was sitting with like these, you know, like Pixar executives talking to them about all this crazy research, like just one on one. And they're like, oh, that's so fascinating. What do you think about this? And I'm like yeah, let's go to the next slide. I'll show you on this PowerPoint I made for you.

And being able to talk to all these people who I really respect about, like these really creative ideas and having that opportunity you know, it just, it's pretty incredible to see, you know, where life takes you like that. 

Buffy Cautela:
So there was basically like no transition from college to post college, because you were already there, and you got the job when you were on the plane. That's fascinating. 

Autumn Olson:
Yeah, no, it was definitely a series of fortunate accidents in many ways. I think there was so many things that had worked out for me so well, that I only now can look back I mean, I was obviously grateful for them at the time, but looking back now, I'm like, it's wild that so many positive things happened in a row like that.

Like it, it just, it was just so fortunate and lucky and I'm very grateful for that. I've had half as many opportunities as I've had, you know, I got my job that I got because of Fitchburg State. I'll be walking around Los Angeles and I'll have random people stop me when I'm wearing my Fitchburg State sweater and they're like, oh, that's a great school.

We always look for interns from that school. Like, like it's not necessarily a name recognized school and yet in Hollywood, it is. 

Buffy Cautela:
Woah, that is wild about- so people just come up to you when you're wearing a Fitchburg State something, they start talking to you?

Autumn Olson:
Yeah, I'd have people like stop me and be like, oh, that's a like, that's a good school.

Like, you know, I think actually no, I was maybe a few months ago going into the post office with my Fitchburg State sweater. Some random guy was like, oh, yeah, Fitchburg State. That's a good school. And I was like, yeah, it is ,, thanks man. There's just people who will just be like, oh, I know that school. That's a good school.

You have the hardest workers, like, which is really fantastic. So I think for a number of reasons, it was just, you know, an awesome place to attend. 

Buffy Cautela:
So what are your current career goals? Like, do you want to stay in animation? Do you want to go somewhere else? 

Autumn Olson:
You know, I, it's so difficult to have goals.

No, I mean, in the sense of like, I think that we live in such a turbulent industry that things change so quickly. Opportunities will disappear instantly only to have another opportunity, you know, just appear the same instant. And it's in some ways less about, for me anyways, I think this is definitely different from person to person.

I think goals are important in a smaller scale. For example or, you know, I'll put it this way. I think goals are important in terms of approaching the world as in, in verbs as opposed to nouns. For example I have the goal of, I want to do this project and I want to, you know, I want to write this script and I want to produce this script as opposed to setting your goals as nouns and says, I want to be a director.

I want to be a writer. It's better to approach it with action as opposed to titles, in my opinion. Because to me, I think that approaching it with verbs is just not only more doable and less intimidating, but also, it's, to me anyways, it feels more about the opportunities you create for yourself versus the titles you wait for others to give you.

So that's how I feel about that anyways is the goals that I want to accomplish for myself are just being able to you know,

I have some scripts that I want to finish writing so that we can start filming and we want to be able to get together and we want to sit down and create this story pitch as opposed to necessarily sitting down and, you know, I want to be a writer.

I just want to sit down and write. So yeah. 

Buffy Cautela:
Autumn, thank you for showing up today and talking with me. 

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I had a great time. 

Autumn Olson:
Yeah, no, thank you. That was, it's a lovely conversation and great to be back on campus. 

Buffy Cautela:
Well, thank you guys for listening and have a great day.

Autumn Olson:
Bye.

Adam Fournier (Host):
Thank you everyone for tuning in for another episode of Catching Up With, and a big thank you to Buffy for conducting this interview and to Autumn for sharing her enthusiasm with us while giving us a glimpse into her life. Autumn is currently in the process of shooting for a short screenplay and is continuing to make pitches for TV shows and feature films.

From all of us here at Fitchburg State and in the Comm Media Department, we wish you guys nothing but the best, along with the rest of the Fitchburg State grads out there. This is Adam Fornier, and I hope you join us again for the next episode.

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Alexander Maggio (GAME '24):
This is Alexander Maggio, a senior majoring in communications media with a concentration in film and video production, and you're listening to Perseverantia, the Fitchburg State Podcast Network.

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