Newhouse students attend PaleyFest LA, Deadline Television Contenders

Syracuse University Los Angeles (SULA) students had the opportunity to attend PaleyFest LA at the Dolby Theater this past week.

PaleyFest showcases the best of TV with a full week of special screenings and celebrity interviews in the heart of Hollywood.

Students were treated to one of the 10 panels featuring shows like “This Is Us,” black-ish,” “Hacks,” “NCIS” and “Emily in Paris.”

Thomas Hober, a junior in the television, radio and film (TRF) program, selected the “Cobra Kai” panel because he is a fan of the TV series and the Karate Kid films.

“My dad showed me the original Karate Kid movie when I was little, and I’ve loved its world ever since. The show has a lot of action but even more heart, not to mention some classic 80s cheese,” he says.

“I’ve just loved the way the show runners have taken the movie’s concept of ‘good vs evil’ and flipped it on its head in this series. I really wanted to hear more about it and see the awesome cast in person,” Hober adds.

TRF senior Julia Nelson attended the PaleyFest kick-off panel for “This is Us” because it is one of her favorite shows on TV right now. She was excited to share in her love for the show with hundreds of other fans.

“Watching the preview screening of the next episode in a room with a thousand other people who love the show and its characters as much as I do was amazing because we all got to laugh and cry our way through the episode together,” Nelson says.

A few Newhouse students expanded their TV panel viewing experience, partaking in the annual Deadline Television Contenders event. Nearly 150 panelists gathered at the Paramount Theatre in LA to launch television awards season.

Students were invited to join guild members and industry voters in hearing over 40 series’ creators and stars discuss their shows.

Luke Eckel, a TRF junior, says he attended the Deadline Contenders TV event in addition to PaleyFest to take advantage of all the opportunities SULA has to offer.

“Being from the East Coast, going to events like these isn’t even an option. So, when I got an email saying that I could spend a day or two on the Paramount lot and watch panels that consisted of some of the industry’s leading professionals and talent, it was kind of a no-brainer,” he says.

Eckel says the events also provided exciting networking opportunities. A screenwriter he met offered him both advice and a job.

“After talking with him, he asked me if I wanted to be a script supervisor on a project that he has due at the end of the week. I said yes, and we’ve been communicating and working together over the past couple of days,” Eckel says.

Both the PaleyFest and Deadline Television Contenders events were made possible through the continued support of SULA faculty, staff and alumni.