Growing up in College Park, Georgia, ZaCouria McGowan was inspired to pursue a career in television and film production after spending several hours watching black and white movies and television shows with her grandmother. The shows she remembers best are the long-running family show, Little House on the Prairie, and the classic film,Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
“That sparked my interest in movies,” said McGowan about her relationship with her grandmother, who had a wide variety of DVDs of old television shows and movies. “I’ve wanted to do this since I was 12 years old.”
After graduating from Creekside High School in Fairburn, Georgia in 2014, McGowan attended the University of West Georgia focusing on film studies. While there, she began conducting research about film schools and opportunities in Atlanta and became intrigued by the Georgia Film Academy.
“At the Georgia Film Academy information session, there was a girl who spoke about how she was able to work on a film because of GFA,” said McGowan.
Inspired by that student’s story, she enrolled in GFA courses at West Georgia taking an Avid editing class where she learned how to edit films. As a result, she received an AVID Media Composer Certified User Certificate, building credentials to work as a film editor.
Understanding she needed to pay her dues, she began taking a course on production office management. With GFA instructor, Thomas Ward, she found his insight and support about working in production was particularly helpful. Additionally, her course with instructor, Dan Kelly, was also inspiring.
“Mr. Kelly worked in the industry and never sugar-coated things,” she explained, appreciating his full perspective. “He let us know it’s not easy and takes working more than 60 hours a week. He encouraged us to stay grounded and through experience we would come to a decision about pursuing a career in film.”
Through GFA, McGowan secured an internship in a production office, working on the Paramount+ streaming series, Wolfpack, where she assisted various departments and managed morning paperwork. After that project, she worked on an MTV movie and FX pilot.
“I found it better to be working in the office instead of on set initially, because you learn so much working in the office,” McGowan explained, watching other students pursue different paths. “It allowed me to create relationships with people who work above the line, like producers and directors, that I wouldn’t have been able to cultivate relationships with if I was a set production assistant.”
McGowan’s internship choice was different from most GFA students. She was the only one who wanted to work in the production office.
“Mr. Ward said when you work in the office, you will learn more because you are working closer to the production team,” she explained. “I spent a total of two and a half months in the office, working on Wolfpack then the MTV movie they shot in only 18 days.”
The aspiring film professional learned a great deal from her time as an intern and is reviewing opportunities in the film industry before making her decision about her career path. She is confident her internship in the production office through GFA will benefit her.
“As I decide what I actually want to do in this industry, those relationships I’ve built are key,” said McGowan.
GFA certification equips the next generation of film and television crews through coursework and on-set experience. The academy, a unique, statewide initiative operated under the auspices of the University System of Georgia, has resonated with leading Hollywood studios and production companies such as MGM and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society.
For more information, visit the Georgia Film Academy’s website.
