Graduation Year: 2012
Major: Communications & Cinema Studies
Hello! My name is Heather Preyer McGrath and I graduated in 2012 with a degree in Communications & Cinema Studies. Working at the New Jersey Film Festival as an intern was my first internship experience which lead me to a successful and varied career in events & multimedia. I am so thankful for the time that I spent there as it laid the foundation for so many great moments in my career.
While interning at New Jersey Film Festival, I also interned at the Tribeca Film Festival with positions in their executive services team and development. The following year I interned at IFC Films on their distribution team and learned all about how films get put in theatres and on-demand.
My first full time job out of college was at an independent cinema in Asbury Park called The ShowRoom as the events & marketing coordinator. I loved putting together director Q&As for indie films and Saturday night comedy shows. My second full time job was at an independent film distribution company in which I programmed films to VOD (iTunes, Amazon, etc.). I learned a lot from this job- sometimes a learning experience can be difficult in the moment but the lessons stick with you a lifetime. I realized that I missed the interaction of the audience. For the next 5 years, I worked in event production & design in NYC from events such as fashion shows, product launches, weddings, magazine shoots, you name it. It was a wonderful time to develop my eye for design and work in the world of events.
My current role is the perfect culmination of all my experience. I’m currently the Digital & Multimedia Specialist at FIRST, a global event agency. In short, I produce our video content for events, ranging from virtual events to large scale in person events, managing all items on screen. It takes a lot of teamwork, organization, and creative thinking- all things I’ve learned along the way.
I’d be happy to talk to any Cinema Studies students about my experience or answer any questions! I hope my work experience can show you that there isn’t always a clear road map and to try things out.
