Women of the Elon Entertainment Empire promotes collaboration and networking among alumnae in the entertainment industry and students interested in careers in that industry
Women of the Elon Entertainment Empire (WEEE) welcomed prospective new members during an Oct. 9 event in Steers Pavilion designed to inform students about the program and offer network opportunities with current members and faculty advisers.
Originally started in Los Angeles, WEEE promotes collaboration and networking among alumnae in the entertainment industry and create a support system for undergraduate students interested in entertainment careers. Joyce Choi 鈥19 led the effort to bring a WEEE team to Elon鈥檚 campus last spring, with the group’s first meeting held in March.
鈥淲e want to make it easier and more accessible for students to create genuine, organic mentorship relationships with our female alumnae in the WEEE group in LA and, eventually, graduate into that group when they move post-grad or connect with our alumnae while doing the Elon in LA program,鈥 said Choi.
Lead board members Sophia Giuffre 鈥20, Cameron Wolfslayer 鈥21, Kalie-Ann Nassoura 鈥21 and Erin Pattie 鈥21 explained to those who attended the event that the mission of WEEE is to not only provide networking opportunities to alumnae and undergraduates, but also to provide a support system for members to collaborate, troubleshoot and aid each other in their respective fields of study.
WEEE will host bimonthly meetings that consist of guest speakers and workshops pertaining to the career interests of the groups. 鈥淲e really want to cater toward the specific topics you are interested in, so you can get the most out of the experiences and events WEEE offers,鈥 said Giuffre, the student director of WEEE at Elon.
Most members of WEEE are communications majors, but the group is looking to expand. Wolfslayer, assistant director of WEEE at Elon and president of Cinelon, told the crowd she hopes WEEE can help create a community at Elon that encompasses majors outside of communications and all career fields in which women are marginalized so that graduates can support each other in their respective industries. Professor of Cinema and Television Arts Naeemah Clark, who serves as faculty adviser, highlighted the benefits WEEE has brought to its members, adding the organization has already created an impressive community at Elon.
WEEE members at Elon and in the sister program in Los Angeles are doing great things in the entertainment industry. Katrina Taylor 鈥04, an active mentor and co-founder of WEEE, won an Emmy Award for her role as lead editor of 鈥淲ildland,鈥 a 2018 documentary examining a small wildland firefighting crew in Oregon. 鈥淚t is vital in the media industry to have a network of support for women to excel creatively and professionally, and I鈥檓 excited for WEEE to provide that community for Elon students and alumnae,鈥 Taylor said.
Visit the WEEE at Elon website for more information about the organization.