Following his lifelong interest in film, Gus Helbock ’17 will be moving to the entertainment capital of the world to begin his career in film production this month. Across the country in Los Angeles, Helbock will work as a freelance production assistant on a number of professional projects, starting with commercials and potentially moving into film and television. The Haverford history major and Bryn Mawr film studies minor hopes to learn to ropes of the industry he has long followed.
“I have always found the creative possibilities of working on a film project to be extremely cool,” he said. “Even though my name won’t be the first to pop up during the credits—or might not pop up at all for commercials—I find that helping to create something that thousands or even millions of people will end up seeing across the country is incredibly enriching on a personal level.”
Two years ago, Helbock found his interest in film bolstered by a summer position at Station Film, a commercial production company in Brooklyn. After gaining a sneak preview into the production business, he felt that he had found his career path, and so he even decided to study film in its historical context for his senior thesis, “A Historical Analysis of the Films of Andrei Tarkovsky in Relation to the Post-Thaw Soviet Moment.” After taking classes throughout the Tri-Co that “engaged with film academically, critically, and creatively,” Helbock looks forward to applying what he learned from the Tri-Co’s film and media opportunities (which only promise to grow for students in the future).
Most of all, Helbock is happy that Haverford encouraged him to find a path that truly inspires him.
“I think my experiences at Haverford convinced me that in order to be as successful as possible, I had to pursue something that I found interesting,” says Helbock. “Being a production assistant, to me, is the most interesting thing I could do right now.”
For now, he will build his portfolio of work and learn the production industry in its epicenter. Though he thinks he may one day like to venture into film direction, for now he’s just looking to enjoy his time in an exciting new landscape where possibilities abound.
-Michael Weber ’19
“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series reporting on the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.