SDSU Grad Navigates Success in the Entertainment Industry
If you attend Comic-Con 2024, you are likely to see exhibits or representatives from Lionsgate, Apple TV+, Imagine Entertainment and BET.
Film and television editor, Jacques Gravett, has worked with all of them and many more.
Gravett, who earned his management degree at SDSU’s College of Business Administration (now the Fowler College of Business) in 1992, started out in the entertainment industry as a Los Angeles-based child actor. “I have fond memories of going to auditions on the various studio lots and I remember being on the Paramount Studios lot in the early 70s when they were still using their backlot to make cowboy movies,” said Gravett. “Ironically, I would later spend ten years working on the Paramount lot after graduating from SDSU.”
Like so many other alumni and current students, it was SDSU’s location that drew Gravett’s attention to the university. “Our family visited San Diego when I was a kid and I thought attending college there would be fun,” he said. “I was right.”
With a plan to work in the entertainment industry, Gravett chose to major in management. “I thought a management degree would give me the best options for landing a job,” he said.
“I was the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university. After they called my name and I walked across the stage, somehow, my father had made his way down to meet me with the biggest bear hug he'd ever given me.”
Armed with a bachelor’s degree and a passion for movies, Gravett moved back to Los Angeles, where he secured a position as a page at Paramount Studios. It wasn’t a glamorous position, but it paved the way for a more lucrative and more visible position as a production assistant. This role gave him the insight on what he really wanted to do which was to become an editor. However, it took tenacity and courage to ask others in the industry for help. “My SDSU experience helped me to realize that there are people willing to help you along your journey, but it’s up to you to seek them out,” he said.
Before asking for help, Gravett first familiarized himself with the editing process by reading books on the subject and taking editing classes on the weekends. “Eventually, I was able to shadow another assistant editor and I was able to learn a lot,” he said. “Once I became an assistant editor, I observed and learned from other editors and was able to put that knowledge into practice. Eight years after becoming an assistant editor I was bumped up to an editor position.”
Gravett would like to take the next step in his career by either directing or producing TV or film projects. But at the moment, he is busy editing “Power Book IV: Force” which airs on Starz and was recently renewed for a third season. He won the Golden Telly award for his editing work on the series.
For those SDSU students who would one day like to work in the entertainment industry, Gravett says that since people new to the industry won’t have a lot of experience, it’s a good idea to work hard and build a professional network. “When you’re right out of college, you won’t have your dream job, so do the best you can with whatever is in front of you, be a hard worker, and work on mastering your craft,” he said. “Have a friendly personality and try to form good working relationships with like-minded people. Those experiences will help you be better prepared for what lies ahead.”
