Grad goes from Tulane to "Hollywood South"
Rachel Resnick works on location for her capstone project for her digital media production major. Now a producer"s assistant, Resnick says days on the set of “NCIS: New Orleans” will be long typically 16 to 18 hours. (Photo from Rachel Resnick)
Rachel Resnick, who received her bachelor of arts degree from Tulane University on May 16, is staying in the Cresent City as a producer"s assistant on the set of CBS" hit television show “NCIS: New Orleans.”
“There is no denying that Hollywood South exists here,” says Rachel Resnick, who started her job with the hugely popular TV crime drama a few weeks before graduation.
Resnick has wanted to work in television since she was a child. She remembers approaching some Tulane students filming on campus her first year and learning about the then-new digital media production coordinate major, which is housed within the School of Liberal Arts.
“In digital media production, I learned every aspect of film production,” she says. “I walked on the “NCIS: New Orleans” set, and I knew exactly what everybody"s role was and where everything was and what everything was.”
Resnick describes her personality as “organized and hyper-aware,” which is a perfect match for the varied and demanding duties of a producer"s assistant on a prime-time television show.
“I work behind the scenes to make sure the producers have everything they need,” she says.
She started the job during the final week of filming for Season 1. The show is currently on break, and Season 2 will start filming later this summer.
“NCIS: New Orleans” shoots the week before it airs each Tuesday, Resnick says. As a result, her days on set will be long typically 16 or 18 hours. As producer"s assistant, she arrives on set about an hour before the day starts and leaves an hour after it finishes.
A Manchester, New Hampshire, native, Resnick had been planning to move to Los Angeles after graduation, but she"s thrilled the opportunity arose to remain in “Hollywood South” in New Orleans.
“I"ve learned to love it during the past four years,” she says. “I"m very excited I get to stay.”
Mary Sparacello is a communications specialist in the Office of Development Communications.
“There is no denying that Hollywood South exists here.”—Rachel Resnick, 2015 Tulane graduate
