Business and Emerging Media Arts Majors Fuel Christensen's Hollywood Dreams

by Kimberly Smith

August 12, 2025

Kathryn Christensen
Graduating senior Kathryn Christensen prepares to enter the entertainment industry after several internships, hands-on learning experiences in her business administration and emerging media arts majors, and receiving faculty support at Nebraska.

From Bennington, Nebraska, to Los Angeles, Kathryn Christensen is ready to make her mark on the entertainment industry. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln senior graduates in August with degrees in business administration and emerging media arts, a combination she said gives her the tools to turn creative visions into commercially viable projects.

Christensen (right) premiered "Hell's Gold," which she directed, at the Almería Western Film Festival in Tabernas, Spain, in 2023.
Christensen (right) premiered "Hell's Gold," which she directed, at the Almería Western Film Festival in Tabernas, Spain, in 2023. 

“I have to give the credit to my dad, who suggested a dual degree,” Christensen said. “Despite having no entertainment industry background himself, his reasoning was that business fundamentals are universally applicable across all industries, and his advice has proven prescient. The combination of my degrees has given me a more comprehensive understanding of how to transform the creative visions of myself and others into viable, commercial projects.”

Christensen’s resume includes internships at FX Networks and Fabel Entertainment in Los Angeles, FirstGen Content in New York City and Back Roads Entertainment in Austin, Texas. At FX this summer, she shadowed executives in scripted series development through the Television Academy Foundation’s prestigious summer internship program.

“Thanks to that experience, I can now begin my career in entertainment feeling like I have a clear direction and more confidence than ever before,” she said. “I worked across the development, current series and casting departments as they collaborated with talent and producers to bring show concepts to the production stage.”

Her enthusiasm for television development didn’t start there. It was sparked much earlier through hands-on internship experiences.

“Ever since I started interning with development teams two years ago, I have really developed a passion for the process and discovered it’s where my analytical and creative skills converge most naturally,” she said. “The tasks it involves, like brainstorming notes on scripts and pitching ideas, suit my strengths.”

A career preparation course taught by career coaches in the Business Career Center helped her with practical networking strategies and her internship searches. Christensen's other business coursework, especially classes in entrepreneurship, international economics and accounting, proved directly applicable to her internships.

“My prior knowledge in international economics enabled me to understand the financing structures of international films during my last internship, including tax rebate arrangements for European co-productions,” she said. “Currently, I give a lot of thought to finding underserved niches for project development in the television market. My entrepreneurship coursework provided frameworks for market differentiation that I can now apply to identify promising concepts for a series.”

Varkey (Anand) Titus Jr., Amy and J. E. Van Horne Jr. Chair and associate professor of management, who taught Christensen in Identifying and Exploring Entrepreneurial Opportunities (ENTR 421), said she stood out for her ability to bridge business principles and creative contexts.

“Kathryn was an exceptional student in just about every traditional way. She absorbed course content, asked interesting and critical questions, and presented unique insights,” Titus said. “What stood out to me, however, were the nontraditional ways that she was exceptional. She applied the concepts of entrepreneurial creativity and feasibility to creative industry contexts. Kathryn embraced the unique learning opportunities at the intersection of entrepreneurship and media arts, and I am genuinely excited to see what she will do with her interdisciplinary experience.”

Her time at Nebraska also includes a global filmmaking course at the University of Westminster in London and writing and directing a Western short that premiered at an international festival in Spain, which she and her producers were able to attend thanks to support from the Carson Center.

She credits working on the documentary “Peaceful Means” with Sharon Teo-Gooding, formerly a professor in the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film, as one of her defining collegiate experiences. For the film, the students documented the launch of an indigenous-led sexual violence prevention center on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

“Working on this project taught me the critical importance of collaborative storytelling in documentary work,” Christensen said. “It also reinforced my commitment to supporting projects that drive meaningful change rather than simply entertaining audiences.”

Christensen says Nebraska’s alumni network in Los Angeles has already opened doors.

“The Husker alumni network in Los Angeles is more extensive than you’d think and remarkably generous,” she said. “Nebraska graduates occupy roles at every industry level, from assistants to executives, and I’ve found that they’ve retained that distinctly Midwestern spirit of support and kindness.”

After graduation, Christensen plans to join a talent agency or management company in Los Angeles, with the long-term goal of becoming a producer.

“I hope other Huskers feel empowered to pursue whatever creative niches inspire them and recognize that bold paths in the arts are achievable,” she said.

Video: Husker Internships: Kathryn's Entertainment Business Intern Experience

As part of the Husker Internships video series, Christensen talked with Assistant Dean Rachel Larson about her internship experiences and how studying at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln helped her get them.