While growing up in Alabama, VP of Georgia Public Broadcasting Studios Demetri ‘Mimi’ Ricks always knew she was destined to work in entertainment. Her current credits include MTV, Nickelodeon, BET networks, and talent such as Will Smith, Outkast and Funny Marco.
I knew I always wanted to work in entertainment. I loved TV and film, and wanted to be a part of that world. I did all the research I could in Alabama to intern in L.A. I sent out probably hundreds of resumes, and ended up getting three internships at MTV. Then I realized how much I wanted to produce.
You might also like
I tell young people now about how I was still open to interning after college. Just because I graduated and I had a little experience, I was still young, green, wanted to work for free, and that’s what I did. I got an internship with Outkast in Atlanta. Within a month or so I was hired as their personal assistant. Left there, went to L.A. and started managing a music studio for Will Smith. That opened up a whole new world.
I saw openings at MTV for a receptionist. I took that receptionist position because everyone that came through that door at Viacom had to interact with me. I branched off and learned a lot about freelancing, producing, and casting. Everything you could think of, I learned it at MTV.
I decided to step out of the freelance world full-time, to work on mastering being a producer. That’s when I came over to Georgia Public Broadcasting. The only thing open was a coordinator position. As the VP of Production interviewed me, I literally told him, ‘I want your job. I want to sit in your chair.’ Five or six years later, I am now the VP of GPB Studios.
