Krista Parkinson

With nearly 2-decades of experience in the entertainment industry, Krista Parkinson runs MyGradsGetJobs.com helping juniors, seniors and 20-somethings get their first jobs in the entertainment industry. To date, over 140 MyGrads (as she calls her subscribers) have gotten jobs and internships using principles she teaches, her email blasts with job postings sent to subscribers’ in boxes and customized private coaching. She blogs for the Huffington Post and has exclusive podcasts for her subscribers interviewing industry professionals about what they do, how they do it and how MyGrads can do it too! Everything Ms. Parkinson learned about business, she learned at her first job a the iconic talent agency, The William Morris Agency (now called WME-IMG.) She started as a temp in 1997 and grew into the role of talent agent representing writers, directors, host, producers, actors and music artist in Non-Scripted Television. After 8-years, she left and worked as the VP of Development and Sales at Tony Hawk’s production company 900 Films. In 2007, she became the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Content Partners, an entertainment finance company where Mark Cuban was an original investor. For 7-years she was responsible for deal sourcing, investor relations and fundraising, presenting to law firms, business management firms and other gate keepers to Hollywood Elite. She was responsible for hiring office manager, assistant and VP of Finance roles. Getting Mark Cuban a role on “Entourage”/HBO was one of the marketing highlights of her tenure. In 2012, ABC Family/Freeform bought a sitcom based on her life’s experiences where she served as Executive Producer. Krista serves as an adjunct Professor in the Cinema School at USC since 2013 where she teaches a course she created called “Breaking Into the Entertainment Business” which empowers students to find and land their first internships and jobs in the entertainment field.