Abigail Amatucci ’22, film/media, took advantage of a range of experiences during her time at the Harrington School, from filming projects for class and being a part of the Daily Ram to working in the Harrington School Social Media Agency. With these experiences, she managed to gain a variety of skills, including film production, video and photo editing, social media content creation, and copywriting. Since graduating, Amatucci has worked as a Digital Content Creator at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. 

Why did you choose to study at URI? 

I knew I wanted to study film, specifically film production. I wanted my education to be really concrete, really hands-on. Eventually, I realized I wanted to do something more in the social media video realm. 

For film schools specifically, URI really wasn’t on my radar at first. I went to a welcome day, and I sat through the Harrington School information session. I really liked how you could just hit the ground running your freshman year. I was happy to hear that students get a camera and just start doing things during the first week. 

Why did you choose to study film/media? 

I liked how the program was coupled with other classes that would teach me things that I couldn’t necessarily learn in film but would help me with film. I think every aspect of my experience at URI will help me in the long run. I also really liked how there were just different concentrations and paths you could pick within the program.

I found it to be really collaborative, and I liked that the School always emphasized working together with your classmates because that doesn’t go away after graduation. Everyone at the Harrington School is always so nice and willing to teach each other. Other students always helped me, and I still remember what certain people have taught me on set today.  

So, I just loved how collaborative it was and how hands-on everything was from the beginning. When you work on sets and work with students in class, the relationships you build and the interactions you have are super valuable in the future.

How do you use the skills you learned while you were at URI today? 

I got a job at the Harrington School in the Social Media Agency, and that really opened up the doors for me. I got to experience what it’s like doing video production but for social media. This whole world [of social media content creation] is very new. But because I got that direct hands-on experience for two and a half years doing exactly what companies are implementing now, I was able to just seamlessly move to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

Knowing how to use equipment has also helped me a lot at my job now. Every class will teach you how to use equipment from the MEC, so by the time you graduate, you have a grasp on everything. Because of that, it was just really easy to come into this job with the equipment they had and start shooting right away. Other technical skills I learned at school, like lighting, audio engineering, and cinematography, help me with my work now. 

The film classes teach you the technique and help you understand what goes into producing something. There are so many backend skills, like scheduling and writing scripts, that you need when you want to make a social video. And then putting that together with a marketing strategy is something that I was really lucky to learn at the Harrington School.  

I still use Adobe programs in my post-production, so having that background from school was very beneficial.

Describe your favorite memory from your time as a student. 

Honestly, it’s so hard to choose one. I really loved my time at URI. I think my favorite memory is probably just directing movies that I’m really proud of. Two of my favorites were “A Simpler Time,” which was for the analog 16-millimeter class, and the other was “Veronica,” which was my senior capstone. Directing was where I found a lot of confidence, and I have transferred those skills to my work today! So I really savored those moments. I liked working with my peers and having help from Professor Keith Brown to make those projects come to life. Those movies will always be in my portfolio and always something that I can look back on as a reflection of my time at URI.

What would you say to students looking to enter the same field? 

I think you should keep an open mind. I think it can be really challenging to go from school to the workforce, but I would say don’t be afraid to try new things even if you don’t feel qualified because every experience you have after college is worth gaining. You really never stop learning, so never say no to an opportunity. It can’t hurt to try.