Ray Davis

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

Movies immediately became my career ambition when I discovered Jaws and Jurassic Park at the age of 10. In high school, I would do my best to submit short films in lieu of papers. I wrote and directed a scene in my Acting class, which I ended up filming and submitting as my application to The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I absolutely loved studying film and screenwriting at UArts. Philadelphia is a beautiful city, with a heart full of art, music, and film. I made lifelong friends there. After graduation, I spent the next three years in the city’s film industry. The 14+ hour work days as a Production Assistant really showed me the serious level of teamwork that is required on set. In 2014, I moved to Los Angeles. After several months, I became a tour guide at Warner Bros, and got to learn everything about their legendary studio lot. I even met my future wife here! Since 2018, I’ve had the incredible pleasure of joining the history-making marketing team at The Walt Disney Studios. Like Philadelphia, Warner Bros, and everything in between, Disney has been an amazing place where I’ve gotten to meet some truly brilliant people. The one thing I've known all along is that I love movies. I love how they connect with people, and I love that I get to be a part of them while learning new skills everyday.

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

In high school, I started watching/listening to film interviews, behind the scenes documentaries, and DVD commentaries. The best are on a director's first film. At the time, El Mariachi, Clerks, Brick, and their DVD commentaries were iconic for giving low-budget indie film advice. As a kid, I had no money, but even those movies had budgets. The best advice I first learned was to use what you've got, and to plan ahead so that you can move as fast as possible on your film days. In college, I did my best to work on student film sets that needed a writer, editor, cinematographer, or just someone to carry equipment around. When you help a fellow filmmaker you get to learn from them, you get to help accomplish their goal and vision, and in doing so you create a network of film-friends. I can't tell you how many classmates I ran into on professional sets after we graduated college.

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

Go after the jobs that you want, and when you get the interview, be yourself and share what you're really passionate about. This way, you might discover more than you already expected from the job. When you are yourself, you'll usually see your interviewer be themselves. And always bring a copy of your resume with you.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

I work with incredible leaders who support, teach, and care about the entire team. However, a long time ago at a very different job, I unfortunately worked with a boss who was none of those things. It was a very unhealthy toxic work environment. The most difficult part about having a job like that is recognizing that you should leave. What made me finally leave was thinking of any other job that I would enjoy doing instead - and there was a lot. While my next job had its challenges, it was still fun, and I was learning a lot. That was when I learned that there is a difference between being challenged and being bullied, and I’ve been happier ever since.

What is it like when your job gets tough?

The toughest part of the job (and probably every job) is when it feels like requests are coming from every direction, and they all need to be answered now. Maintaining a clean, up to date to-do list always keeps me organized during those extra busy days. At the end of the day, it's very satisfying to see how many boxes have been checked off, and that you have a list ready for the next day.

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

1) Utilize every resource available to you. Editing labs, camera equipment, libraries, a quiet place to work in peace: there is so much you have access to at a film school (in my experience at least) that will help you learn and grow. 2) Know your basics. It is always good to be ambitious and do more than the bare minimum, but you need to appreciate the basics of what you're learning first.