Where Film Meets CCI: Michaela Golik Shines in the CCI Internship Diaries

Photo courtesy of Michaela Golik. Michaela is on set of her upcoming thesis film Portrait of Artemisia, which she wrote and directed.

It’s not every day you meet a student who can seamlessly tie together their CCI minor, study abroad experiences, and time at Chapman into one tangible, meaningful project. But every so often, someone comes along and makes it look effortless. Enter: Michaela Golik. Michaela is a senior Film and Television Production major with an emphasis in directing, and yes, she’s also one of our very own CCI minors. Creativity has always been second nature to her, but here’s the twist: her love for one of the biggest CCIs, film, didn’t start behind a camera. It started between the pages of a book.

Whether she was getting lost in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or diving into the drama of Dracula, Michaela originally saw herself as an author. She wrote short stories, planned novels, and even imagined her stories as movies while she was writing them. Her mindset? “I hope they make my books into movies someday… but they need me there so they don’t mess it up.”

Honestly, fair.

That idea quickly evolved into a realization that feels obvious in hindsight: why wait for someone else to adapt your story when you could just direct it yourself? And just like that, a director was born. Writing and directing became the perfect intersection of everything she loved storytelling, creativity, and bringing ideas to life.

That path took her from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Chapman University, where she initially explored different minors (including dance) before finding the right fit. Everything clicked when she took CCI 203 Contemporary Issues in CCI, with Ryan Haley, which had an emphasis of Content Creation. With interests spanning film, art, psychology, and storytelling, CCI offered something unique: flexibility. As Michaela describes it, the program felt like a “choose your own adventure,” one that allowed her to bring all of her interests into a single space.

But the real turning point came abroad.

While studying in Florence during her sophomore year, Michaela experienced one of those moments, the kind that quietly shifts everything. What began as a museum visit quickly turned into a creative rabbit hole, one that continued to grow through a CCI travel course in London and her classes back at Chapman. The result? Her senior thesis film, Portrait of Artemisia, inspired by the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, a story that blends history, art, and powerful storytelling. Before diving into the thesis itself, though, it’s worth taking a step back to look at the experiences that helped shape her along the way. Michaela has built an impressive range of internships, from working at Blink Advertising and Zero Gravity Management to exploring marketing through her role as a Global Engagement & Marketing Intern with AIFS Abroad. Now, this is where we start our conversation.

Photo courtesy of Michaela Golik. Michaela is pictured during her internship at Zero Gravity Management, which she did over the summer and continued into the fall last year. Zero Gravity Management is a film and television production and talent management company, and she got a lot of hands-on experience there that really shaped how she approaches filmmaking now. She still finds herself applying what she learned there to her own projects.

Alright, Michaela! Tell me about your internships.

MG: Of course, let me give you a little crash course. With my first two film internships at Blink Advertising and Zero Gravity Management, I really got thrown into the industry in the best way. One day I was helping create commercials, the next I was sitting in on client meetings, doing script coverage, writing notes, all of it. It was definitely not a “sit back and observe” situation. I got to see how both the creative and business sides of film actually operate, which was huge.

But honestly, a lot of my CCI skills really came to life during my marketing internship with my study abroad program, AIFS. I started as an ambassador, and then it quickly grew into something more structured, so things got real pretty fast. 

That’s fascinating. Did anything you learned in CCI show up in your internships? And what would you say was your biggest challenge?

MG: Definitely. We focused a lot on branding and audience engagement, which really comes down to figuring out who you are and how you present yourself online. For me, I love one-on-one advising and helping students feel more comfortable about studying abroad, so I try to bring that same energy into my content. I want it to feel like you’re talking to a friend, not sitting through a formal presentation. That’s where CCI really clicked for me. Everything I learned about influencer marketing and authenticity suddenly made sense. It’s all about making content feel natural and genuine, even when there’s a lot of strategy behind it. As for challenges, I’d say people skills and confidence were the biggest ones. I’m not a marketing major, so at first I felt like I didn’t have the same background as some of the other interns. But over time, I learned to trust my instincts and apply what I did know. A big part of the internship was connecting with people from all over the country, so I really had to step out of my comfort zone. That meant doing Zoom calls, giving advice, and building relationships with people I had never met before. I used to be pretty shy, so it definitely pushed me to become a lot more outgoing.

Photo courtesy of Michaela Golik. Michaela is on set for her upcoming thesis film. Here, she’s fully in directing mode guiding the production and actors with focus and intention.

Now, I know you studied abroad during your sophomore year, and that experience not only led to your marketing internship but also inspired your thesis. Can you tell me more about that?

MG: Yeah, it really started during a guided tour at the Uffizi in Florence. We came across this very intense painting of a woman beheading a man, and the guide mentioned that it was painted by a 19-year-old girl. That detail really stayed with me. After that, I started looking more into it and learned that the artist was Artemisia Gentileschi. As I researched further, I discovered the story behind the painting, which made it even more powerful. She had essentially painted herself and her abuser into the scene, depicting herself beheading him. That completely changed how I understood the work. Later on, I was able to revisit that idea during a class in London for CCI and International Contexts. We had an assignment where we chose a painting from the National Gallery and analyzed it, both artistically and historically. I ended up selecting a piece based on the same biblical story and connected it back to what I had seen in Florence. That process led me to do even more research into Artemisia and her story, and over time, it became clear that this was something I wanted to explore further. Eventually, it developed into the foundation for my thesis film. 

Wow, it’s amazing how everything ended up connecting for you. Shifting back to CCI, what would you say is your favorite part of the minor, and has it helped shape your post-grad plans?

MG: I really love how interdisciplinary it is. You can take classes that all connect in different ways while still exploring a bunch of interests. For example, CCI 444 Media, Culture, and Emotion with Kelly Fury was challenging but really eye-opening, it helped me understand storytelling on a more psychological level, which tied really well into my film work. The CCI travel course in London was also a standout. It was such a cool experience to earn credit while actually being in the city and learning hands-on. Overall, CCI has really shown me how many different directions I can go in. Even if I don’t go straight into film production, I’ve built skills in marketing, content creation, and storytelling that all still connect back to the industry.

Now, we’ve reached our final question. What advice would you give to someone considering the CCI minor?

MG: I’d say go for it, and don’t be afraid to try everything at least once. Some classes might feel a little intimidating at first, podcasting definitely did for me, but those are usually the ones that end up teaching you the most. Honestly, even if something feels outside your comfort zone, just lean into it. Worst case, you learn something new. Best case, you discover a skill you didn’t know you had. And at the very least, you walk away with a much better idea of what you like, and what you definitely don’t.

Photo courtesy of Michaela Golik. Taken in her study abroad home base of Florence, this captures just a glimpse of a semester filled with travel, learning, and (of course) amazing food. Her time abroad didn’t just give her memories, it also led her to land a professional internship.

What a story we have here. Michaela’s journey is a clear example of how everything can come together in such a meaningful way as she wraps up her time here at Chapman. From internships that helped to shape her storytelling style and gave her a deeper understanding of audience engagement to the inspiration for an incredible thesis film that was sparked from more than 5000 miles away, Michaela has shown what it means to fully take advantage of every opportunity in front of her. Her experience is a reminder that when you put yourself out there, college becomes more than just a classroom experience; it becomes a space for discovery, growth, and connection. We want to give a huge thank you to Michaela for sharing her story and her experience here at Chapman. We are beyond proud of her and so excited to see her film, Portrait of Artemesia, hit the screen on May 8th at the Folino Theater. It’s open to everyone, and we can’t wait to watch, so we hope to see you there! If you or someone you know has a CCI internship experience worth sharing, do not hesitate to reach out!