Externship Gives Film Studies Senior a Glimpse Into the Industry
Julian David Torres ’25 recently spent a day with Brian Teta ’98, executive producer of ABC’s “The View.”By: Evan Schlotterbeck ’25 Friday, March 14, 2025 00:11 PM
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Julian David Torres ’25Julian David Torres ’25, a film studies major, was one of two students who spent a day over winter break in ABC’s Studio B, home of the network’s long-running talk show, “The View.” He and Christian King ’28 were there to shadow Brian Teta ’98, the program’s executive producer since 2017.
The Career Center facilitated the connection through its winter externship program. Muhlenberg’s externship opportunities range from one- to five-day excursions over winter break in which current students shadow alumni, parents of Muhlenberg students, or other volunteers.
Assistant Director of Experiential Learning Abigail Martin says the externship program “goes beyond traditional job shadowing by emphasizing hands-on engagement and meaningful interaction. Students aren’t just passive observers — they often participate in projects, attend meetings, and engage in discussions with professionals in the field.”
On the day of the externship, Torres and King toured the entire studio with Teta and his assistant and gained a behind-the-scenes look at where and how “The View” is shot. The students were also able to meet some of the production crew, learn about various roles on set, and see the studio where Teta records his “After the View” podcast. The students and Teta wrapped up the day with a conversation over lunch. Here, Torres answers some questions about his experience.
Why did you want to pursue an externship?
“I think I just wanted to kind of build up the resume and gain more experience. And then, when I saw this externship, I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds awesome.’ You’re following an executive producer. There’s so much you can learn from that. So it seemed like a very fun opportunity. I’m glad I got to do it.”
Describe your connection with your host, Brian Teta ’98.
“He came in for Alumni Week two years ago, my sophomore year, and he talked about his experience. He talked about how he started off with Letterman … and then he went to ‘The View.’ But yeah, he seemed like a cool guy. And talking to him was cool — [he’s a] very smart guy, but very, very relatable. So when this [externship] opened up, it seemed awesome.”
What are some of your takeaways from this experience?
“I think Brian gave really good advice because instead of focusing solely on the top thing I want to get into, he mentioned I should expand my horizons. You know, if you’re trying to get into this industry of entertainment, just shoot at everything in the first few years. It might be difficult but just shoot at as much as you can. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t say, ‘All right, I just want to be a producer’ or ‘I just want to be a writer.’ You’re going to maybe do some jobs that you don’t want to do. The work is what matters: getting your foot in the door, talking to the right people, knowing if you want their job and finding out how to get there, and then doing that.”
Torres and King on set
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