IC 2026 Teen Press Corps Interviews: Annie Laks

So you studied journalism and communications before working your way into film and TV.

What first sparked your interest in storytelling in the entertainment industry?

I always grew up loving TV and movies.

I was obsessed with them from such an early age.

And as a kid, I did a lot of acting because that's all I knew, right? Like I just thought...

The actors were everything.

And I didn't know what any of their names were on the screen in the credits.

I just thought they were random names.

Who cared? And I just remember watching the Oscars and being like, who are these people getting up there? I only care about the actors.

Yes.

And I always thought I wanted to act.

And when I started off, I started in the industry as an intern in publicity after I graduated from college.

And I... loved what I was doing because I got to work on movies after they got made right and I thought this is so cool I'm seeing what a press junket is I'm going to premieres I'm traveling I got to go to film festivals it was so cool and then I was able to kind of shift over and work on movies before they got made which is something I realized like I want to work on them before and as I was doing that I worked for an exec in LA I was able to stay at MGM and move to LA and And when I got to L.A., I had a moment.

I was working really hard for the zigzag as her assistant.

And I thought, you're in L.A. You can audition.

You could be an actress.

And I realized in that moment, I'll never forget, I was in my car, I was driving home, and I thought...

I don't want to do this.

The power is here.

This is where I want to be.

So as soon as I kind of put it together that I was creating, I could be a part of the creation and planning and molding.

Then I just, I gave up on the acting and I was full in on, on being an exec and producing.

Absolutely.

So do you think that some of the acting that you did at a young age really helped you, helped prepare you to work behind the scenes and inspired you to do that?

Totally.