Jane Grantham grew up in two very small towns. She spent her early childhood in Petersburg, Alaska and then lived in Yreka, California, before making her way to the University of California, Santa Cruz. That didn’t stop Grantham (Porter ‘24, art and design: games and playable media) from getting to Hollywood to work on movie events for titles like Dune: Part Two, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in June 2024, Grantham (Porter ‘24, art and design: games and playable media) entered into a contract role with Warner Bros Entertainment as an awards administrative consultant providing support during the annual awards season for Warner Bros, beginning in October and culminating in The Oscars. Her role was a mix of administrative work and assisting on-site during film screenings, Q&A panels, and more.
“It allowed me a glimpse into the world of major motion picture filmmaking and a chance to work within amazing interdepartmental teams that creatively approached projects, events, and campaigns,” Grantham said about her time at Warner Bros Entertainment. “I learned so much about publicity, marketing, public relations and the entertainment industry.”
Her favorite part about her time with Warner Bros was visiting the film lot for events.
“It was truly amazing to see the magic of film in action, and the spectacular production crews that pulled it all together,” Grantham said. “Being in a place where creativity thrived, and people were passionate about what they did was such a gift to experience in my early post-grad career.”
Recently, Grantham began a new position as an intern at fortyseven communications, an agency specializing in entertainment, games, and digital lifestyle. Grantham is excited to gain experience in compiling research, learning the basics of PR writing, pitches, and press releases, and building relationships with media and creators.
Grantham attributes her time with the Art and Design: Games and Playable Media (AGPM) department at UC Santa Cruz to solidifying her love of games, and introducing her to the industry.
“It was only at the end of my first year at UC Santa Cruz that I was introduced to something I hadn’t even realized could be a career, but leave it to the inherent uniqueness of UC Santa Cruz to have a degree dedicated to something as emerging and progressive as video games. I had always been interested in games growing up, fascinated by the human relationship to the digital space, but had never realized that a career path existed until I came to UC Santa Cruz.”
At UC Santa Cruz, Grantham said she discovered how video games could serve as a powerful blend of art, storytelling, and technology. Through the AGPM program, she gained a solid foundation that helped her clarify her career goals and take concrete steps toward them. Along the way, she became deeply involved in improving the student experience—collaborating with faculty to strengthen the curriculum, expand resources, and support future AGPM students.
She was involved with campus organizations and programs including the Game Design and Art Collaboration (GDA) and the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program (CUIP).
Grantham found both community and professional growth through her involvement in GDA, a student-run organization focused on connection and skill-sharing within the video game discipline. Through GDA, she became the communications coordinator for the annual Game Development Studio and played a key role in expanding the club’s visibility and leading collaborative, large-scale projects. Grantham also served as the Digital Engagement and Media Marketing Intern at the Career Success Office through the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program, where she gained experience in digital marketing, analytics, and institutional communications. The mentorship and support she received there helped her submit a project to the 2024 Game Developers Conference, where her work earned a Gold award in the Narrative Review Competition; the first UCSC student since 2020 to claim an award
Looking to the future, Grantham aspires to build a career amplifying meaningful narratives within the gaming industry, using storytelling to bridge the gap between games and their audiences. With a background in journalism and a passion for community-driven, culturally resonant storytelling, Grantham hopes to pursue work in areas like public relations to help shape how game projects are shared and understood.
Explore where the Class of 2024 is now. Discover the top employers hiring our alumni, the leading graduate schools admitting them, and first-hand accounts of their journeys.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.ucsc.edu ’
