Pop culture has come a long way from being dismissed by academia as low-brow entertainment. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find college courses and majors dedicated to analyzing various facets of popular culture. Such majors often attract students with a keen interest in consuming and creating pop culture, including fan-fiction writing and film-making.
But where does a degree in popular culture lead? Is it possible to turn a passion for fandom and pop culture into a lucrative and fulfilling career? In this article, we’ll explore the diverse career paths of a popular culture major, with particular focus on what it takes to go from fan-fiction writing to film adaptations.
The first thing to note is that a degree in popular culture is interdisciplinary by nature. Students learn to apply various critical lenses – such as feminist, queer, and postcolonial theory – to analyze popular media like video games, comic books, and TV shows. Moreover, they develop skills in research, writing, and creative expression that translate into a variety of career paths.
One way to turn a degree in popular culture into a career is by focusing on fan-fiction writing. For the uninitiated, fan-fiction is a genre of literature where fans of a particular franchise or work of media create their own stories and characters based on that source material. Many pop culture majors get their start in fan-fiction writing and go on to build successful careers as authors or screenwriters.
For example, E.L. James, the author of the popular Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, got her start as a Twilight fan-fiction writer. Similarly, the movie The Martian was based on a self-published fan-fiction by Andy Weir, who went on to become a best-selling author.
But while fan-fiction writing can be a good starting point, it’s not the only career path available to pop culture majors. For those interested in film-making, there are many opportunities to pursue a career in the film industry. Film adaptations of popular books, comics, and video games are big business, with many studios hungry for fresh content.
For example, Ava DuVernay, the director of A Wrinkle in Time, got her start as a publicist for films like Spider-Man and The Help. Similarly, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of the Game of Thrones TV series, started their careers as writers for movies like Troy and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The key takeaway here is that a degree in popular culture is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. There are many different paths to take, and success ultimately comes down to a combination of passion, skill, and networking. Whether you want to write fan-fiction, make films, or something else entirely, a degree in popular culture can be a valuable foundation for a fulfilling and creative career.
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