When senior advertising major Juliette Taylor Gray first started her journey at Temple University, she was an undecided Fox School of Business student.

“I came pretty open-minded, and I wanted to figure out where I would fit,” said Gray.

When Gray sat in on an advertising class during her first semester, she immediately fell in love with not only the advertising industry but Klein College of Media and Communication as a whole.

“I loved the small class. I loved the creativity and the community of it all,” said Gray, who switched her major the next semester. “I thought, this is where I will fit better, and my strengths will be highlighted more.”

Gray quickly wanted to soak up as much advertising knowledge as she could and learned about the FUTURE NOW Media & Entertainment Conference. After applying, getting accepted and attending the conference, she unlocked a major network of advertising professionals from Disney to NBC and insider information on the industry.

“If we can get our Klein [College] people into the right building, which I believe is the FUTURE NOW conference, not only is it accessible, but the opportunities from it are amazing,” said Gray.

She believes that Klein College students are some of the most talented up-and-comers in communication and wants her peers to be in rooms where they can shine. For her, that’s FUTURE NOW, and she urges students to apply by the March 31 deadline.

FUTURE NOW is a multi-day conference in New York City for college, graduate and recently graduated students. There, attendees have the opportunity to directly hear, connect, network and be mentored by leading professionals. Days are filled with learning the ins and outs of media and entertainment, touring studios and networking with both peers and network executives.

“To summarize everything FUTURE NOW stands for is that they genuinely want opportunities for young people who are passionate and open to the media entertainment industry,” said Gray.

The conference emphasizes that media and entertainment aren’t just actors, directors and producers. Professionals ranging from accountants to journalists and PR representatives are essential to the industry. Gray especially urges advertising majors to apply.

“As advertising majors, if you think about movies, half of it is the press tour, the billboards, the media plan, the strategy, the communication, the social media,” said Gray. “All of that is advertising-oriented in some way.”

What stands out most about the conference is the invaluable networking opportunities available. The first day is dedicated to learning about what is currently happening in the media industry and how attendees should be presenting themselves as professionals. This is then followed by a welcome reception, where students are directly thrown into testing their networking skills with fellow attendees.

During the second day of FUTURE NOW, attendees "speed mentor” with industry professionals. Gray sat at a table with five other attendees and every 20 minutes met two new employers, where she had the opportunity to introduce herself and her career goals.

After attending the conference, students are welcome to apply for two opportunities: a mentorship program and a campus ambassadorship. If accepted into the mentorship program, students are matched with an industry professional for nine months, meeting at least monthly with them for guidance. A campus ambassador, which Gray currently serves as, spreads the word about FUTURE NOW and finds other students just as passionate about the industry as they are.

Even the application itself is an opportunity to show yourself off in front of potential employers. To apply, students only need to submit a resume, a letter of recommendation and an essay that explains why they want to attend. If accepted into the conference, attendees’ applications get put into a conference-wide portfolio that gets shown to the professionals attending.

FUTURE NOW applicants are notified on a rolling basis. For those who are accepted and registered before April 30, the registration fee is $149. A plethora of scholarship opportunities exist for those in financial need. Gray received a scholarship from Disney that covered her registration fee, and The Inspire Grant, which covered her accommodation costs.

“So, I wanted to go to the conference. I applied, and I applied for scholarships,” said Gray. “That was something [the founder and CEO] emphasized, is that they want to make it as accessible as possible.”

The FUTURE NOW conference takes place June 9-11. For more information and how to apply, visit their website.