When Matt DuPre left the U.S. Marine Corps in 2012 after five years of active duty, he headed home to the Chicago area to figure out his next move.
The Naperville native, who had graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, said he didn’t know how to find a job, write a resume or network. DuPre, who in the military had worked with getting Marines from water to land in tanks, said he wasn’t even sure what type of field he wanted to work in.
After spending six months in Chicago floating between classes at Second City and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, DuPre moved to New York to take a job as a production assistant. Two years later, he joined a TV-industry immersion program, launched by Jon Stewart, “The Daily Show” and veterans groups a few years ago to expose veterans to the various aspects of television production.
During the five-week program, DuPre met another veteran who helped him land his new job at a New York ad agency – a dream for him after watching episodes of “Mad Men” when he left the Marine Corps.
“I wish I had stumbled on this (program) two years ago when I first gotten out” of the military, said DuPre, 30, who now lives in New York. “I would have set my goals a little quicker.”
DuPre participated in the third year of the free program, which is expected to continue under new “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, a Comedy Central spokeswoman said. Stewart’s final show is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Stewart told The New York Times in an article published this week that he hoped other shows would steal his idea for the program because “we have this wealth of experience that just wasn’t being tapped.”
Twenty-four veterans participate in each program, which is held once a year, mostly at night. During their time with the show, veterans observe writers and studio producers discussing pitches for the day’s headlines, segment editing, stage crew walking through the technical aspects of the studio and taping the show in front of an audience.
DuPre said his favorite guest was the band Mumford & Sons, who performed “The Cave” on the episode that aired May 7.
The band “was like 25 feet away from me and getting to hear them … super cool,” DuPre said.
DuPre said the workshop taught him confidence, efficiency by watching how the show is produced, and creative brainstorming techniques. The program wraps up with a career fair that DuPre likened to speed dating.
A Comedy Central spokeswoman said 30 percent of the program participants found employment directly from their involvement in the program.
DuPre said the skills he has learned from the program have also helped him with his side project, Small Faces, a six-person comedy troupe mostly composed of veterans. They perform a sketch about the annoyances of riding the subway and a parody of reality television, among others. They have a show Saturday at a theater in New York.
DuPre hopes to continue honing his comedy skills. Maybe one day he can do it full time, a la Stewart.
“Through the program, it was a great experience to be like, ‘Yes you can do (show business) as a career. It’s a real thing,” DuPre said.
