Though the screenwriting and film-acting components don't have as high a public profile as other course offerings at the California State University Summer Arts program, there's a lot of Hollywood industry brainpower concentrated at Fresno State this week. A chatty group representing different facets of the biz -- screenwriter, director, cinematographer, casting agent, studio executive -- shared some tips with students and community members at a panel discussion at Wahlberg Recital Hall. Make no mistake, they said: It's a jungle out there.

"Everybody on the planet has a screenplay," said John Schimmel, producer and vice president of development at Ascendant Pictures.

Added screenwriter Matthew Jacobs: "Surviving Hollywood is like surviving a very eccentric game of musical chairs."

Although the mainstream film industry is famed for its bureaucratic rigidity and the many hoops that must be jumped through to get a picture made, it isn't impossible to make a career, the panel emphasized. Everyone starts somewhere. Most people in Hollywood got some help along the way, so it isn't unheard of for someone with clout to help a newcomer. The best advice: Write a small, quality film the way you want rather than try to guess what kind of genre schlock would be the easiest sell. And then work like the dickens to get it made. Your reputation is your best calling card. And don't forget that you need a really thick skin in this business. The competition is keen, and your words aren't gold. Collaboration is almost a requirement. If you want to be a soloist, then write a novel.

One panel member, Chowchilla native Robert J. Thissen, is a great example of perseverance. The Fresno State graduate is a former Summer Arts student who worked his way up in the business. His big break came when he won the "Exposure Film Contest" conducted by the Sci Fi Channel in conjunction with the Sundance Channel. The short film, titled "Paradox Road," was filmed in Fresno and Madera counties using local actors. Thissen's experience winning the award hasn't been an entirely positive experience -- he's still negotiating with the network in an attempt to get his "prize" of a directing contract -- but it's certainly opened doors for him.

For the Summer Arts students sitting in the audience hoping to jump-start their own careers, his was an inspiring story indeed.