TU senior’s path winds from campus to Hollywood and back
Daniel Kundrat finds his calling in TU’s electronic media and film department
By Kyle Hobstetter on November 10, 2023
When he came to Towson University in 2019, Daniel Kundrat was looking to find himself. Seven majors and a huge internship later, Kundrat can finally say he knows who he is.
Being a regular in the Long Reach High School’s theater department, the Maryland native has always considered himself a performer. But when it came time to decide what he wanted to study in college, his mother didn’t want the first-generation student to be an acting major.
So when he started at TU, Kundrat kept trying to find a major that fit. He started as undecided, then went to business administration, biology, history-secondary education, Social sciences secondary education, psychology and mass communication.
But in the back of his mind, there was still that passion for performing and entertainment. So much that he took a job as a production assistant on a friend’s student film thesis.
It was then he changed his major one last time and found his place in the College of Fine Arts and Communication by joining the electronic media and film program (EMF), with a concentration in video and digital production.
“Working on that first film I saw the magic, and it was so cool to see that this is where entertainment happens,” Kundrat says. “I saw all these different parts, and I was like, ‘Where can I fit in with this?’ I made all these amazing friends who were all film majors who showed me what life could be like in this business.
“When I saw there was life in EMF and there are opportunities, I took a leap of faith for film.”
That leap has paid off, as over the summer Kundrat was selected for the prestigious Television Academy Foundation internship program. He was one of just 38 students chosen nationwide.
The opportunity provided an eight-week paid internship in the development department at Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment in Los Angeles, California, whose productions include the Emmy-nominated Hulu series “The Bear” and this summer’s “No Hard Feelings,” a film starring Jennifer Lawrence.
During the summer, Kundrat participated in professional development sessions with television industry leaders and customized seminars covering personal brand building and navigating the job market.
“I’ve been gaining discipline in literary and talent development while being able to analyze information on a variety of different things,” Kundrat says about his experience. “When it comes to actual scripted development, I do a lot of analysis on the stories that they give me and provide notes back.
“I never thought anything like this would come up. I had all these other majors, [but] I always thought about contributing to TV shows and films. I wished and prayed for opportunities like this, and through hard work, I was able to find a place I can contribute.”
Now back on campus, Kundrat is trying to find ways to scratch his performing itch. He is part of the acapella group Purrrfect Pitch, and during the fall, he flexed the muscles he gained as an acting minor by starring in an on-campus production of “As You Like It.”
Between his time in Hollywood and his time creating on campus, Kundrat credits Towson University for helping him follow his dreams of performing on stage and behind the camera.
“Towson University helped me find a life and passion in the career of my dreams,” Kundrat says. “It’s given me the classes and the foundation. It’s given me the friends and classmates that believe in me. And we get to work together to help make beautiful things.”
One of those beautiful things is the community Kundrat built at Towson University. He says it has helped him in finally forming his identity.
“My journey at TU transformed me [and allowed] me to be who I am and be free,” Kundrat says. “When I first came to Towson University, I was a closeted Black man. But the friends that I made here at this school helped me see that there is life for me, in being a Black queer man."
“My friends here greatly contributed and showed me that this life is possible. I’m very grateful to them for that because I’m here today because of them.”