One of the lovely tasks that an intern has to do when working for a lit manager/producer is to scan books, that we need to have copies of in our digital database. So what you see here is a very cute 500 page book that I had to scan, 2 pages at a time. Unfortunately it wasn’t the only one, but it was the last one I scanned there, as it was the last thing I did before I finished my internship.
So one of the managers in the company had to be at the Beverly Hilton all day for the 2011 Television Critics Association Awards, and as we needed to give him something ASAP I offered to take it to him. There was a FOX sign right outside the entrance that I thought it was fun and wanted to take a picture of it, but as it wasn’t really “proper” to stop with my car right outside the hotel and take a picture, I took one of my mirror while leaving…and that’s the result! I kind of like it like that..it has a story!
This is my awesome DVD database! I created it and I am proud of it, as it was such a mess before I put my hands on it!
Hello Sequence 64,
You are now done with bootcamp and you must be exhausted! But congrats for surviving!
I am sure the things I’m going to say are not things you haven’t already told by others or thought about. But I’m gonna go along and say them anyway.
Make the best out of your time at Newhouse! It goes by super fast although when you’re living it you think it will never end. Especially on exam weeks! I spent so much time inside Newhouse with my fellow grads and I never regretted it. Spending 15 hours inside a building is something that scares the hell out of normal people, but for me these are the moments that I now remember and laugh about. Syracuse also helps with that. There isn’t really much to do anyway, so you can concentrate on doing work and having fun with people who are going through the same things as you. Work hard, but have fun while you’re doing it!
Get to know your professors! Every and each one of them is special and unimaginably interesting. They are there to help you, to mentor you, to torture you, and to push you further. Take advantage of all the great professors Newhouse has to offer and if you absolutely love one professor don’t hesitate to take all their classes and get to know them better. You will end up having fun, learning more and having someone to advise you when times get hard. Because they will.
Establish great friendships! The people you meet here are people who will be there for you for life. You will go through hell together and you’ll come out of it stronger than ever. You’ll probably end up in the same city as them. But even if you don’t see each other often, you know they will be there for you, as you will be there for them.
Hope you all have a great grad school experience! Good luck!
And here I was, slowly finishing my amazing internship experience at Untitled.
My last thought of wisdom will be that: Always seem to be eager to do anything and everything, even if you’re not! Always be the person they turn to for whatever they need, even if you can’t actually do it. Because you’ll try the hell out of doing it first, so if you eventually can’t do it they know that no one can. Also, always, ALWAYS act like they are your priority even if most of the times they can’t be. That is maybe the most important rule when working in a management company or agency, where everything moves so fast and people always need what they need the moment they need it. If they feel like you prioritize them, they will appreciate you trying, and they won’t be very annoyed when they won’t get what they need right away.
Because my internship was so hands-on and I was running around ALL the time, my bosses knew that they can trust me with having something done as quickly as possible. Also, because I volunteered to do everything, from editing reels to run errands outside of the office, they came to me whenever they needed something. Even if that was that their computer needed to…simply restart.
I remember when Prof. Evan Smith first told us in class that we should be the ones that offer to do everything. I thought that was actually quite smart. And I was able to do that at my internship. You don’t always get the chance to prove yourself and I am grateful that I got that chance. Because confidence is everything! And don’t get me wrong…I didn’t earn their confidence easily. I busted my ass to get there, but I did. And that is why, I finished my internship and left the company with happy memories.
While I was interning at Untitled, two assistants left the company and two new ones came on board. As my position got affected by the ones who were leaving, I was kind of caught in the middle of all the madness that took place these days.
Now that time has passed and I can see things more clearly, I realize that a workplace can become a very scary place if there is no chemistry between you and your co-workers. Someone might think that this goes without saying, but the thing is that until you experience how important it is to click with others, you really can’t know how bad it is when you don’t. Obviously, I can’t get into detail about the whole situation but believe me it was bad. And quite stressful for everyone around. Positive energy can do miracles some times, and the same is true about ignoring mean comments or negative attitude.
The whole time I was there, I tried my best to spread positive energy around because everyone benefits from that. Usually when you are positive, you get positive reactions. Not always, but most of the time. I also realized that people in this industry, although they can be very competitive, they also help one another because they understand how fragile everything is in our world, and that you never now who’s gonna help you later. That is if you’re smart of course…
So here I was, finally having an internship! I can now positively say that my first week was the hardest of all, as it not only it was the week when I had to learn everything, but also the week that I had to cover a desk for two of our busiest managers.
My supervisor got sick 3 days after I started working, and although I was theoretically trained to pick up the phone, conference lines and roll calls, I think every time the phone rang my heart stopped for a little. I always had a great relationship with phones…maybe because they were usually ringing for me!! Anyway, I don’t think I had ever been more scared of a phone in my life. As you can understand, that was my first time really covering a desk. There were quite a few issues in the beginning (people talking too fast, me and my accent, our stupid phone system etc.) but I managed to survive. And so did my bosses. And they actually thought I did a good job! Go figure..
My point, I guess, is that you have to try your best in any situation. I knew I wasn’t gonna be perfect as I was doing it for the first time, but I tried my best and I am grateful that my bosses acknowledged that. To this day, they won’t forget that I rose to the occasion and covered their desk for two days and many times after that. And I’m happy that they won’t. But I’m even more happy that this happened, because I got an experience that I would have never gotten otherwise. I am now ready to face all phones that will come my way!
So…I finally earned my Master’s Degree in Television, Radio, and Film. Of course, I have to finish this blog in order to technically get my degree, but let’s put aside that fact for a moment.
This time last year, I was just getting back home after an exhausting -but fulfilling- bootcamp at SU. Back in Greece, I charged my batteries and got ready to face a year of grad school. This summer, I earned my two last credits by interning at Untitled Entertainment every day for the past five weeks. Both grad school and internship were amazing experiences, that I will forever treasure.
I am Anna Germanidi, I am in Los Angeles and I seriously don’t know how I got here. I never thought I would live in LA, but here I am anyway! I came here to do my internship and ended up liking it somehow…
So, my internship, as I said before, was at Untitled Entertainment. Untitled is a talent/lit management and production company. Most of the people working there are talent managers, with an exception of some lit managers and producers. I was brought there by a Newhouse alumni, who having to cover a desk for two very busy people, needed an extra set of hands. She was my internship supervisor and my mentor. She helped me tremendously to experience, very hands-on, how it is to work in a management company, with all the positive and the negative aspects. I got the FULL experience!
My one boss was a talent manager and my other boss was a lit manager/producer. Both are great at what they do, but they are also very demanding professionals. I had to practically work as the second assistant at this desk, covering for my supervisor at times, while also running all other intern duties. From scanning entire books to going to designer showrooms to pick up dresses for our talent. And of course script coverage…lots of script coverage…
So in my next posts, I will try to put into words what I experienced there and what I learned..and believe me when I say it was a lot!
This has been my busiest, and most fun, summer ever – two internships, a job and three online classes. Once the summer is over, I’ll be working with Bigler Productions and Modern Mix Marketing around 30 hours a week, editing and taping weddings and corporate events. An upcoming event we have is the Saratoga Lip Dub where thousands are expected to participate in lip synching to Train. So, if you are board on September 01, and want a good time, Saratoga is the place to be!
I’m still interning with The Place Beyond the Pines one or two days a week, until production ends. I haven’t been on location as much as I was hoping to, but it’s still fun to be involved. Without people like me, the people in charge wouldn’t have their coffee, and the movie couldn’t be made. Thus, I attribute any future success of the movie towards me.
I finally made it into the news! No, not for being involved with the filming of The Place Beyond The Pines, probably one of the most glamorous and exciting things to happen to Schenectady. No, not for being involved with creating videos/commercials for Six Flags, Saratoga Brewfest, a battle of the bands or weddings. No, not for having a speaking role in a movie with Ron Howard’s daughter. But instead for eating in a restauraunt. You can see me at second 34 in this video. It’s not much, but it does go to show that stories/entertainment can be obtained no matter what you do or where you are. If I can find all these ways of being connected to entertainment without even leaving the capital region, then there is no reason for any of you readers to be discouraged! Check craigslist, check facebook, find out if your city has a film commission and talk with them. Read the newsletters sent out by Newhouse for internships. There are opportunities out there – you just need to find them.
Break out of your comfort zone.
You’re in Newhouse now. You shouldn’t even have a comfort zone! If you are getting 7 hours of sleep then you aren’t working hard enough. If you are writer, try learning about the technology available at the Cage. If you are a DP, trying writing a screenplay in one of the orange chairs on the bridge to Newhouse I. I’m just saying that you may know what you want to do but you have some of the greatest resources available to you. You may not be interested in one aspect of the industry but the truth is that you need to know EVERYTHING. At one point or another I can assure you that you will be doing something that you may not want to do, but you at least need to know HOW to do it.
Breaking out of your comfort zone also refers to your social life. Each person in your program was chosen to be there just like you. Everyone has talent. You should take the time to learn from each other. These are the people you will hanging with for countless late night shifts at Newhouse. It will inspire new ideas and encourage your work ethic.
It’s only one year. It’s only one year. It’s only one year. I repeat this because sometimes we forget just how short our time is. Don’t waste the opportunities that are available to you just because you are still “getting settled” or because you “don’t know anyone”. Soon enough you will know everything about everyone….and then you’ll be leaving.
