I guess it’s safe to say that writing this final reflection is not going to be the easiest thing I have done. I can control a room, manage 200 audience members, judge a talent competition, hike up a mountain when it’s 100 degrees outside, find my way around a city I’ve never been to before, survive public transportation, and the list goes on. But writing my final thoughts on one of the best summers of my life and say goodbye to twelve new friends and one of my favorite professors at UA? That’s extremely hard compared to my long list above. There are no words to express my gratitude and thanks to my parents for funding me on this excursion, but even more than that, there are no words to express how thankful I am to Dr. Raimist for allowing us this opportunity. Anybody can come to Los Angeles and try to get an internship, but it’s a different experience when you have people back in your apartment that you can lean on for help and support. Though, a million things happened this summer, there are definitely a few things that shine bright in my mind.
Like that first week we were all here and we got to go to a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Don, the warm up guy, asked the audience if anybody had an amazing talent and we all screamed out, “OUR FRIEND BONNIE DOES!!!” She told him she plays the drums, but she couldn’t play the band’s drums so she played Don’s head as drums instead! It was so funny and such a great start to the trip.
I’ve also been so fortunate to have had two very different internships this summer. As everybody on this trip knows, I am an indecisive person when it comes to figuring out what I want to do with my career after college. These two internships have helped open my eyes to different sides of the industry. Working at a talent management company has allowed me to see the process that goes into getting actors booked for different jobs. I’ve also learned that managers and agents are two VERY different professions. In business terms, a manager develops the product, or the actor, and the agent helps sell the product. Working with Katrina at Pure Talent Management has given me the opportunity to be a manager in training. Honestly, I feel like Katrina gave me so much responsibility that I sometimes forget this isn’t my full time job. I’ve helped her judge talent competitions, been a guest speaker, sign a bunch of new clients, and, most importantly, I created her brand new company website!!! Katrina has taught me so much this summer, and through her I have realized that I love the manager and agent side of this industry. Not only have I gained the most incredible boss, but I’ve also gained a great new friend. I owe her so much.
I also interned at 1iota for Jimmy Kimmel Live! I’ve had so much fun there. At Kimmel, I have really learned what goes on behind the scenes to make a nighttime talk show, and I gained production experience just by watching all the different components. Besides having way too much fun and meeting way too many amazing people, I really learned how to problem solve in the appropriate way. If an audience member is being a little difficult, I have learned that there is an appropriate way to go about dealing with the issue. The client is always right. ALWAYS! People at Kimmel know me from my smile. I smile all the time. I honestly don’t know how a person can work in an environment such as the show and not smile all the time. It has truly been an absolutely incredibly experience.
The last unbelievable opportunity I have to mention is shadowing and attending the LA Regional EMMYS! We were the first college students ever to shadow the crew and attend the show. Joetta Di Bella, the producer of the show who currently lives in Huntsville, was so generous with us. She paired all of us off with different members of the crew to shadow. Some of us were with the lighting department or sound department. I was with the director’s booth. It was amazing! I learned so much about how the booth gets set up and what all the equipment does. I also got to watch them put in all of the animations and watch the clips that played while the announcers were announcing the nominees. It was a very cool experience. Then, we were fortunate enough to attend the show! It was amazing. We walked the red carpet and stood up during the show when they recognized us. It was so surreal. I felt like a celebrity! I am so grateful to Joetta for giving us that opportunity.
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