Meaningful Internships
By Mollie Berg ‘16
Over the past week, I feel like I have really understood the point of an internship. Not too long ago, I spoke with a Carousel employee about the concept of an internship. My boss said that the company essentially is supposed to give something to the interns (via teaching) that the company does not benefit from itself. Sounds simple enough. As interns, we are supposed to walk away having learned skills that will help us in our future. And thankfully, I really feel like I am. More so, the production company I am working for really takes that mission seriously.
Every Friday, the interns watch a classic comedy movie (so far that has included “When Harry Met Sally,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” and much, much more). After last Friday’s movie, we met with one of Carousel’s producers, who told us how she ended up where she is today, and showed us the trailer of her documentary. Then we were able to ask her any questions, and she offered us advice.
Afterwards, we started working on our group film projects. The interns were divided up into groups of three, and we were given an assignment to make a short, five-minute film about anything we want. The film must be written, directed, and produced by our group, and must contain a certain amount of qualifications. These qualifications are somewhat silly, like at one point, two characters should speak in a foreign language or the scene needs to include a full musical number.
Last Friday, for the first time, my group really began brainstorming about our project. We talked through our ideas, which started from nothing and ended with a seven-page script that we are really excited about! It was so fun coming up with our own ideas and beginning to execute them. I really felt crazily excited by writing the characters and their dialogue, and more than any moment, this cemented my certainty that this is really what I want to work for—writing for film/television.
After all, isn’t that what internships are supposed to do? They are supposed to help you realize your future career path, and eliminate those that are not so promising. A long time ago I was talking to someone who told me that she appreciates even the bad internships she has had, because every negative work experience helps eliminate something that you would never want to do (and therefore, brings you that much closer to your actual future job). I am very lucky in that I love my internship and what I am learning from it.
Not only do the employees of Carousel provide an excellent learning experience with all of their activities centered on the intern’s growth, but also the company itself is extremely welcoming and full of kind, caring, and genuine people. For part of the class I am taking to get credit for my internship, I needed to interview someone higher up than me in the company. Last week, I interviewed Vance DeGeneres, one of the co-presidents of the company. He was extremely kind and answered all my questions. Then after, he asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and proceeded to give me follow-up advice.
More than anything, what resonated from the interview was that Vance said a long time ago he and Steve and Charlie decided that their company would not work with jerks. After all, there are too many talented and good people in the entertainment world to work with and develop ideas with. I literally could not think of a better company motto, especially within the dog-eat-dog world of the entertainment industry. And more importantly (for me right now, at least), I could not think of a better place to learn and grow as a young professional. So thanks, Carousel. I’ve learned a lot—and I am not even done yet! Here’s to another great few weeks!
